Studio 132

Team Leader:

Amy Tsai

Team Information:

The Idea:

Studio 132

There are multitudes of noteworthy nonprofit organizations with tremendous visions but the majority lacks the necessary resources to implement sustainable change. Many rely completely on government funding and donations from private stakeholders to finance their operations. Thus, nonprofits perpetually struggle to remain stable and carry out their missions.
The Downtown LA Youth and Culture Center (D.T.L.A.Y.C.C.) is one example of an organization whose dependence on fundraising threatens its ability to continue reaching out to LA’s at-risk youth. From gang violence related deaths to struggling to raise children alone, young adults living in the inner city are plagued by hardships. The effects are increased gang involvement, drug use, and problems with public safety as the teens become trapped in a perpetual cycle of poverty. D.T.L.A.Y.C.C. was founded to nurture artistic skills in LA’s at-risk youth through the provision of art workshops, acting lessons, computer classes, and social justice education. Roughly one hundred teens per week seek out opportunities within the supportive environment offered at D.T.L.A.Y.C.C. The center has quickly become a positive community amidst the turmoil of the surrounding neighborhood. However, the threat of having to close its doors looms every month due to the difficulty of paying rent.

Studio 132 is being established to channel the artistic abilities of LA’s at-risk youth by simultaneously providing a platform for their voices to be heard and enabling them to financially support their own D.T.L.A.Y.C.C. Studio 132 will commission young artists in L.A. to design and develop products such as specialty apparel, electronics accessories, and wall art. The vision is to launch a business that empowers those living in the inner city by turning their work into marketable products and promoting their talents in a more positive light. Incorporating the “story” of the artists when selling Studio 132’s products is what will distinguish Studio 132 from other competitors. Each piece of wall art or specialty T-shirt will be accompanied by a background description of the artist and describe the significance of his or her design. Studio 132 strongly believes that innovative designs partnered with a social cause will be an attractive combination for consumers looking to stray away from conventional purchases. Plagued by the overproduction of standardized styles, there is a new wave of consumers interested in expressing their uniqueness through original apparel. Studio 132 seeks to capitalize on this emerging market by offering specialty, high quality products that appeal to those striving to make a statement The ultimate mission of Studio 132 is to teach at-risk teens how to creatively employ their art skills and to actively involve youth in transforming their own D.T.L.A.Y.C.C. into a sustainable organization. Profits will go toward financing D.T.L.A.Y.C. so youth can continue to have access to a positive environment where they can excel. Furthermore, each artist will receive commission to fund his or her further education. Alternately, commission may be granted as microfinance loans, allowing teens to start their own enterprises, be it a silk-screen printing company or a fish store.