HOPE YOUTH-AT-PROMISE

Youth Development Programs and Initiatives

¾ HOPE for Youth Mentoring Program

Provides one-on-one and group activities of emotional support, academic assistance, exposure to educational and enrichment experiences for Latino children and youth ages 11 to 14. The program funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe & Drug Free Schools and the CDBG Block Grant Funds administered by the Office of Jobs & Community Services (JCS), BRA/EDIC City of Boston, seeks to match Latino youth with volunteer mentors who can give two hours of their time every week to meet and connect with their mentee for a minimum of one year. The commitment includes participating in a monthly group activities meeting for all mentors and young persons that includes fun activities and mentoring support. Mentors receive training in mentoring and the match is provided support through group activities. Pairing a caring, responsible adult, college student or peer who can serve as a positive role model to a youth has significant influence in a young person’s academic performance/success, social development and career awareness.

Gina Alfonsca, HFY Assistant Director

Enery Martinez, Mentor Recruitment, Coordinator

¾ HOPE TRIO Talent Search

The program serves over 1,800 low-income “first generation college” students from grades 5-12 in Boston and Lawrence each year. Federally funded by the U.S. Department of Education, HOPE established a partnership with Boston schools in 1976, and with Lawrence schools in 1991. The program provides the following services: one-on-one academic counseling, financial aid information and technical assistance with all forms and applications related to the college application process, college entrance exam registration and preparation, access to tutoring and mentoring, college and career exploration via college visits and field trips, the Internet and

HOPE’s resource library, as well as access to the HOPE Alumni Network. Services are both schools- based and after-school/out-of school based at the HOPE offices in Jamaica Plain and Lawrence. Opportunities exist for students to become members of the Talent Search Youth Advisory Committee.

Jariza Rodriguez, Advisor

Carmen Pineda, Advisor

¾ PODER LATINO (Latino Youth POWER)

A twelve week youth leadership program during the school year (a seven week program during the summer) that trains Latino youth to serve as HIV/AIDS prevention peer educators. The youth participate in service-learning activities that include: street based education outreach, home-based sessions, community presentations, newsletter writing and community service learning projects. The teens are hired as peer educators and peer leaders, helping to provide prevention education to their peers on a range of health issues.

Carlos Paulino, Prevention and Education Coordinator

¾ Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate (GEAR UP) Programs

GEAR UP is an initiative in Lawrence, MA in partnership with the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, services over 800 students in grades 7 through 9 with in-school and after-school academic support.  GEAR UP Coordinators follow a cohort of students from 7th or 8th grade all the way through high school graduation, keeping students focused on the future, giving continuous support and encouragement on “Think College Early” through career exploration, college visits, financial aid workshops and academic counseling.  GEAR UP sponsors a Saturday Academic/ Open Gym Project, recognized as a Best Practice for Increasing Attendance as well as professional development activities for teachers, financial aid seminars for parents, and summer program activities for students.

Janneth Diaz, Deputy Director, Lawrence

¾ HOPE’s Annual College Fair

The HOPE College Fair was initiated in 1989 by the Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation, Inc. (HOPE) in collaboration with many community leaders and community groups and organizations, in partnership with the Boston Public Schools and Lawrence Public Schools. The HOPE College Fair has become an important vehicle for connecting students with information about local colleges and universities. During the Fair, students have the opportunity to talk with college representatives and to obtain college admission and financial aid information and applications to take home and discuss with their parents. HOPE-TRIO Educational Talent Search Advisors help guide students on what questions to ask the college representatives and how to benefit from their visit to the Fair. Since its inception, the HOPE College Fair attracts the participation of more than 45 colleges and universities, as well as several community enrichment programs and services. On average, over 1,000 students attend the Fair each year.

Craig Far, Community Special Projects, Manager

HOPE TIMOTHY SMITH CENTER FOR COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY

A state-of-the-art computer learning center funded through the year 2020 by a grant from the Timothy Smith Trust administered by the City of Boston.  The HOPE-Timothy Smith Center is part of a network of 40 community technology centers located throughout Boston helping to bridge the “digital divide” by assisting hundreds of learners to use computers and technology for personal and community benefits. The HOPE — Timothy Smith Center has twenty work stations and offers a range of computer skills training at basic, intermediate and advanced levels.  The Center houses all of HOPE’s youth development programs which serve HOPE-TRIO Talent Search program participants during after-school hours and out-of-school time.

Edgar Salazar, Senior Tech Support Engineer

¾ HOPE Young Tech Support Service Corps

Students are trained to provide a range of technical support and computer-mediated project assistance to nonprofit groups and community-based organizations through team projects completed through supervised internships and paid consultation assignments.

HOPE CASA STATEWIDE SERVICES

¾ Latino/a Workforce Development Addictions Counselor Training & lnternship

¾ Statewide Training & Technical Assistance Program

HOPE’s CASA Statewide Latino/a Addictions Counselor Training and Technical Assistance Program is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health - Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (MDPH-BSAS).  This program has graduated hundreds of Latinos/as professional and paraprofessional workers across Massachusetts in the treatment of addiction.  The training consisting of two hundred and seventy (270) hours of Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) is approved by the Massachusetts Board for Voluntary Certification with an additional nine (9) hours in case preparation and presentation is offered in Boston and Springfield.  Program internships are throughout the state and, technical assistance and support is offered statewide to organizations and programs funded by the MDPH-BSAS.  Additional two one-day workshops on “Test Taking Techniques” are offered at least one month prior to the test dates.  The program linked to certification and licensure competencies, addresses key knowledge requirements for advancing the addictions treatment career ladder.

Haner Hernandez, Senior Deputy Executive Director, Springfield

PLENA (Padres Latino Educando a Nuestros Amigos/as)

The project trains a minimum of 60 Latino adults (15 per quarter) in the area of HIV/AIDS education and prevention. The trained adult peer educators conduct peer led community-based education sessions and community-level interventions reaching at least 1,500 Latinos/as.

Ofelia Aguasvivas, Assitant Director of Prevention and Education

PEDRO ZAMORA CENTER

The center provides a range of support and referral services to Latino/as infected with HIV.  Education about treatment and relevant topics of discussion and a warm meal to all those in attendance is integral to the peer support group which meets once a week in the evening.

Israel Flores, Coordinator