We help youth find their voices
through arts mentoring and education.
Total Youth Served
Guitar Classes for Youth-in Need
Accom
plished musician Charles Rojas recently volunteered to teach a guitar workshop at A Community of Friends, which houses low-income and homeless residents with the goal of healing those with mental and physical illnesses.
As is typical, one teenager started guitar lessons as a complete beginner. Charles patiently taught her many aspects of the guitar, from the anatomy of the instrument, how to hold it, tuning the strings, finger movement, playing notes and chords, tempo, and reading music. By the end of the workshop, she could already play not one, but two songs: Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple and Buddy Holly by Weezer. Reflecting back, the girl exclaimed, “My favorite part is I got to learn a song!
I wasn’t sure about learning guitar at first, but when I started the lessons, things became understandable and easy for me. I got one-on-one classes and I learned everything really quickly because of that. I really want to continue learning guitar because of this experience. I’m glad I decided to go through with the guitar lessons. Even though I had only a few classes, I feel like I learned a lot.”
Daniel Madrid, an administrator at A Community of Friends, remarked, “Charles created an open space of encouragement, flexibility, and understanding.”
Since 2013, Charles has enjoyed teaching guitar to the kids we serve. “Create Now is a fantastic organization for connecting youth with educational opportunities to explore and learn the arts. I’m extremely grateful for the chance to share musical knowledge with young creatives, and provide some guidance for their artistic pursuits.”
We greatly appreciate Charles Rojas, and ALL of our fantastic volunteers! By contributing your time to Create Now in any discipline from writing, drawing, music – all the arts – you can make a difference in the lives of vulnerable youth. Click HERE for more information on how to get started!
Founded in 1996, Create Now serves children from infancy to 24 through arts programs in many disciplines.
We focus our efforts on kids who have been abused, neglected, orphaned, made homeless, incarcerated or experiencing other severe challenges – the “forgotten children.”
We have reached more than 42,000 of the most vulnerable youth in Southern California over the last 21 years.
Arts Programs
Create Now’s programming focuses on eight main areas
Visual Arts
Music
Literary Arts
Digital Media
Performing Arts
Fashion Design
Cultural Journeys
Culinary Arts
Videos
About Create Now
Writing Program for Children at Vaughn
Video produced by foster youth
Ready to Learn at Urban Compass
Highlighted Programs
Guitar Classes for Youth-in Need
Accomplished musician Charles Rojas recently volunteered to teach a guitar workshop at A Community of Friends, which houses low-income and homeless residents with the goal of healing those with mental and physical illnesses. As is typical, one teenager started guitar...
Creative Writing Heals Moms
Located in Hollywood, Aviva Center’s Wallis House is a residence for up to 42 transitional-aged women (18-24 years-old) and their children who are experiencing homelessness. Most of these young ladies have aged out of the foster care system. From July 9-September 2,...
Mentoring Through the Arts
Ricardo Ortega and his siblings were separated in foster care for over four years. During November 2015, he was living at a group home for teenage foster boys. Ricardo attended a Create Now event called "Only in Hollywood" held at LA Film School. There he met our...
Why I Founded Create Now
My career was in the entertainment industry for many years as a script supervisor. I led an exciting life, traveling all over the world on film productions with A-list talent. In 1991, I worked on two films that changed my life. Menace II Society was about Black Lives...
Brenijia’s On the Rise
Brenijia Barnes lives at the Imperial Courts housing project in Watts, CA. As a 17 year-old high school senior, she can add grantee to her growing list of accomplishments. When Brenijia was 12, we began connecting her with arts programming and cultural events...
Summer Arts Camp
Thanks to support from the St. Francis Center food pantry, Create Now provided 20 disadvantaged children who live in our DTLA neighborhood with a four-day Summer Arts Camp for the fifth year. Brian Yanish taught fun arts and crafts projects made from repurposed...
Covid-19 Resources for Kids
Create Now is grateful to our volunteers for donating masks, soaps and sanitizers - Sophia Shin, Elizabeth Keenan, Jay Shin, and open. that are appreciated by the families we serve. Baby2Baby has been especially generous, contributing thousands of diapers, soaps,...
The “Forgotten Children” Zoom
While all of us are staying safe at home, thousands of youth in Southern California have no homes to stay in, nor families to comfort them during the Covid-19 pandemic. They’re forced to live in shelters, group homes, detention centers and transitional living...
Fashion for Foster Kids
Create Now has temporarily stopped our Fashion Design classes at Maryvale in Rosemead and Hillsides in Pasadena (foster group homes) sponsored by the GO Campaign because of Covid-19, but the teenage foster girls living at Maryvale made tremendous progress after just...
Cultural Journeys
Last year, Create Now brought 2,290 youth on our Cultural Journeys program! They got to experience amazing performances, like Cirque du Soleil's Amaluna and also Corteo, the iPalpiti Orchestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall, J. Balvin, and a variety of concerts at the...
Honors & Awards
Create Now is proud to be recognized by these distinguished organizations.
