One Child. One Friend. 12+ Years, No Matter What.

We select children who could most benefit from a relationship with a long-term professional mentor.

We partner with community organizations, schools and foster care systems to help us meet children (ages 4 to 6) and families who could benefit most from a relationship with a Friend.

We exclusively focus on children who face enormous systemic barriers.

We hire and train full-time paid professional mentors called Friends.

A Friend‘s full-time job is to empower and support youth and their caregiver(s). Each Friend serves a roster of 8 children, dedicating 4 hours of professional mentorship to each child every week.

Moving mentorship out of the volunteer realm is key to getting the quality, consistency and commitment our children and their families deserve in the relationship.

We commit for the long term.

We commit to every child for the long term, from kindergarten through graduation. 12+ years, no matter what.

Our work is relationship-based, individualized and intentional.

Friends create meaningful experiences to explore each child's unique talents and interests. They also work 1-on-1 with each child to set age-appropriate goals and build critical life skills.

Aired June 14, 2026: In this podcast, Lisa Foxx interviews their Executive Director Jorie Das about all the ways this incredible organization is changing the lives of young people who need it most 🙂 We also discuss SummerFest, that's happening June 27 in Echo Park and will bring together nearly 300 children, youth, caregivers, and family members from across Los Angeles County.  They’re still looking for volunteers and community partners interested in supporting activities and activations for youth and families. Anyone interested can reach out to info@friendsla.org. Friends LA provides paid professional mentors who stay with youth for 12+ years, from kindergarten through high school graduation, helping children build long-term relationships, stability, and belonging.

Get more info HERE