TRUST South LA builds capacity of community members to increase civic engagement and the ability to impact their community. We work toward the leadership development of community residents who are committed to the health and stability of their own families, as well as to the vibrancy and vitality of all of South Los Angeles. Our leadership training is on-going, through the Board of Directors and Membership Meeting, through our geographically-based Organizing Committees, and periodically through TRUST South LA’s Organizing School, which helps to situate our Members in the history of South LA and local, national and international struggles for justice, even as they build their own capacity to engage their neighbors and build community-led campaigns.

TRUST South LA is special to me because they're talking about problems that are suppose to be fixed when other people are not taking action.

Through the integration of Theater of the Oppressed into our leadership development curriculum, we are able to leverage our partnership with the USC School of Theatre to not only develop leadership in our members, but to use this form of street theatre as an advocacy tool to engage the larger community in issues of land use, displacement, and tenant rights. Members of the Theatre of the Oppressed gave a street demonstration at the opening of the Expo Line to draw attention to the shortcomings of City and State policy to protect against the rising land values, rents and inevitable displacement of low-income community residents that arises with public investment in light rail infrastructure.