LA County arts advocates seek recruits for 2025 training program

Arts for LA, which bills itself as “the leading voice for arts advocacy across Los Angeles County,” is recruiting artists for two of the nonprofit’s 2025 Activate programs.

Activate is an umbrella name a training program that educates and connects the expansive LA arts community via mentorships, hands-on learning opportunities and learning sessions that teach its participants how to advocate for artists in LA County. The deadline to apply is Jan. 9.  

Emerging Arts Leaders is a nine-month stipend program that aims to provide hands-on community organizing experience to participants to aid in fostering the next generation of local leaders, according to Arts for LA. Approximately 10 participants will receive stipends totaling $936, which averages about $26 an hour.  

“We are helping members of our arts community in LA find their voices and hone their leadership skills so they can advocate for the organizations and sectors they care about,” Gustavo Herrera, Arts for LA CEO said in a statement. “We are proud to offer these programs free of charge and to provide stipends for participants in the Emerging Arts Leaders program.” 

In order to allow time for more in-depth discussions, an enhanced curriculum and new opportunities for learning, Activate’s Delegates program is expanding in 2025 from four meetings to eight over a four-month span, organizers said.

“This experience has been eye-opening as I got the opportunity to grow as an individual advocate and share these resources with others,” Kevine Ecliserio-Velez, alumnus of the 2023 Delegates program, said in a statement. “I am currently working on implementing these resources towards my career path.” 

Jean Young, 2023 EAL alumnus, said the program “has given me the skills I wanted to learn to plan and execute a program, and I feel much more confident in program management and logistical planning. I am grateful for the people that I have met through this program and I believe that we will continue to support each other outside of this program.” 

Activate began in 2014 as one program and has evolved into the four leadership tracks for which the umbrella initiative is currently known — Emerging Arts Leaders, Delegates, Protege and Student Organizing, according to Arts for LA.

Protege is a mentorship program that pairs up-and-coming artists with industry professionals to receive personalized professional development opportunities with the intention to bolster the careers of both mentee and mentor, as well as hone key advocacy skills, organizers said.

The Student Organizing program is designed to provide high school students in LA County with the skills needed to become advocates in the growing student movement for equitable access to arts education, according to Arts for LA.  

As the only cross-sectional arts organization in the region, Arts for LA plays a vital role in advocating for the arts across all disciplines and sectors at both the city and state levels. Beyond advocacy, the organization is committed to fostering a thriving arts community where all artists and arts workers can earn a livable wage and thrive.        

For more information on Arts for LA and how to apply for the Activate programs, see artsforla.org/activate.

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