At our March 10, 2026 Meeting the Watts Neighborhood council was excited to swear in Area One Representative William Taylor.
We had a presentation from Sense.LA:
As Watts NC continues strengthening community engagement, the Council is also exploring new tools to support its Strategic Planning & Olympics Ad Hoc Committee and Block Club Initiative Ad Hoc Committee. Representatives from Sense LA recently introduced a framework designed to improve how communities and government communicate and collaborate. Their approach focuses on helping residents understand their role within the community, strengthening collective voice, and supporting more inclusive decision-making by attracting new participants, addressing root causes of neighborhood challenges, encouraging long-term thinking, and using art and systems thinking to better understand complex community issues.
Morehouse Takes LA Inspires Watts Youth
This week, the Watts community proudly welcomed students from Morehouse College as part of the Morehouse Takes LA initiative—an outreach and mentorship tour designed to inspire and empower young people across South Los Angeles.
The program was organized by Watts native Marveon Mabon, Senior Intern through the Emma and Joe Adams Program. More than 50 Morehouse scholars traveled to Los Angeles to connect directly with local youth, schools, and community organizations.
During their visit, Morehouse students and alumni shared their personal journeys to higher education, offered mentorship, and encouraged youth to pursue pathways in leadership, entrepreneurship, and professional careers. Their message focused on expanding possibilities for the next generation—encouraging students to see themselves as future leaders, entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, and community changemakers.
The Watts Neighborhood Council and the Kaiser Permanente Watts Counseling and Learning Center were honored to support the event by providing lunch, refreshments, and educational resources to students exploring college pathways.
This moment also represents a powerful full-circle story. Marveon Mabon previously received a $10,000 scholarship from Kaiser Permanente that supported his journey to attend Morehouse College. Today, he continues to demonstrate outstanding leadership by returning to his community and helping connect more than 400 students from Crenshaw High School, Alain LeRoy Locke College Prep Academy, and David Starr Jordan High School to higher education opportunities.
The Watts Neighborhood Council celebrates Marveon’s leadership and the continued partnership between community organizations and educational institutions working to uplift the next generation of scholars and leaders.
https://community.kp.org/about/program/watts-counseling-and-learning-center
