Camp Pando is an immersive “boot camp” for young people reentering from juvenile detention, foster care, and dropping out of school. It provides opportunities to focus their energies on creative projects that help meet some of the Southland’s biggest challenges.
Because young Angelenos know our streets are their future
The inaugural Camp Pando cohort, held in the spring of 2024, focused on this LA Metro challenge:
How might regional bus stops become more than simply places to catch a ride — but portals to a sustainable and water-wise future?
Camp Pando is produced in partnership with Learning Works Charter School and Homeboy Industries in collaboration with Metro. The prototype event was made possible by generous support from the Metropolitan Water District.
About Camp Pando
Camp Pando is a project-centered, creative boot camp for a cohort of young people (ages 18-21) who are reentering from juvenile detention centers, foster care, and school drop-out and want to make a positive difference in the communities where they live. Camp Pando happens at specified times throughout the year at a retreat location; it is led by a Pando team of project innovation specialists.
Together, Pando’s in-house innovators and Camp Pando attendees work on specially-defined projects that grow out of Southland challenges as identified in the LA County sustainability plan.
The Pando team provides creative direction and mentoring focused on real-world project development for community impact.
Come to Camp Pando to learn project creation and development skills from people who have spent their lives designing change
- get hands-on experience in project innovation, research and development, sustainability content, prototype development, narrative construction, design, project presentation, and growth strategy;
- become involved in practical demonstrations of how ideas get translated into real-world projects that can affect local communities;
- see how creative and practical skills relate to successful project development and careers, and
- investigate new educational opportunities and job paths.
Build project-development skills
Camp Pando offers unique opportunities for project-based, creative skills development, opens the door to an extraordinary network of opportunity, and supports individual and community empowerment.
Attendees walk away with:
- An ingenious “portfolio project” to include on a resume
- Paid internship (up to $500)
- Connections for a range of creative and green jobs
- Mentoring
- Professional skills development
- Possible work opportunities or leads
- Micro-credential in project-based work
Work with the Pando Creative Team and plug into our professional network
Work alongside a team that comes from a broad range of entrepreneurial and creative fields, motivated by the common good. All have played key roles in Pando’s own process of project incubation, most have experience in both formal and informal education, and some have done seminal work at the ProjectMLab.com.
Pando fosters a broad and deep network across educational institutions, public agencies, community organizations, and business.
Timeline
Camp Pando has three instances throughout the year — two for the cohorts of participants and one focused on project refinement. The first instance of the program is slated to begin in November. All cohorts will come together to display project results at the Pando Sustainability Awards at Caltech.
FALL
Cohort #1
WINTER
Cohort #2
SPRING
Project Support
APR
Pando Awards
Selected blog posts
Camp Pando is produced in partnership with Homeboy Industries and Learning Works Charter School:
Thank you!
Camp Pando is made possible in part by the support of our generous sponsor:
