Today’s episode is number 4 in a 4-part series on skilled trades and blue-collar careers. I hope you have enjoyed hearing the first three interviews as much as I have enjoyed doing them. Prepare to be blown away by this week’s guest. I am beyond thrilled to welcome Aaron Valencia to the podcast. Aaron is the Executive Director and Founder of the Lost Angels Children’s Project and an extraordinary human. His goal is to provide young people with the tools they need to succeed and help open doors and opportunities that improve their quality of life. He thrives on teaching and empowering youth in the local community to rise above their circumstances. During our conversation, Aaron shares his motivation for starting Lost Angels Children’s Project, why he and his team are teaching more than just trade skills and what parents can do to support a teen who is struggling with addiction. You won’t want to miss Aaron’s advice for young people who are interested in careers in the trades.
About Aaron Valencia
Aaron Valencia is the Executive Director and Founder of the Lost Angels Children’s Project (LACP). Aaron is a custom classic car builder who creates amazing, award-winning cars. He also has a passion for helping youth which stems from his own difficulties growing up and experiences with drugs and jail. After turning his life around, he pursued a passion for classic cars and started his own custom car restoration business. Prior to starting LACP, Aaron volunteered at Grace Resources as a Hot Meal Leader for several years. Then he came up with an idea to help disadvantaged youth by teaching them how to work on classic cars.
In 2014 Aaron founded LACP as an afterschool program to engage at-risk youth through mentorship and skills training in classic car restoration. Each year, Aaron and his students built a different sweepstakes vehicle for the Ventura Nationals Car and Motorcycle Show to help sustain the program. LACP eventually moved into a new building and now includes a t-shirt silk screening social enterprise, and a work program for transition-age youth. For his efforts, Aaron won the CNN Hero award and has been featured on the Jay Leno Show, Miller’s “We Build,” Tekton Tools’ “Find What’s Real,” and Lowrider Magazine’s “Roll Models.”
Aaron’s goal is to provide young people with the tools they need to succeed and help open doors and opportunities that improve their quality of life. He thrives on teaching and empowering youth in our community to rise above their circumstances
Episode Highlights
- Aaron’s motivation for starting Lost Angels Children’s Project
- Fundraising through classic car restoration
- Partnering with local assistance organizations
- Teaching transferable skills in the trades
- The workforce is starving for tradespeople
- Wraparound skills are taught in addition to trade skills
- Aaron’s vision for Lost Angels Children’s Project
- Tailoring training to local business needs
- Advice for teens interested in the trades
- Advice for parents of teens and young adults struggling with addiction
- Ways you can support Lost Angels Children’s Project
- Bringing holiday cheer to the local community
- Aaron’s plea to get involved in your community
Resources
Lost Angels Children’s Project website
Lost Angels Children’s Project on Instagram
Kids Find Direction by Getting Their Hands Dirty (CNN Heroes)