What the heck is LA Inside & Out?
// By Christian Clansky
For changework, local context is essential.
You can’t make a real difference unless you immerse yourself in a community – building relationships with the people living there, exploring the intersections of ideas and action, and experiencing firsthand the innovations, obstacles, and diversity that shape a community.
And you can’t get that context from a simple site visit. What you need is an insight visit that shows you how all of the pieces fit together to create lasting change. That’s the inspiration for LA Inside & Out.
LA Inside & Out tours are deep-dive immersion experiences thoughtfully designed in collaboration with community leaders across Los Angeles. Each half-day tour takes you on a journey of social innovation into the heart of LA’s most dynamic neighborhoods where you’ll have the chance to participate like a local rather than just observe as an outsider.
The tours are as diverse as Los Angeles itself. You can walk from the streets of Skid Row into the thriving community buildings that are transforming the lives of formerly-homeless community members. Or you can jump in an iconic Jeepney and ride into Historic Filipino town to experience how the combination of art, advocacy, and equity is reimagining the impact of gentrification. Or you can discover (and taste) how Little Tokyo’s residents are strategically ensuring that their community and culture will continue to thrive for generations.
And those are just a few options. LA Inside & Out will offer 15 unique tours – so keep an eye on the Upswell site for new announcements. Whichever you choose, one thing is for certain: you’ll experience part of Los Angeles in a way that will touch your soul and inspire how you think about your own community.
The limited-space tours all take place the morning of November 14, before Upswell officially kicks off that afternoon. If you ask us, we can’t think of a better reason to arrive in LA early!
