The Reverence Project
Building Power Through Peace
OUR MISSION
The Reverence Project (TRP) is a grassroots organization dedicated to reducing violence and fostering community healing in Watts, Los Angeles through violence interruption, healing practices, increased access to resources through policy advocacy, and racial justice. TRP works directly with survivors of crime, at-risk youth, and local law enforcement and leaders to create sustainable pathways to safety and empowerment.
TRP is the lead organization in the Watts Shared Safety Initiative (WSSI).
IMPACTFUL PROGRAMS
+300
YOUTH EMPOWERED ANNUALLY
50+
Gang altercations mediated in the
past 16 months
11
YEARS OF COMMUNITY STRENGTHENING
TRANSFORMING WATTS
We are committed to making a meaningful difference in the safety and wellness of the Watts community by working directly to support Watts' youth, survivors of violent crime, people impacted by the justice system, and community members impacted by violence.
MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS
Community Sentinels
Leadership Academy
A 10-week program that empowers youth (ages 16-24) with skills in conflict resolution, restorative justice, and community outreach to become peace ambassadors in their neighborhoods.
Cognitive Motivational
Case Managememnt
Mobile, trauma-informed case management that connects at-risk youth with critical resources such as emergency shelter, therapy, and crisis response, stabilizing them and fostering personal empowerment.
Healing Arts
Entreprenurial Program
This program nurtures youth by using creativity for healing and self-expression, offering pathways to economic empowerment through the monetization of artistic skills.
Community Violence
Intervention (CVI)
Our CVI work includes many evidence-based practices, including Safe Passage, violence interruption, intervention and mediation, and hosting weekly healing circles.
Transformative Healing
The Reverence Project’s Survivor's Healing Garden is a vital sanctuary in Watts, a community with a long history of environmental and social injustices. This garden provides a safe, inclusive, and restorative space where survivors of violent crime can find solace, process their experiences, and reconnect with their community. The Survivor's Healing Garden offers a tangible source of belonging, resilience, and hope. An extension of TRP's mission, this garden offers those affected by violence an opportunity to find peace, connection, and support.
IMPACTFUL STORIES
“My favorite class is The Sentinels, I like all the instructors and I like what we talk about. I get to get stuff off my chest that I don’t normally get to say.”
Peka, 16
"I got into this work because I care about the direction the community is going."
Marlo "Bow Wow" Jones, Interventionist
“This class really made me love myself and my community way more; it made me want to be
more involved.”
CSLA Graduate
