Open Heart Leaders on University Avenue in La Mesa is a Black-owned, women-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 that integrates mental health services with alternative education for participants aged 15 to 30 and older. Heart Leaders Academy, launched in May 2023 as a partner of YouthBuild Charter School of California, offers a high school diploma pathway alongside career-focused programs in coding and trade skills—an education-and-wellness model that draws on La Mesa's broader community programming at venues like the La Mesa Community Center. San Diego County proclaimed May 24 as Open Heart Leaders Day in 2022 during Mental Health Awareness Month, recognizing the organization's countywide impact. All programming is free, and group sessions incorporate coping-strategy development, anger management, and peer support—structured social-emotional curricula that complement the music and movement instruction at studios like Tiffany Music Academy for youth enrichment across La Mesa. The organization carries LGBTQ+ friendly and women-owned designations and maintains advisory board positions at Alliant International University's School of Education, Counseling & Psychology and Southwestern College's School of Business.