Our Story
OUR QUEST TO BE UNSTOPPABLE
New Earth was founded in a Hollywood coffee shop in 2004. Sixteen years later, we’re serving 800 young people per year in our center in Culver City, probation camps, group homes, juvenile halls, continuation schools, and public schools throughout Los Angeles County.
The young people we work with largely come from communities characterized by high concentrations of poverty, violence, and gang activity. Upon release from incarceration, our young people return to their old neighborhoods with few resources to help them successfully reintegrate into society, let alone to address barriers to success such as difficulty re-enrolling in school or finding employment. As a result, in Los Angeles County, 70% of youth released from juvenile detention facilities are rearrested within a year of their release. New Earth’s unique model proves its success – with a less than 7% recidivism rate among members currently enrolled in New Earth programs.
At our New Earth Arts & Leadership Center in Culver City, young people receive career training and paid work experience, a fully accredited high school diploma program, mentorship, case management, nature expeditions, arts programming, and wrap-around services that help them re-enter their communities with the support and nurturing they need to create lifelong success.
OUR QUEST TO BE UNSTOPPABLE
New Earth was founded in a Hollywood coffee shop in 2004. Sixteen years later, we’re serving 800 young people per year in our center in Culver City, probation camps, group homes, juvenile halls, continuation schools, and public schools throughout Los Angeles County.
The young people we work with largely come from communities characterized by high concentrations of poverty, violence, and gang activity. Upon release from incarceration, our young people return to their old neighborhoods with few resources to help them successfully reintegrate into society, let alone to address barriers to success such as difficulty re-enrolling in school or finding employment. As a result, in Los Angeles County, 70% of youth released from juvenile detention facilities are rearrested within a year of their release. New Earth’s unique model proves its success – with a less than 7% recidivism rate among members currently enrolled in New Earth programs.
At our New Earth Arts & Leadership Center in Culver City, young people receive career training and paid work experience, a fully accredited high school diploma program, mentorship, case management, nature expeditions, arts programming, and wrap-around services that help them re-enter their communities with the support and nurturing they need to create lifelong success.
“IMAGINE IF YOU WERE JUDGED FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE FOR A MISTAKE THAT YOU MADE AS A CHILD. INCARCERATED CHILDREN ARE STILL CHILDREN.”
— Dr. Harry Grammer
20 YEARS IN THE MAKING
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2003
Harry Grammer begins Expression Mondays in a coffee shop in Hollywood.
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2004
New Earth is born and officially becomes a 501(c)(3) organization. The founding Board is formed and F.L.O.W. begins in foster care group homes.
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2005
New Earth’s F.L.O.W. poetry program begins at Camp Gonzales as a partnership with LACOE.
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2006
F.L.O.W. adds music and students record their words as raps to the beats they create.
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2007
F.L.O.W. begins at Pacific Lodge Boys Home in Woodland Hills.
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2009
New Earth’s Down to Earth community gardening program begins at Camp Gonzales.
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2010
Down to Earth is brought to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall.
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2011
New Earth offers programs in youth detention facilities across Los Angeles County – serving over 700 young people per week.
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2012
New Earth moves its offices into the Center for Arts & Educational Justice in Santa Monica.
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2013
Harry Grammer wins the Social Venture Partners Fast Pitch competition and New Earth is awarded $20,000. The Explore program launches. New Earth offers case management and wrap-around services to its program alumni.
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2015
The New Earth Arts & Leadership Center opens in Culver City.
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2016
F.L.O.W. begins at the Orange County Juvenile Hall. New Earth YouthBuild graduates 8 young people with High School Diplomas. Explore grows its workforce to 15 alumni staff.
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2017
Harry Grammer is selected as a CNN Hero for empowering system-involved youth. New Earth graduates 18 youth who were previously disconnected from work and school.
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2018
Harry Grammer is selected as one of 20 inaugural Obama Foundation Fellows out of more than 20,000 applicants from 190 countries. New Earth Graduates 38 young people – the largest graduating class yet!
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2019
New Earth celebrates 15 years as a 501(c)(3) and begins a Youth Diversion and Development partnership with the Culver City Police Department. The program diverts youth away from arrest and enters them into New Earth’s programs instead, thereby preventing the young people from ever entering the juvenile justice system. By this time, New Earth has served over 30,000 young people with its programs and services and graduated a total of 77 young people from high school.
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2020
New Earth responds to the COVID-19 crisis by providing immediate essential resources, such as baby supplies and groceries, to the most economically vulnerable youth and families in Los Angeles, in addition to continuing case management and programming both remotely and in-person with proper physical distancing.
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2021
Despite furloughs and financial constraints caused by Covid19, New Earth never closed it’s doors. Instead, we helped our community battling food insecurity with our New Earth People’s Market. We managed to safely feed more than 400 families weekly that live in our neighborhoods – donating over 400,000 pounds of groceries
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2022
Reign Supreme Gala
Held our first inaugural Gala, Reign Supreme! The event’s theme was basking in our youth’s innate royalty and power. That night we reminded them of their rich history and that they are keys to this world’s future. -
2022
We partnered with Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch and went on a life-changing adventure in Utah. Our Staff and Members re-connected with themselves while exploring rock climbing, meditation, rappelling, yoga, making music in a state of the art studio, jumping in lakes and creeks, star gazing, hanging out with birds of prey and cows, learning how to build a dwelling from the earth and so much more
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2022
While we are still in the heart of LA, we moved to an enhanced 1300 sq ft facility that will allow New Earth to serve more young, expanding services to their families. Our New campus is more space to focus on mental health support, creative expression, education, and workforce innovation.
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2023
We were approached by the Superintendent of the School District to bring our expertise in working with at-promise youth. The young ones that are at risk for slipping through the cracks without positive interventions like ours. New Earth is now co-located at the Culver City High School and Middle School and provides care management, therapy, and enrichment programming to students that need a little more support to get on track and re-engage in school. In addition to providing 1- on-1 care for students, we offer social-emotional training to staff, administrators, and teachers to ensure positive impact is institution-wide.
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2023
We celebrated the 20-Year Anniversary of Expression Mondays! The Culver City Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting, we were presented a resolution from the Office of Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, and we enjoyed live entertainment to celebrate where New Earth started!
MISSION
New Earth provides mentor-based arts, educational, vocational programs and wrap-around services that empower at-promise youth ages 13-25 and their families. We support youth to reimagine their lives, move towards positive life choices, and discover their genius as future leaders of tomorrow. We are causing a cultural shift.
VISION
New Earth believes that all young people deserve dignity, respect, and equal opportunity. We believe that education, arts, mentorship, and jobs are critical in keeping youth engaged, inspired, and free from risk. We believe in the limitless potential of our youth to become leaders when provided consistent and healthy guidance and support.
New Earth creates new worlds for at-promise youth through a series of transformative arts and educational programs and enrichment opportunities that nurture self-expression, stimulate positive growth, and address emotional barriers for young people to realize their full potential.
OUR VALUES
1. We are committed to justice and transformation.
2. We push boundaries as innovators
3. We nurture leadership, self-initiative, and personal responsibility.
4. We collaborate and communicate. It’s at the heart of what we do.
5. We are consistently consistent and persistently persistent with integrity.
6. We embody love in everything we endeavor.
7. We honor creative expression, our diversity, and Mother Earth.
8. We give in selfless service to our mission.
9. We are united.
10. We are FAMILY.
