twestival local - Tweet.Meet.Give. - March 24, 2011

On Thursday, March 24th, The Association, a hip and stylish bar located on a nondescript walk-down on 6th and Main in Downtown Los Angeles, was transformed into a hot spot for philanthropy and education.  While Downtown workers waited and rushed after buses and car lights blinked 
furiously, young professional philanthropists, community members, mentors, local businesses, and Los Angeles Team Mentoring (LATM) lined up outside in support of this important educational program and event.

The event was part of Twestival, a single day, global movement which uses the power of social media to organize offline events that mobilize communities in support of local charities.  Philanthro, a national 501(c)(3) organization and a leading platform for young professionals to connect with charitable causes, lead Twestival L.A., the local event.  Despite the dreary weather outside, The Association buzzed with positive energy inside.  As bartenders mixed specialty drinks such as Twestini, supporters continued to tweet about the event and eagerly awaited for their tweets to appear on the screen at the venue and on their smart phones.  Some supporters braved the L.A. drizzle and took advantage of Komodo Food Truck, which enthusiastically agreed to be at the event with their dangerously good food. Some supporters were also busy filling out the forms and playing a mixer game that allowed them to win raffle prizes such as a two flights on JetBlue Airlines and a month of boot camp with Performance Science Training Institute.

Twestival L.A. raised $1,200.  But more importantly, the event raised immeasurable awareness for LATM.  The Twitter site for the event, @LATwestival, has nearly 5,000 followers.  LATM was able to disseminate information about their organization effectively through @LATwestival as well as their Twitter account, @LATeamMentoring.  In addition to Twitter, Twestival L.A. and LATM received exposure through social media outlets such as Facebook and blogs, including LAist and Lalawag.com.

From NOON until 2:00 p.m. TODAY ONLY

$5 PRE-SALE TICKETS TO TWESTIVAL - LOS ANGELES

Tickets: http://www.amiando.com/Twestival2011_la.html

Buy your pre-sale ticket online and you’ll be entered to win a free month of fitness boot camp training courtesy of The Performance Science Training Institute Los Angeles Los Angeles. www.thepstila.com

Everyone attending the event will have the opportunity to win a pair of round-trip tickets provided by JetBlue Airways. www.jetblue.com

In addition:

Drink and food specials until 9 pm.

 See what you have to attend LA Twestival 2011!

It was the worst of times; it was the best of times.  April 29, 1992 marked the beginning of the 1992 Civil Unrest in Los Angeles.  The riots erupted as a result of the Not Guilty verdict in the Rodney King beating case. The verdict brought the anger already brewing within various Los Angeles communities to the forefront.  For six days, Los Angeles was in rage and divided.

But perhaps Nietszche was right: chaos gives birth to a rising star.  After the riot, communities that were once divided came together. Dialogues began and partnerships emerged.  Community members began to look at each other as solutions and knew that they and the City could only heal by working together.

One of the organizations that emerged as a result of the riot was Los Angeles Team Mentoring (LATM).  Los Angeles Team Mentoring began its TeamWorks mentoring program in 1992 in response to the civil unrest that plagued the city.  This creative new approach –team-based mentoring – was developed to combat the overwhelming negative challenges confronting young people in Los Angeles inner-city middle schools.  LATM’s innovative model was also the answer to expanding the reach of mentoring to greater numbers of deserving youth with the limited number of available adult volunteers.   

The program that began at Horace Mann Middle School in South L.A. has expanded to 13 schools as far north as Pacoima and south as Lomita.  The program - exemplifies how it takes a village to raise a child.  Each school has 10 - teams and each team is comprised of 10 to 12 - students and 3 mentors: a teacher, a community leader (often from a corporation), and a college mentor.  For 30 weeks, the teams meet and discuss topics that include:  team building; health and wellness; cultural diversity and community service; healthy relationships; and conflict resolution and anger management.  Since 1992, LATM has served and impacted the lives of over 19,000 students in L.A’s most underserved communities. 

This Thursday, March 24^th, Philanthro is hosting an event to help support LATM’s important work.  The event, Twestival (Twitter + Festival) uses social media for social good by connecting communities offline on a single day to highlight a great cause and have a fun event. Twestival is the largest global grassroots social media fundraising initiative to- date.  Twestival Los Angeles aims to not only raise funds but also awareness for LATM’s work on a global scale. 

Be a part of the Los Angeles village and join us this Thursday at Twestival Los Angeles to support LATM, an L.A. star.

13 L.A. middle schools (public and charter) from Pacoima to Lomita (and in between)

+Team (10 to 12 students +  teacher + community member + college student)

x 10 to 12 mentoring teams per school

+ 2 hour sessions x 4 times a month

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= improved attendance; students with positive self perception; improved academic performance; trusting relationships; better attitude towards schools, adults, and community; students with positive role models; multicultural interaction; leadership development.

Now in its 18th year of service, L.A. Team Mentoring has made a difference in the lives of 15,000 young people in the Los Angeles community.