Shoutout LA | July 24, 2023

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erin Ross and we’ve shared our conversation below.

What should our readers know about your business?
As a national organization, Girls Inc. has been around for almost 160 years. Girls Inc. of Los Angeles was founded in 2016 and I came on as CEO in 2021 to build on Girls Inc.’s previous work in the community with renewed purpose and strategy to address the urgent needs of girls after several years of remote learning, social isolation and emotional distress tied to the pandemic. For the last two years, we have been building and adapting the program for today’s reality. Girls are facing a massive mental health crisis, but the CDC cites that students who feel connected at school- to trusted adults and a positive peer community- are far more likely to thrive. Creating that safe space for girls to be themselves has always been fundamental to our work, but it is more important than ever, so we have been intentional about how we build social emotional support into our curriculum. We have piloted new programs and sought feedback from our girls and school partners which has helped us improve what services we are offering. The main thing we learned over the last two years is how crucial consistency is for our girls, so we are making organizational changes to meet those needs. We pivoted from part-time after-school staff to full-time employees who are based on school campuses all day so that they offer programs during school and at critical times like lunch and recess when girls might need additional support. We have also added summer programs to increase our reach. These are major investments, but well worth it if we can create a place where girls (and youth identifying as girls) can feel seen and heard. 

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would want to demonstrate to my friend all the incredible culture that LA has- we don’t always get credit for our great art and theater so I would prioritize showcasing LACMA, the Broad and the Geffen Playhouse. I haven’t been to the Hammer since it reopened but want to check that out too. If it was summer, a show at the Hollywood Bowl or a movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Also, you can’t visit LA without a hike so either Fryman or the hike up to the Griffith Observatory from Fern Dell. For food, definitely breakfast tacos from Homestate or Bread and Breakfast- an incredible stand behind Circus Liquors in North Hollywood. Hopefully we’d be able to snag a reservation at Mother Wolf for a big night out. Also, I am deeply loyal to my neighborhood pizza pop-up Weirdoughs that operates out of Vivian’s Millenium Café on Ventura Friday and Saturday nights. And finally tacos from Guisados at some point too. 

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Girls Inc. LA is proud to be part of the founding advisory group for Alliance for Girls’ expansion to Los Angeles. They have been operating in the Bay Area for more than a decade to facilitate development, coordination and collective action for systemic change across the girl-serving sector. Last year they expanded their reach to Los Angeles and we are excited to be a part of their growth so that the organizations working with girls in our community can share resources and training, connect, network and support one another.