Urban Compass

Urban Compass is an educational nonprofit located in the heart of Watts. Urban Compass operates after school and summer programs for elementary school students from Nickerson Gardens Housing Projects in Los Angeles. Our goal is to keep our students off the streets, out of gangs, and engaged in school. At Urban Compass, there is no doubt in our minds that we are making a tangible difference in the lives of our elementary school students. That is why we feel it essential that we create an after-school program for our students entering middle school; a period when the youth in Watts is strongly influenced to make decisions that could jeopardize a promising future. We have built a strong foundation both academically and emotionally for our students, and now is the time to grow alongside them and ensure they receive the tools they need to successfully navigate through middle school, high school, and young adulthood.

by: Theresa Gartland