layc information packet

LAYC Information Packet

January 2015

Latin American Youth Center 1419 Columbia Road, NW • Washington, DC 20009 • Tel: 202.319.2225

www.layc-dc.org | Facebook: LAYCDC | Twitter: @theLAYC | YouTube: LAYCDC

Latin American Youth Center



Awards & Recognitions

The Brookings Institute Metropolitan Policy Program outlines LAYC’s expansion into Maryland in case study Latin American Youth Center Adapting Urban Social Services for Suburban Communities.

Emergence Community Arts Collective awards LAYC President & CEO Lori Kaplan the In Her Honor award.

President Obama’s My Brother's Keeper signing, LAYC one of few nonprofits present.

Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal profiles the LAYC Career Academy in New School Designs and Innovative Educational Models.

Hispanic Business Magazine names LAYC one of 25 Top Nonprofit Organizations.

Washington Post, How Crunching Big Data can Save a Child, highlights LAYC’s performance measurement system.

Capital One Bank, in partnership with the Heart of America Foundation Investment in Literacy, bestows a new library to LAYC.

Chelsea Clinton profiles Elmer Diaz, LAYC Promotor, in Huffington Post, Reclaiming America’s Youth and Recovering our Economy, part of a series in recognition of the Clinton Global Initiative America meeting at which Diaz and LAYC President & CEO Lori Kaplan presented.

S&I 100, a national index of top nonprofits creating social impact, selects LAYC as one of the 100 most impactful organizations.

TedxAdamsMorgan “Forces of Change” talk features LAYC President & CEO Lori Kaplan.

Economic Club of Washington D.C. awards grant to LAYC in honor of the Economic Club’s 25th anniversary.

U.S. Department of the Interior presents the Partners in Conservation award to LAYC’s art and media summer program 2nd Nature, a collaboration with the National Park Service of the National Capital Region.

National Council of La Raza presents Best Corps Award to LAYC Maryland’s AmeriCorps team; José Ortez received the Raul Yzaguirre Outstanding AmeriCorps Member of the Year award.

DC Mayor Vincent Gray named DC AmeriCorps member Verónica Vásquez an outstanding member during National AmeriCorps Week.

Washington Post names LAYC a finalist for the Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management.

White House Social Innovation Fund selects LAYC in the initiative to leverage support for high-performing nonprofits. LAYC participates through Venture Philanthropy Partners youthCONNECT project, which supports the Promotor Pathway for disconnected youth.

Two youth trained by Computer Literacy Lab received Lisa Y. Sullivan Youth Leadership Award and Scholarship.

Corporation for National and Community Service selected LAYC AmeriCorps program for national recognition and featured in Transforming Communities through Service: A Collection of the Most Innovative AmeriCorps State Programs in the United States.

Governor Martin O’Malley named Luisa Montero, director of LAYC’s Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers, to Maryland State Board of Education, the state’s highest education policy-setting entity.

Selected Earlier Awards & Recognitions

New York Times features LAYC in April 18, 2009, front-page article, Remade in America series. Article highlighted LAYC’s work in Langley Park, Maryland, and offered an important perspective on issues faced by youth in suburban communities.

Razoo 100 includes LAYC in its world-class nonprofits dedicated to making an impact in the world.

Social Solutions names LAYC one of the few nonprofits to have multiple staff receive ETO Administrator Gold Certification.

President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities selected LAYC’s Art + Media House as "one of the top arts and humanities-based programs in the country serving youth beyond the school hours," and the Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards chose the Art + Media House as a finalist for Innovation in the Arts.

Bank of America Charitable Foundation awarded LAYC a Neighborhood Builder award.

National Gang Crime Research Center presents LAYC’s Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers with the Spirit of Excellence Award.

Consortium for Child Welfare honored Jessica Yepez, LAYC foster care social worker, as Social Worker of the Year.

Seedco Innovations in Community Development profiles LAYC’ in report Profiting from Purpose: Profiles of Success and Challenge in Eight Social Purpose Business.

Harvard University’s Lisbeth Schorr highlights LAYC’s best practices in Pathway to the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect report.

Consortium for Child Welfare presents LAYC with the Outstanding Agency of the Year award.

President George W. Bush recognizes LAYC as the October 21 Daily Point of Light.

Annie E. Casey Foundation presents to LAYC the National Honors Program, Families Count award.

DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy presents LAYC with the Conversation Changers award.

Washingtonian Magazine names LAYC President & CEO Lori Kaplan Washingtonian of the Year.

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Board of Directors

As of 11/7/2014

Officers

Antonio F. Marquez, Chair EagleBank

Jennifer Macomber, Vice Chair

Century 21 Redwood Realty

Members

Patricia Arzuaga, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.

Betsy Brand, American Youth Policy Forum

Sean Carroll, Creative Associates International

Reynaldo Casas, Viacom

Lauren Eyster, Urban Institute

Simon Fairclough, Capital One

Ruben Gonzales, United Cerebral Palsy

Jennifer Mauskapf, Brustein & Manasevit, PLLC

Laurie Mittenthal, Aspen Institute

Aaron Pomerantz, DTZ

Ken Robinson, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Adam Spiegel, The Advisory Board Company

Tatiana Torres, Federal City Council

Marta Urquilla, America Achieves

Andrew Van Etten, CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield

Amanda Wood, Becker & Poliakoff




President & CEO, Lori Kaplan

Being named Washingtonian of the Year is a crowning career achievement, but for Lori Kaplan, it is just one of many awards and honors earned early. She has led the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) to its national prominence as an award-winning network of youth programs in Washington DC since 1987. Under Lori Kaplan's direction, LAYC has helped guide thousands of low-income youth to better opportunity, while creating pioneering organizations and schools.

To meet her, and encounter her boundless enthusiasm, energy, youthfulness, and sense of fun, you would think Lori was just hired. “Working with youth keeps you youthful” she says, and having a bilingual son at home under somewhat closer supervision (her son Max), keeps her even more connected. Start doing the multiplier effects for families, neighborhoods, and citizen

endeavors across the country who have learned from LAYC's lessons, and you will be at the adding machine for a very long time trying to compute Lori Kaplan's leadership effect. Lori's leadership roles include selection as a board member of Leadership Washington, pioneering the way as a founding board member of The Nonprofit Roundtable, winning the Lewis Hine Award for her work on child labor issues, and steering LAYC to be chosen under her direction by the Annie E. Casey Foundation for its $500,000 Families Count Program honors. Several national organizations regularly seek her advice and invoke the model success of LAYC's innovative programs, including the Clinton Global Initiative America conferences 2013 and 2014 where she served as an advisor and panelist on the Reconnecting Youth work group, Georgetown University's Center on Poverty, The National Youth Employment Coalition, and The National Youth Policy Forum. She is the founding co-chair of the DC Alliance for Youth Advocates, and was on the founding board of Youth Radio and Youth Media International. Several DC Mayors have relied on Lori's leadership on youth issues, and many DC Council members. Her recent recognitions include receiving the Community Champion Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and being named one of Washington’s 50 influencers by the Washington Informer Charities. However, it is the honors earned by LAYC under Lori's leadership that she is most proud of: selection of LAYC as one the 100 most impactful organizations by S&I 100, a national index of top nonprofits creating social impact, selection by President Obama's Social Innovation Fund as a key grantee from agencies across America, being pre-selected by Venture Philanthropy Partners for its portfolio of four from hundreds of nonprofits, and having Maryland leaders such as US Senator Barbara Mikulski, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, and Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett have been advocates for LAYC's expansion to Maryland in 2005. Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, Lori speaks Spanish as well as she does English, and after getting a bachelor’s in anthropology at Antioch College, earned her master's in education at George Washington University in DC. A part of her extended family is from Mexico, and parts of her nuclear family hail from El Salvador. Her roots and interests led her to start volunteering at LAYC while a student. While proud that LAYC has been named one of the Top 25 Latino organizations in the US, she long ago widened its focus beyond Latino youth to youth of all backgrounds. The common thread of Lori's leadership is to pioneer the way to innovation. From co-founding the first public charter school in DC, to leading the first massive multicultural mural painting endeavor in DC, to helping launch several organizations and initiatives, Lori Kaplan is a leader other leaders learn from. Thousands of youth reached by Lori's leadership include dozens of ethnic backgrounds - multicultural reach is a full commitment at LAYC. She is also proud of her role as a co-founder of three charter schools (Next Step, YouthBuild, and LAYC Career Academy), and as a founding board member of Asian American Lead, which has advanced the lives of hundreds of Asian Americans. What lies in the future for Lori's leadership? “We want to expand our reach,” says Lori – “we want our models to be learned from, our success enhanced, and our difference-making to grow.” “Come join us!”

TEL: 202.319.8642 | FAX: 202.462.5696 | EMAIL: [email protected] | TWITTER: @LoriLAYC




Locations

District of Columbia

Anchor Site 1419 Columbia Road, NW, Washington, DC

Housing Programs

3043 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC 3045 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC

21 Kennedy Street, NW, Washington, DC

Rita Bright Family and Youth Center 2500 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC

LAYC Career Academy Public Charter School

3047 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC

District of Columbia School-based Locations

Alice Deal Middle School 3815 Fort Drive, NW, Washington, DC

Powell Elementary School

1350 Upshur Street, NW, Washington, DC

Raymond Education Campus 915 Spring Road, NW, Washington, DC

Roosevelt Senior High School

4301 13th Street Northwest, Washington, DC

Sacred Heart School 1625 Park Road, NW, Washington, DC

Woodrow Wilson Senior High School

3950 Chesapeake Street, NW, Washington, DC

Maryland

LAYC/MMYC at Langley Park

7411 Riggs Road, Suite 418, Langley Park, MD

LAYC/MMYC at Silver Spring 8700 Georgia Avenue, Suite 500, Silver Spring, MD

LAYC/MMYC at Riverdale

6200 Sheridan Street, Riverdale, MD

LAYC/MMYC at Germantown Germantown One-Stop Center

12900 Middlebrook Road, Germantown, MD

Maryland School-based Locations

High Point High School 3601 Powder Mill Road, Beltsville, MD

Buck Lodge Middle School

2611 Buck Lodge Road, Adelphi, MD

Northwestern High School 7000 Adelphi Road, Hyattsville, MD

Nicholas Orem Middle School

6100 Editors Park Drive, Hyattsville, MD




FY14 Demographic Data

LAYC served 4,065 individuals between October 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014

Age Range Total Percent Gender Total Percent

0-5 years old 48 1.2% Female 2,109 51.9%

5-9 years old 138 3.4% Male 1,956 48.1%

10-14 years old 816 20.1%

15-18 years old 1,501 36.9% Total 4,065 100.0%

19-24 years old 1,314 32.3%

25-30 years old 101 2.5%

31-40 years old 65 1.6% Ethnicity / Race Total Percent

41-50 years old 56 1.4%

Latino 2,241 55.1%

51 and over 26 0.6%

African American 1,452 35.7%

African Descent 111 2.7% Total 4,065 100.0%

Caucasian 78 1.9%

Other* 76 1.9%

Asian 55 1.4% Ward/County of Residence Total Percent

Multiracial 34 0.8%

Ward 1 717 17.6% Arab Descent 9 0.2%

Ward 2 95 2.3% Native American 9 0.2%

Ward 3 135 3.3%

Ward 4 745 18.3% Total 4,065 100%

Ward 5 206 5.1%

Ward 6 88 2.2%

Ward 7 177 4.4% Country of Birth Total Percent

Ward 8 170 4.2%

United States 2,002 49.2%

Montgomery 497 12.2%

Unknown** 1,172 28.8%

Prince George's 857 21.1%

El Salvador 393 9.7%

Other* 378 9.3%

Other* 168 4.1%

Total 4,065 100.0%

Guatemala 101 2.5%

Honduras 64 1.6%

Mexico 61 1.5% Language Spoken at Home Total Percent

Ethiopia 36 0.9%

English 1,491 36.7% Dominican Republic 47 1.2%

Spanish 1,101 27.1% Ethiopia 36 0.9%

Unknown** 630 15.5% Other African Nations 21 0.5%

Other* 843 20.7% Total 4,065 100%

Total 4,065 100.0%

* "Other" includes cases that do not fit any of the specific table categories. ** "Unknown" indicates this information was not identified by clients.




Adapting Urban Social Services for Suburban Communities Latin American Youth Center Case Study

Bookings Institute Metropolitan Policy Program, July 11, 2014

BACKGROUND

The number of residents living in poverty in the nation’s capital remained unchanged in the course of the first decade of the 2000s. However, the combination of a deep economic downturn, slow economic recovery, demographic changes, and shifting housing market dynamics led to a 61 percent increase in Washington, D.C.’s suburban poor population between 2000 and 2012. Prince George’s County, MD, and Montgomery County, MD, experienced some of the steepest increases in the number of residents living below the federal poverty line in the region. In 2012, the two counties’ combined poor population outstripped that in D.C. proper by more than 43,000.

Both counties have also become home to an increasingly diverse population. By 2012, less than one-half of Montgomery County’s population (48 percent) and only 15 percent of Prince George’s County’s population was non-Hispanic white. In the same year, immigrants constituted one-third of Montgomery County’s residents and 21 percent of Prince George’s County’s population.

As poverty climbed in both counties in the first decade of the 2000s, and as new immigrants increasingly settled in the D.C. suburbs, the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC)—a D.C.−based nonprofit organization that provides academic, workforce, and social services for low-income youth—witnessed these changes firsthand. LAYC saw a number of their clients and staff move away from D.C. amid widespread redevelopment of urban neighborhoods during the first decade of the 2000s, and a growing number of them settled in the Maryland suburbs. At the same time, an increasing number of low-income residents who had never lived in the city found their way to LAYC to access culturally competent services that were not readily available in their suburban communities.

THE INNOVATION

Initially founded in Washington, D.C., in 1968, LAYC serves youth of all backgrounds through a comprehensive portfolio of services—from education and job training initiatives to the coordination of housing for homeless and runaway youth. In 2005, LAYC responded to the shifting geography of poverty in the region and expanded into Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties to reach additional high need clients. To do so strategically and successfully, LAYC had to first:

Invest in internal capacity building and infrastructure. LAYC secured funding from Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP), an organization that identifies high-performing nonprofit organizations serving youth from low-income families and then injects large amounts of capital into these organizations to support operational capacity growth. VPP invested $1.8 million in LAYC from 2003 to 2008, most of which allowed LAYC to expand into Maryland quickly and sustainably.

Recognize that approaches to service delivery may need to be different in suburbs. Initially, LAYC planned to replicate its Washington, D.C., model by opening one Maryland center that would serve as the anchor for its operations in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. However, relying on one site to serve two counties proved impractical, both in terms of logistics (how would students travel long distances to access the center?) and politics (county officials and funders preferred that LAYC establish a presence in each county). Therefore, LAYC transitioned to a satellite-center model, with smaller outposts located throughout the counties in communities with high levels of poverty, gaps in social service provision, and low-performing schools.

Forge community relationships and understand the unique needs of the suburbs LAYC wanted to serve. Before opening its doors in Maryland, LAYC paved the way for expansion by building relationships with local providers and county officials who were unsure that an urban service provider would understand the needs of their communities. In Prince George’s County, there was a vacuum of social service programs and providers, particularly in parts of the county close to the D.C. border. In response, LAYC implemented its full portfolio of programming in the county to help fill those gaps. In comparison, in Montgomery County, nonprofit organizations were already serving elementary and middle school youth. Therefore, LAYC focused on out-of-school programming for 16- to 24-year-olds in Montgomery County, an area where fewer resources had previously been available.




Build in metrics to track progress and shifting needs. With the help of the investment from VPP, LAYC established a Learning and Evaluation office that works for all of its sites. LAYC trained all staff members to use the “Efforts to Outcome” (ETO) tracking software, which has allowed LAYC to better align best practices in Washington, D.C., with those in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In fewer than 10 years after initiating its geographic expansion, LAYC now operates four sites in the Maryland suburbs—two in Montgomery County (in Germantown and Silver Spring) and two in Prince George’s County (in Langley Park and Riverdale). LAYC serves approximately 1,200 people in the D.C. suburbs, accounting for more than 30 percent of the organization’s client base. As demand for services in its original D.C. center has not decreased, the growing share of the portfolio represented by Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties underscores the rapid rate at which LAYC has been able to reach suburban youths in their own communities.

CHALLENGES

Although LAYC has become a strong regional service provider, it continues to face challenges in the D.C. suburbs:

The fragmentation of funding and governance across Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties meant that expanding into one state required double the effort. The counties are different culturally and operationally, requiring regular LAYC executive presence in both counties to be accessible to funders and regulators.

Generally, philanthropic funding—particularly from large state and national foundations—has lagged behind the shifting needs, leaving suburban communities with few philanthropic dollars to build capacity. Therefore, most of LAYC’s financial support in Maryland comes from the two county governments, supplemented by small amounts of funding from local donors.

The lack of public transportation constrains programming in the suburbs with regard to scheduling and location. LAYC has selected sites near transport hubs to help overcome the transportation challenge, but real estate near transit is expensive, and it is difficult to find space large enough for youth programming.

IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY

To help organizations meet the challenge of providing services to the suburban poor across multiple jurisdictions, policymakers, funders, and practitioners should take steps to:

Better align government funding streams to overcome the administrative burden and costs caused by a fragmented funding framework, and to increase flexibility in how funding can be used by organizations operating at a more effective regional scale;

Adapt philanthropic funding flows to build capacity in high-need suburbs and prioritize strategies and models that work across urban and suburban boundaries; and

Support transit-oriented development strategies that incorporate nonprofit and community spaces in addition to affordable housing.




The LAYC Career Academy: College and Career Success for Opportunity Youth in the Nation’s Capital

Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal, Issue 17 Winter 2014

by Nicole Hanrahan and Diana Peacock

When Yasmine Brooks was kicked out of high school at age16, she felt hopeless and helpless. Her parents were

unsupportiveher family was entrenched in a cycle of absence and abuse. At age 18, Yasmine became pregnant with her first son, Paul. She knew that she needed to change the pattern of her life in order to be a good mother.

After two failed attempts to pass the GED, Yasmine became discouraged. She took a job as a cashier and had her second

son, Elijah. Dejected and ready to quit, she learned of a new program and decided to give her education one more try, enrolling in LAYC Career Academy.

The LAYC Career Academy (LAYCCA) is a new school model that provides a bridge between high school and college for youth ages 16 to 24 in the District of Columbia. LAYCCA provides youth with college credits, AP-style classes, a rigorous and self-paced GED program, a college preparatory curriculum and career training in the health care and information technology (IT) fields. This school is the first in the District of Columbia to receive unconditional approval from the DC Public Charter School Board and the first GED school in the country to obtain a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, a foundation known for its dedication to high-quality college preparatory models.

The LAYC Career Academy was founded in response to an overwhelming need in the local community. In Washington, DC:

Roughly half of public school students do not graduate from high school (DCPS, 2011)

Only 9 percent of incoming ninth graders can expect to graduate from college on time (DC College Access Program, 2006)

More than one-third of adults are functionally illiterate (ETS, 2007)

Forty percent of 16 to 24-year-old DC residents are not in college and are unemployed (KIDS COUNT Data Center, 2014)

Seventy-one percent of all jobs will require some post-secondary training beyond high school by 2018 (Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2010)

The LAYC Career Academy was founded by the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC), a 45-year-old, award-winning, nationally recognized multi-service agency that empowers nearly 4,000 diverse youth annually in the national capital region to reach their social, academic and career goals. Leaders at LAYC had seen too many youth leave high school before graduation while others graduated from high school without being truly prepared for college or a strong career. LAYC founded the LAYCCA, its fourth charter school, to help young people take college classes, prepare for high-growth careers and finish high school in a supportive, youth-friendly environment.

LAYC Career Academy PCS opened in the fall of 2012 with 100 students. Of these, 70 percent were over the age of 19, 35 percent were pregnant or parents, 20 percent were nonnative-born students, 12 percent were homeless or in foster care and 8 percent were formerly incarcerated or currently in the adjudication system. Sixty-five percent of students were African American, and 35 percent were Latino. In its inaugural year, LAYCCA realized tremendous initial results. LAYCCA students’ performance on the NWEA MAP exam stands as a highlight: 40 percent and 68 percent of students gained double the national average in math and reading, respectively.




Once Yasmine started as a student at the LAYC Career Academy, she began to thrive. She remarked that she could feel the supportive community upon arrival. After her enrollment interview, she noted, “I could tell that Ms. Santucci cared

because she really listened to me. You guys really believe in us and want to help us be great. “Quickly, Yasmine devoted herself to the school program and her success, taking advantage of every component.

INNOVATION: FOUR UNIQUE COMPONENTS LAYC developed the Career Academy around four complementary innovations spanning from curriculum development to the selection of our target population.

1. Outreach to Opportunity Youth: There are over 10,000 young people, ages 16–24, in the District of Columbia who

are not in school and not working. Many of these “opportunity youth” have not finished high school, have aged out of the traditional K-12 system and have few options for finishing their high school credential. Those who have finished high school lack access to the resources they need to succeed in college or maintain employment. LAYCCA directly targets these youth, filling gaps in both interest and fit left by other institutions.

2. Competency-based Curriculum: At LAYCCA, students do not graduate in a set four-year period but rather complete

the program when they can demonstrate that they have met all graduation requirements. Learning is self-paced, so that students don’t feel stigmatized if they progress more slowly or quickly than their peers. This also ensures that students who graduate are truly college-ready because they have proven that they meet the school’s demanding graduation requirements. To complete the program, students need to obtain a high school credential, a college-ready score on standardized tests and at least six college credits and/or an industry-recognized credential in IT or health care.

3. Career Preparation: LAYCCA helps students gain industry-recognized credentials in IT and health care that lead to

good jobs. Those interested in IT earn A+ certification to prepare for entry-level help desk positions that start at $40,000. Those interested in health care are trained as medical assistants with starting salaries of $35,000 or more. These are two of the fastest-growing occupations in the metro area. This training and our job placement services allow students to earn a good salary that can help finance a college education.

4. College Classes: LAYCCA students take college classes on college campuses while still working on their GEDs. This

early college model allows students to earn college credits free of charge and to gain confidence in their ability to succeed on a college campus. Students in early college programs have been shown to have better attendance and college enrollment rates than their peers (Jobs for the Future, 2009). Academic rigor, combined with the opportunity to save time and money, is a powerful motivator for students. Also, because students are dually enrolled in college courses while continuing at LAYCCA, they receive necessary support in what can be a very intimidating arena for many first-time college students.

LIVING IN THE MARKET One of the most remarkable aspects of this innovative model is not only how tailored the program is to the unique needs of opportunity youth but also how adaptive the program is to meet students where they are at every step along the way. This approach embodies one of the core insights that Community Wealth Partners, an organization that allies with social change agents to tackle social problems at the magnitude they exist, has gleaned from its research on transformative social solutions. Through an in-depth review of efforts ranging from the anti-malaria and anti-tobacco movements to the designated driver campaign and the reduction in crime in New York City in the 90s, Community Wealth Partners found that organizations “living in the market” through constituent-centered program design and adaptation based on changes in the external environment are better positioned to solve social problems at their true magnitudes (Community Wealth Partners, n.d.). LAYCCA does both, and is already demonstrating a strong impact on its students.




Student-Centered Design and Adaptation After the skill levels of the diverse student body are assessed, specific courses are developed each trimester that reflect the exact academic needs of our population. Math courses vary from basic to calculus. Language courses range from beginning reading to college essay writing. Career pathway (IT and health care) courses scaffold their offerings to reach students at every level. Instructors continuously adapt their lessons to cover the educational arc of students who have interrupted educational experiences. Advanced students complete internships to gain practical knowledge in IT or health care. Many studies have shown that it takes much more than academic achievement to guarantee the best possibility for success in academia. To this end, LAYCCA’s Student Support Department develops non-cognitive skills to cultivate tenacity and persistence through barriers. The skills are best delivered through Breakthrough Courses, which teach coping skills and empower students to use their past as motivators towards success. Student supports include assistance in applying to college, subsidies for transportation and uniforms (when such costs are burdensome), on-site barber services and eye examinations and workshops in resume development and job procurement.

Yasmine is a student who worked very closely with the Student Support Department to overcome barriers to academic success. Though her mother began to assist with childcare, Yasmine knew that the toxic environment of her mother’s

home would affect her sons and her studies. Our Student Support Department reacted quickly and connected her to a local program for single mothers. Recently, Yasmine was granted an interview and hopes to relocate to a safe home with her

sons by the end of this month.

INITIAL OUTCOMES In its inaugural year, LAYCCA has accomplished the following:

Forty percent of students gained double the national average in math on the NWEA MAP exam, a nationally recognized assessment tool

Sixty-eight percent of students gained double the national average in reading on the NWEA MAP exam Career and College Achievements:

Four students earned A+ certifications.

Sixteen students received IC3 certifications.

Eight students participated in internships at local businesses and clinics in the IT and medical assistant pathways. Companies reported great satisfaction with the students’ efforts, even discussing hiring options at the conclusion of the internships.

Eight students earned college credits in humanities, mathematics, sociology or history courses from the University of the District of Columbia or Trinity Washington University.

FUTURE PLANS As LAYCCA grows and evolves, it will continue to be responsive to the changing needs of our students and employer partners. Plans to scale include adding a night program for students who work during the day and a new location that would be more convenient for students on the other side of town. Finally, LAYCCA’s career pathways will evolve to match the job market so students are prepared for the jobs that are most in demand. As we continue to provide access and create possibilities for our students, our team is constantly inspired by our students’ perseverance and achievements. Recently, Yasmine passed the GED exam and emailed our team with this exciting message: “I appreciate all of the support and encouragement you guys have given me. I haven’t felt this good about life, myself, my surroundings, or anything. I strongly feel that you guys have had a huge effect on this change in my life. Words can’t even describe the happiness in my heart. I was in a dark place, a very dark and lonely place, and I felt like I couldn’t do anything.




Now, I feel like I can go out and be GREAT without a doubt. My life has made a drastic change. I’m so ready! I just wanted you guys to know that you all are in my prayers, and that I love and appreciate you guys so much!” We can only hope that our work and our community continue to inspire students towards excellence and greater achievement. Yasmine is one example of a student who changed her outlook within our walls. Our goal is that other students will exclaim, just as she did, “I want to get as much education as I can!” Nicole Hanrahan is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Latin American Youth Center and the Acting Executive Director of the LAYC Career Academy (LAYCCA). Diana Peacock is a Director at Community Wealth Partners, a Share Our Strength organization dedicated to working with leaders, organizations and communities to solve problems at the magnitude they exist. References Community Wealth Partners. (n.d.). Insights on solving problems at the magnitude they exist. Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://communitywealth.com/transformation-insights/ DC College Access Program, DC Education Compact, DC Public Schools, & DC State Education Office. (2006). Double the numbers for college success: A call to action for the District of Columbia. Washington, DC: A. Kernan-Schloss. Retrieved from http://newsroom.dc.gov/file.aspx/release/9956/DoublingNumber_FINAL.pdf District of Columbia Public Schools. (2011). Facts and statistics. General data about DCPS: schools, demographics and performance. Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://dc.gov/DCPS/About+DCPS/Who+We+Are/Facts+and+Statistics ETS. (2007). Adult education in America: A first look at results from the Adult Education Program and learner surveys. Washington, DC: C. Tamassia, M. Lennon, K. Yamamoto, & I. Kirsch. Retrieved from http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/ETSLITERACY_AEPS_Report.pdf Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. (2010). Help wanted: Projections of jobs and education requirements, 2008-2018. Washington, DC: A. P. Carnevale, N. Smith, & J. Strohl. Retrieved from http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/state-levelanalysis-web.pdf Jobs for the Future. (2009). Innovations in college readiness: How early college schools are preparing students underrepresented in higher education for college success. Boston, MA: T. R. Nodine. Retrieved from http://www.earlycolleges.org/Innovations_in_College_Readiness_PDFVersion_102909.pdf KIDS COUNT Data Center. (2014). District of Columbia indicators. Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data#D

http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data#D




Charity Works: How Crunching Big Data Can Save a Child Washington Post, September 15, 2013

By Vanessa Small

When Tyra Little showed up at the doors of the Latin American Youth Center two years ago, the then-16-year old struggled with many issues. She was homeless and had dropped out of high school. The teenager’s situation was one of the more challenging cases for the organization. So it’s no wonder that two years later, staff at the center recently found themselves in tears when helping Little move into her new dormitory at Morgan State University, where she is pursuing a career in social work. It’s the kind of success story that every charity covets, but can’t always afford to make happen. In fact, it cost LAYC more than $1 million over seven years to hire the right brains to corral and crunch the mounds of data necessary to design a program that can help a troubled young person live a successful and self-sufficient life. That can be a hefty expense even for a charity the size of LAYC that operates on a $14 million budget. But as more donors demand nonprofits prove their success with numbers, nonprofits such as LAYC are now seeing the value in investing in big data. “Ten years ago, no one thought data was important, and donors gave based on anecdotes,” said Sacha Litman, managing director of Measuring Success, a data consulting firm for nonprofits. “Now donors want to see the impact of their giving.” While some charities are just now embracing the data revolution, LAYC saw the tide changing early. In 2005, the 45-year-old organization was overwhelmed with requests for data. Agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education and a dozen other groups were requesting statistics on the charity’s performance, including whether a student got a job and how much the job paid him or her. These funders and government agencies wanted to know which nonprofits were doing the best job so they could get a greater social return for their dollars. “Everyone was talking about evidence-based return on investment and ‘prove to me that your intervention made a difference,’” said Lori Kaplan, chief executive and president of the LAYC. “I thought, ‘Wow, we’ve got to get on this train.’ But if we’re going to do it, it’s got to be meaningful and make us better.” Paper to digital At that time, record-keeping was done on paper, and just getting a head count of students was a headache, let alone tracking their progress. So after securing a grant, the organization hired a researcher to churn out data that would meet funder requirements, but also reveal areas where the group might help youth achieve better outcomes. The researcher created a data evaluation team, implemented a data system, called Efforts to Outcomes, and defined which outcomes to track for each of its programs. The research team also trained 140 staff members at various locations to go from paper to digital. “It was a bit of a shock to the staff and required a lot of training,” said Susana Martinez, a LAYC program director. The staff was required to enter data related to students’ progress in areas such as academic skills, high school graduation, communication, legal involvement and parenting. The evaluation team then analyzed the data every few months.




With the findings, they found they needed to open another office in Maryland to better serve their clientele where they lived. There were also pleasant surprises: The group discovered it had a good story to tell in terms of its pass rate for high school equivalency tests. Perhaps the most important findings were identifying the myriad issues associated with their highest risk youth. “We concluded that they didn’t get into this situation overnight, so we are not going to be able to address it overnight,” Kaplan said. “And we certainly were not going to do it in a three-month program just to get them through it and satisfy funders.” Creating a program This discovery sent senior staff on a quest to design a program that would serve their most challenged youth and give them a chance to become successful members of the community. After a few years of research, in 2008 LAYC created its Promotor Pathway program, where high-risk youth between the ages of 16 to 24 are paired with one consistent “promotor,” which is a term used in the Latino community to mean an advocate or community health worker. That promotor is available to them 24/7. There are currently 11 promotores serving 200 youth. The staff continue to collect data in the areas of workforce development, education and healthy behavior to track the progress of their programs. So far the numbers show that students with promotores have better school attendance, housing situations, less substance abuse and less unhealthy sexual behavior. “When we get reports, we’re able to see where they are struggling,” said Jaime Roberts, a promotor since last year. “It boosts our morale to see that this many have jobs or this many girls got on birth control.” Roberts helped move her mentee, Tyra Little, into her new dorm. Little is now in her third week of classes. “It was fun. It was emotional,” Roberts said.




Reclaiming America's Youth and Recovering Our Economy Huffington Post, June 19, 2013

By Chelsea Clinton

Board member, Clinton Foundation

Crime and ennui in Columbia Heights, D.C., overwhelmed the adolescence of Elmer Diaz, a first-generation immigrant from El Salvador. He was always bright, but with his hard-working parents constantly away from home, Elmer's life became entwined with gangs. He also got into drugs. Then he dropped out of high school. And then, a stabbing provided the violent climax to a young man's turbulent coming of age -- and seemed to seal his future. A growing number of young people haven't encountered the American Dream, and for them, Elmer's experience reflects their American reality. They are the disconnected youth -- the more than six million 16-to-24-year-olds neither participating in the workforce nor enrolled in school. Many are high school dropouts, foster youth, and young people involved in the justice system -- those who have fallen off, who were never put on a good path, and too many of whom have been forgotten in the various debates around education or employment. As the ranks of disconnected youth continue to grow, the urgency increases for real solutions that provide a path leading marginalized young people back in from the edge. Finding those answers isn't just the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do -- we need everyone to feel included and be included in building our future. While it may be tempting to dismiss disengaged youth as an age-old problem, the severity of our nation's crisis is alarmingly new. The fraction of 16-to-24-year olds sitting on the sidelines in the United States is one in seven, according to the Social Science Research Council's Measure of America project, and the Great Recession (which is the only economic environment many young people have known as working-age adults) increased the population of disconnected youth by 800,000. It's of such pressing concern that last week in Chicago, leaders from government, business and the nonprofit worlds, along with civically-engaged young leaders, explored solutions to our disconnection crisis at the third meeting of Clinton Global Initiative America, a yearly gathering focused on accelerating economic recovery. Youth unemployment is at its highest level since World War II. My father and mother both had their first jobs more than 50 years ago. In those days, the fraction of 16-to-19-year-old men out of work hovered around 15 percent (there was no tracking for an analogous percentage of young women then). The unemployment figure for the same demographic has doubled since my father stocked shelves in the early 1960s. Even compared to 2000, the number of jobless 16-to-19-year olds of both sexes has surged more than 40 percent. For young people, disconnection when they should be gaining work experience or enrolled in school, building professional connections and skills, and developing independence can have serious consequences for their futures, including reduced job prospects and lowered earnings over their lifetimes. According to Measure of America, early unemployment can even negatively impact people's long-term mental and physical health outcomes and their prospects for marriage. The astounding number of disconnected youth also creates long-term risks for our country. In California, the state with the largest foster care population, a study shows that women in the state who "aged-out" of foster care were more than four times more likely to end up on public assistance. Estimates of the number of California prison inmates who have a history in foster care range between 14 and 60 percent. According to Measure of America, youth disconnection's total bill to tax payers two years ago was $93.7 billion. And the Huffington Post reports that with 1.3 million 16-to-24-year olds out of work, youth unemployment could cost the U.S. $18 billion in lost income over the next 10 years. To address the significant challenges posed by youth disconnection, we must develop and implement effective solutions targeting specific needs of specific populations. As one example, Youth Villages just announced at the meeting last week that it's committing through CGI America to serve all of the approximately 600 children aging out of foster care in Tennessee each year, addressing head on the challenges that confront far too many youth who age out of the system without support, resources, or a plan. This would be a national milestone, as Tennessee would become the first state to provide far-reaching transition services to all of its aging-out youth. Unlike other foster care programs found within the




state, Youth Villages' program is truly comprehensive, with transitional living specialists assisting youth with all aspects of the transition to adulthood, big and small. Another promising example of leadership in this area comes from 21-year-old Sixto Cancel, a remarkable youth advocate I met last week at CGI America. A former foster youth himself, Sixto's heart-breaking experience in the system was marked by abuse and violence, but he has demonstrated incredible resilience as a college student, a Jim Casey Young Fellow, and an advisory board member for the American Institutes Research (AIR) on LGBTQ and Allied Youth. Sixto also made his mark as a participant at CGI University 2013, where he and his group committed to mobilizing other young adults who have aged out of foster care to serve as leaders in reforming the child welfare system, here in the United States and around the world. After seeing him in action at the CGI America meeting, I have no doubt he will make a positive difference, helping to reconnect one of the most disconnected demographics through his CGI University commitment and his future work. In addition to being targeted and specific, effective strategies for re-engaging youth should also prove practical and relevant. After all, research reveals what many, including CGI America participant Youth Radio, already know -- that tangible, real-world opportunities make youth less apt to drop out of school and also more marketable to employers. Last week, Youth Radio reported progress on its 2012 CGI America commitment to connect at least 60 low-income young adults to jobs in the technology and digital media industry. This includes the creation of a Break Through news desk which will provide participants with the ability to deliver reports on solutions related to youth unemployment. As I've said and written about before, I believe that Millennials have the power to change the world. And now I'm challenging America to give underserved Millennials a fair opportunity to do so. If the Latin American Youth Center in Washington, D.C., hadn't given Elmer a chance to write a different future for himself, violence and victimhood could have been his final chapter. But after finding somewhere to turn and someone to mentor him, Elmer, now 28, has reclaimed his life and is a youth counselor for others. He's also a proud father and homeowner. He's soon to be a master's degree candidate, too. Most of all, he's living proof that no human being is hopeless. We can and we must get disconnected young Americans back on track. To achieve a real economic recovery, let's ensure that coming of age in the United States yields the promise -- not the memory -- of the American Dream. This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post and the Clinton Global Initiative in recognition of the latter's third meeting of CGI America (June 13-14 in Chicago). CGI America convenes business, government, and civil society leaders each year to make commitments promoting domestic economic recovery and the long-term competitiveness of the United States. Since the meeting's launch, CGI America participants have made more than 200 new commitments, with an estimated value of more than $13.4 billion when fully funded and implemented. For more information, click here. The Latin American Youth Center’s President & CEO Lori Kaplan and staff member Elmer Diaz presented at the Clinton Global Initiative America meeting, June 14, 2013.




“With Dignity, Hope, and Joy” Case Study of the Latin American Youth Center

Summary Document by Marcia Bernbaum and Isaac D. Castillo

The Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) is one of the nation’s leading youth development agencies. Founded in the late 1960s to address the absence of services for the growing Latino community, today LAYC is a network of youth centers, public charter schools, and social enterprises with a mission “to support youth and their families in their determination to live, work, and study with dignity, hope, and joy.” As a community-based, multi-cultural organization, LAYC serves annually over 4,000 low-income immigrant and minority youth and young adults. LAYC’s comprehensive youth development services include educational enhancement, mentored recreation, housing for homeless and runaway youth, arts and media education, workforce development with on-site job training, and mental health and substance abuse prevention, treatment, and counseling. This document is the summary of an in-depth case study of LAYC conducted between November 2005 and November 2006. (The complete case study may be viewed at www.layc-dc.org.) The case study had the following objectives: (1) Chart the evolution of LAYC over the 37-year period since its birth within the context of international, national, and local developments and with an emphasis on the Latino community in the District of Columbia; (2) Profile youth who participated in LAYC programs; (3) Explore LAYC’s impact on those youth; and (4) Identify lessons learned that can be helpful to other youth development programs taking a comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of youth. One hundred thirty-seven individuals were interviewed for the case study. Interviewees included: (1) LAYC senior staff, former youth participants who are now on staff, and a sampling of team leaders and junior staff; (2) current and former members of LAYC’s Board of Directors; (3) former LAYC staff; (4) representatives from the surrounding community, including individuals who are executive directors of other community-based organizations working with the Latino population; (5) representatives from foundations and other LAYC funders; (6) individuals from academia and the consulting world with extensive youth development experience; and (7) individuals who work with the District government. Subjects were asked initially to share something about themselves, including where they were born and if born outside the U.S. how they got to the U.S. and what life was like when they arrived. The interview then focused on the interviewee’s connection to LAYC and on reflections about their LAYC experience. Current and former youth participants in LAYC programs were asked what they contributed to LAYC and how the LAYC experience contributed to their lives. Interviewees were asked to reflect on what they saw as LAYC’s strengths, challenges, and lessons learned from the LAYC experience that would be helpful to other youth development organizations providing a comprehensive approach to working with multicultural youth. Brief history of the birth and evolution of LAYC LAYC came into existence in the summer of 1969. The precipitating factor for its founding was a fight between Latino and African American youth that took place in September 1968 when Lincoln Junior High School opened its new facility at the corner of Fifteenth and Irving Streets in Northwest Washington. The fight resulted in the windows of the new school being broken. Concerned, the D.C. government sent an experienced Hispanic member of its Roving Leaders program, which worked with at-risk youth, to assess the situation and come up with a strategy for addressing it. 1969 – 1977: LAYC’s early years. From summer 1969 into the 1970s, LAYC served youth primarily from the Caribbean and Central America who had full immigration status and whose families were in search of better social, educational, and economic opportunities. Many of these youth lived in two-parent families where both parents worked in blue collar jobs. Somewhat lost and lonely, not fluent in English, and unfamiliar with American culture, these young people found themselves in a small minority at the schools they attended and in their neighborhoods. LAYC was a place they could go to socialize with other Latinos, receive assistance with acculturation to the U.S., and emulate the college students who worked with them and who modeled what they could aspire to become. LAYC activities during this period included summer youth employment, community service, sports, field trips, English language classes, arts and crafts, and music. The principal source of funding was the D.C. Government through the Roving Leaders program and the Youth Services Administration (YSA).




1978-1987: LAYC is revitalized. After a lull in the mid-1970s, LAYC was revitalized with a focus on job training, job placement, and related educational opportunities through English as a Second Language (ESL) and General Educational Development (GED) classes. As well, LAYC provided multiple opportunities for youth to be involved in the arts, activism, and community outreach. As immigrants from the civil war in El Salvador and other nearby countries started arriving in Washington D.C. in large numbers, LAYC had to address the multiple needs of youth who had been traumatized by experiences in their home countries or while crossing the border into the U.S. from Mexico and by adapting as undocumented and unwelcome refugees settling in Northwest Washington D.C. In 1985, LAYC responded by establishing a social service program to address the specific needs of immigrant youth. In its early years, LAYC’s social service program provided legal assistance to immigrant youth and their families along with counseling for immigrant youth who were experiencing post-traumatic stress. As in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the primary source of funding was the D.C. Government through the Job Training and Partnership Act (JTPA), the D.C. Department of Mental Health, and the D.C. Humanities Council.

1988-1997: LAYC has a new director and begins to grow. From the late 1980s through the 1990s, LAYC took advantage of federally sponsored programs to expand job training and educational opportunities for youth through AmeriCorps, YouthBuild, and programs designed to introduce youth to health careers. Programs in the arts and civic outreach continued with the collaboration of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Institution. A highly visible riot in Mt. Pleasant in 1991, three blocks from LAYC, brought to the attention of the D.C. government and other funders the plight of the growing Latino immigrant community in Northwest Washington and spurred an increase in funding for social service programs to assist that population. LAYC, along with other organizations in the area serving the Latino population, was able to take advantage of this funding through its social services division to expand its offerings to address the needs of teen mothers, homeless and runaway youth, and youth who were increasingly becoming attracted to crack, and other drugs. LAYC’s Teen Drop-In Center, which began in the late 1980s, provided a safe place where youth could hang out after school. In 1995, taking advantage of D.C. public charter legislation, LAYC also started The Next Step/El Próximo Paso Public Charter School as an outgrowth of its program for teen mothers. By the end of this period, LAYC had grown significantly in staff, funding, and programs. 1998-2006: LAYC continues to grow in funding and opportunities. Starting in the late 1990s, Latino youth at LAYC were not those who had immigrated in the 1980s and 1990s but their sons and daughters born in the United States. For many of these youth, English was their primary language. In addition – and reflecting the changes in demographics in the neighborhood -- African American youth and youth from Africa began frequenting LAYC in increasing numbers. Many youth in the neighborhood around LAYC started becoming involved in gangs that were heavily involved in drugs and resorted to violence. In the late 1990s, with the opening of a Metro station a block away from LAYC and increasing gentrification, Latino families living in the vicinity of LAYC starting moving to other areas of D.C. and Maryland where rents were lower.

The last decade has been a period of dramatic expansion for LAYC in staffing, funding, and programs. It has also been a period of continued reflection and reorientation in programming to meet the changing needs of the youth that it serves. In 1998, LAYC moved to a refurbished four-story apartment building that it had purchased and rehabilitated through a capital campaign. In the area of job training and placement, LAYC continued its participation in the YouthBuild program, added a pilot program called Youth Opportunities!, and began to reorient its focus toward a social enterprise model. Education programs expanded beyond ESL and GED to include computer training, college preparation through Upward Bound, and collaboration with Bard College. Social services grew and were restructured to focus on the increasing problems of homeless and runaway youth, along with programs focusing on drug prevention and treatment as well as gang outreach and prevention. LAYC opened two additional public charter schools: the Latin American Montessori Bilingual (LAMB) Public Charter School (2002) for pre-K through sixth grade and YouthBuild, which was converted to a public charter school in 2005. In 2004, LAYC’s program in the arts obtained a dedicated facility in the Art + Media House, one of several properties that LAYC had purchased during the early 1990s. In 2005, responding to the migration of the Latino population due to gentrification, LAYC decided to expand services to Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties in Maryland. As of December 2006, when this case study was completed, LAYC had 50 programs, which served 4,000 youth and an annual budget of $11 million financed by over 100 funders.1 The three public charter schools had a combined annual budget of $6 million, bringing the total annual budget of LAYC and its family of organizations to $17 million. To run this

1 Funders included Federal government agencies, District government agencies, foundations, corporations, and individuals.




multiplicity of programs, LAYC had a staff of 150, of whom approximately 30 were former LAYC participants. LAYC operated out of several facilities in Northwest Washington D.C. and three rented facilities in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland. Two comprehensive strategic planning exercises resulted in re-affirmation of LAYC’s goal and mission, development of a social change model centered on providing service delivery to youth from a holistic perspective, and articulation of measurable outcomes. LAYC’s goal: “to help youth become successful and happy young adults by providing a comprehensive set of programs to meet youth where they are and help them build the skills they need to succeed and become change agents in their community.” LAYC’s mission: “to serve as a multicultural community-based organization that supports youth and families in their determination to live, work and study with dignity, hope and joy.” LAYC’s outcomes for each youth: (1) Achieving academic success, including graduation from high school and at least two years of post-secondary education; (2) Obtaining and retaining employment with long-term career potential; (3) Gaining the skills necessary to lead healthy and happy lives. LAYC’s organization-wide advocacy outcome: “to promote positive change in conditions, policies, and laws affecting youth in the District of Columbia and in Maryland’s Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.” Highlights of Findings: Characteristics of current and former LAYC participants and the impact of LAYC on their lives These findings are drawn from interviews with a random sample of 38 youth and reported in descending order of frequency.2 People were caring; there was someone to talk to, listen to, give advice Twenty-eight youth participants interviewed stated that at LAYC they were able to find one or more adults who cared, to whom they could talk, who would listen to them, give them advice. This observation was made by youth who attended LAYC in all four time periods and more frequently by females (16) than males (12). This is consistent with one of the central tenets of youth development literature. The National Institute on Out-of-School Time, one of the leading national organizations focused on the evaluation of out-of-school programming, found that supportive and caring relationships “are perhaps the most fundamental components of any successful programmatic environment.”3

Jeannette Perez (1978-87): The adults at LAYC were friendly to the youth. I could walk into Lori’s office as a 15-year-old, and she would say “How is it going?” You never saw her as a distant director but as someone you could easily sit down and talk with. It was true of everyone at LAYC. Karen Hinklin (1998-2006): I really appreciated the fact that they cared. For students whose parents did not go to college, {LAYC staff} provided great guidance in the college process. They even assisted my mother in filling out paperwork.

Acquire knowledge, professional skills Thirteen women and six men commented that LAYC provided them with an opportunity to acquire new skills and knowledge. While mentioned across all time periods, this observation came most frequently from youth currently enrolled in or recently at LAYC. Five youth, including four from the 1980s, indicated that LAYC had been particularly helpful assisting them with public speaking.

2 A detailed description of the methodology for collecting and analyzing data on youth impacts is found in Appendix A of the full case study, available at www.layc-dc.org. 3 National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) and Forum for Youth Investment, Promoting Positive Youth Development as a Support to Academic Achievement, September 2002.




Ronald Chacon (1989-1997, currently employed by LAYC): I acquired many skills: typing, graphic design, coordinating, management, being able to talk eloquently to others. LAYC allowed me to learn these things on my own. Reginald Taylor (1998-2006): LAYC has helped me. I had interviews last week at CVS at Dupont Circle. All the questions they gave us for practice interviews at WISE were actually asked. It made me feel calmer since I had the questions before. It helped me look for jobs that are better paying.

Opportunities, exposure, doors opened Ten of the interviewees who made these comments were women; eight were men. They came from all time periods.

Quique Aviles (1978-1987: I’m independent. I do my own thing. I’m an artist. I’m not a janitor or a mechanic. I’m a poet and an actor. I owe it to the many doors that the Youth Center opened for me or pointed me to. Marta Sanchez (1989-1997): All you see is kids not going to college. You need to be exposed to something different, for someone to say, “Here it is; take it.” That’s all we needed That’s what made the change in others. Someone who guides you and tells you, “You can do it. Here it is. You are going to do it.”

This finding also is supported by The National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST): “Children and youth need challenging experiences that are appropriate and diverse and that provide them with opportunities to try new things, build skills and experience an increasing sense of competency.” Provided a second home, a welcoming environment, a place where one felt safe Mentioned by 11 men and four women, this was a frequent theme among youth at LAYC in the 1980s and early 1990s. Many of these youth had come traumatized from the war in Central America. Most lived with one parent, usually the mother, who was working and not always available.

Maria Bernal (1989-1997, currently a member of LAYC staff): I feel like LAYC is my home. It’s here that I spend most of my time. It’s like this is a very close family, a place with a great deal of warmth. Edwin Perez (1988-1997, former member of LAYC staff): Everyone plays a role. When I was a part of the Youth Center, I used to love coming here. It was a home away from home. I had brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles that I didn’t have in real life. It was a warm family feeling. Everyone was so nice. You could talk to people. They were always smiling. There was a sense of caring.

The National Institute on Out-of-School Time has determined that youth need to feel both physically and psychologically safe in the settings where they receive their programming. In addition, “it is critical that programs provide a predictable structure and caring adults that children and youth can expect and rely on.” Challenged/pushed to succeed Thirteen of the youth interviewed, mostly from the 1980s, pointed out that one of the things LAYC did was to challenge them, to push them to succeed. Eight of 13 who made this comment were males. This, again, is supported by the NIOST study: “Young people benefit from being in settings where adults have high expectations and hold them to clear standards. Effective after-school programs are intentional about creating a culture of high expectations that affirms the potential of each participant and communicates clear expectations and standards concerning participation and behavior.”4

4 National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) and Forum for Youth Investment, Promoting Positive Youth Development as a Support to Academic Achievement, September 2002.




Increase in self-confidence/identity Eight women and two men commented that the LAYC experience had given them an opportunity to increase their self-confidence. For some youth recently arrived from Latin America and much in a minority in their communities and schools, LAYC helped give them a sense of identity.

Oscar Najera (1968-1977): It gave us a sense of identity, who were are. Arturo had a lot of ideas on how to promote ourselves as Hispanics. He would select four or five kids and say, “This is what we are going to do to promote this idea. We are going to try to get this for the community.” He was going to change things in the community. Marta Ferman (1978-1987): One day Lisa found me crying in her office. She said, “Don’t be afraid. Why are you crying? Let’s find something you want to do. This is a learning experience. I don’t expect you to have everything perfect.”

Opportunity to learn about/respect other cultures/ traditions Seven of the youth interviewed, five of them women, commented that at LAYC they learned about other cultures and traditions. Although this was particularly important to youth attending LAYC in the late 1960s and early 1970s, LAYC has continued to place a strong value on the importance of respecting other cultures and traditions.

Leyla Perez (1968-1977): I came to know people from many nationalities; I made friends with them. I learned about other cultures. I had never been to El Salvador. I didn’t know their customs. The same was true for the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and other countries. Jose Rosales (1998-2006): LAYC made a huge difference for me. It is hard to see kids on the streets and judge them without knowing where they come from. At LAYC, I learned enough stories, excuses for what they were doing, that it is not OK to steal, stab, and vandalize. Some of them didn’t know another life.

Transformational/life changing experience; LAYC made me what I am today Seven of the former youth interviewed, two women and five men, commented that their affiliation with LAYC had been life-changing.

Rafael Solano (1978-1977): Through Jose Sueiro, there were music programs, clinics. That’s how I got started in my musical career. I guess I owe a lot to the Youth Center for that. As a result I have been able to work with a lot of name acts, important people in the industry: Ricky Martin, Paquito de Rivera, Placido Domingo, Gloria Stefan, Stevie Wonder. I have toured the world: Africa, Latin America, various countries in Europe. Marta Ferman (1978-1987): LAYC contributed to making me who I am. It was through LAYC that I got myself involved in different things. I was told, for example, that I could volunteer to interpret for doctors at La Clínica del Pueblo who didn’t speak Spanish. I got training for six to eight weeks on how to do intake, take temperature, blood pressure, medical history. It gave me great satisfaction that I could help people, satisfaction in women’s faces when I interpreted for them with a male doctor: the look of “Thank you. You have made a great difference.”

Kept me from getting into gangs, drugs, dropping out of school Seven former youth participants interviewed, all men, commented that LAYC helped them avoid getting into gangs or drugs.




Nestor Flores (1978-1987): I would have been out on the streets with friends. I probably would have gotten into trouble. A lot of my friends are either dead, in jail, or deported. Chico Diaz (1978-1987, currently on LAYC staff): If there hadn’t been a place to protect me, I might have done bad things. I would have had more time to go out with friends. I might have gotten into trouble. There were always problems with drugs and gangs. The era of crack had begun.

Lessons learned from the LAYC experience The growth and evolution of LAYC since 1969, its many successes, and the opportunities and challenges it has faced along the way serve as a rich laboratory for garnering lessons that can help other programs that adopt a comprehensive approach to assisting youth. A number of the lessons learned are generic and have relevance to any nonprofit organization that has gone through the growth that LAYC has experienced over its 37 years of existence. Several apply specifically to organizations that focus on assisting youth. Lessons learned applicable to all nonprofit organizations Vision and leadership:

It is important to develop and clearly communicate within and outside the organization a vision, mission, and set of values that everyone agrees upon. As a part of a comprehensive strategic planning exercise carried out in 2003 and 2004, LAYC developed a vision and mission statement. Communicating this statement within and outside of the organization in the face of dramatic growth and a constantly changing external environment has not been easy. The President & CEO is aware of the importance of clearly communicating LAYC’s vision within and outside the organization and, with senior staff, is taking steps to address this challenge.

A visionary, competent executive director who remains with the organization for an extended period to provide

continuity is critical, but it is important to prepare for succession. Lori Kaplan is one of several highly competent and visionary nonprofit executive directors in the District of Columbia. She is well regarded within and outside LAYC. Her presence at LAYC for over 27 years, 19 of those as President & CEO, has provided valuable stability and continuity. However, there will be a time when a successor will have to be named. It will be critical to select the right person who can continue to move this complex and dynamic organization forward.

A capable, operational board that has a good relationship with the executive director and is used well can be of

enormous help to an organization. Identifying and attracting qualified individuals with the mix of needed skills to serve on a Board of Directors of a community-based organization always is a challenge. Equally challenging is to find people who have the time to contribute, as is getting them substantively involved in roles appropriate for Board members. Finally, it is important to find Board members who are able to be supportive of the executive director and at the same time provide constructive feedback and guidance. To Lori Kaplan’s credit, the executive director and the Board members have achieved these delicate balances, and the Board has played an important role in moving the organization forward.

Leadership in networking and building relationships at all levels is important for credibility and fundraising. This has been a key strength of LAYC. There is no substitute for the trust and good will that is built by actively networking and building relationships with other organizations and key leaders in one’s community.

It is important to find a balance between a desire to serve all identified needs and an obligation not to

overwhelm the organization. LAYC has grown rapidly in the last 19 years, from an organization with a budget of $600,000 and 12 to 15 programs in 1987, to a budget of $11 million and 50 programs in 2006. It has been quick to respond to needs that emerge among youth and to take advantage of opportunities. At times this stretches existing staff who are asked to incorporate new initiatives into their existing portfolios. Balancing growth to respond to identified needs without stretching staff beyond their capacity or risking dilution of program quality will always be a challenge faced by any agile organization undergoing rapid growth.




When expanding into a new environment, it is important to judge accurately the political climate; it is also important to get to know the players within that environment. LAYC staff agrees that it was critical to spend time become familiar with the different political climates in each new area. A substantial block of time had to be set aside to identify key players, meet with them, and gain their trust.

When expanding into a new environment, it is also important to spend time talking to other non-profits,

identifying what others are doing and defining how best to bridge the gaps. While the regions where LAYC decided to initiate expansion do not have a saturation of nonprofits, senior management believe it was critical to spend time up front identifying existing nonprofits and seeing what they were doing so as to initiate collaboration, as opposed to unnecessarily entering into competition. Given LAYC’s size and track record, it has been important to ensure that stakeholders in the areas where expansion is to take place do not see LAYC as a powerful agency coming to take over.

Management:

Flexibility is critical to continuity and longevity, enabling the organization to recognize signs of change, seek solutions, and take action. LAYC would not be the organization that it is today had it not maintained throughout its growth a posture of accepting and seeking to meet challenges. This has required flexibility, openness to change, and an ability to take action and risks, often within an uncertain context.

An organization geared to meeting evolving needs must be prepared to go through multiple stages of growth and at each stage assess and put in place appropriate systems. LAYC was established as an informal grouping of creative, idealistic individuals with a vision and a passion for youth and social change. There were few if any management systems in place. Over the years, LAYC has had to put in place management systems that correspond to the organization’s stage of growth.

It is important to provide structure in a growing organization without stifling creativity and risk taking. Multiple

demands of funders accompanied by increasingly cumbersome but necessary management systems can easily put a straightjacket on an organization that prides itself on and has grown and thrived by hiring and rewarding staff who are creative and risk takers.

Assessing and reporting on outcomes, and securing staff to oversee this process is important for assuring program quality and responding to funders’ reporting requirements. LAYC has (a) hired a full-time senior manager to assume responsibility for quality oversight and outcomes reporting; (b) obtained funding for additional staff to assist in this area; (c) identified three common outcomes that all programs should address; (d) created systems to collect data to report on these outcomes. However, as LAYC is finding, it is important to develop and present to funders outcomes that make sense for the organization, as opposed to taking valuable time to collect and report on outcomes driven by funders.

While being held accountable for quantifiable outcomes is important, funders need to understand that not-so-easily quantifiable outcomes also are important. Funders applying undue pressure on organizations to reach unrealistic targets would be advised to revisit the literature, talk to staff, and consider the best approach for assessing accountability and measuring results.

Expansion into a new and unknown area is staff-intensive, especially for senior management of the mother organization. While Lori Kaplan and Mai Fernandez did not regret the time they put into--and continue to put into--expansion into Maryland, both have had to set aside significant amounts of time for this purpose. Others such as Isaac Castillo, former learning and evaluation director have also spent much time assisting to establish comprehensive Maryland programming.




Funding:

Having a reputation as an organization that delivers is important. This reputation has made some funders who ordinarily might not support a new initiative more comfortable with opening a door to LAYC, an organization that thrives on taking risk—and produces results.

Maintaining a diverse funding base is critical to an organization’s longevity. This is the only way that LAYC has

been able to grow and thrive. LAYC has over 100 funding sources supporting its 50 programs. To assure continuity in funding important programs and to reduce stress on the organization and staff, it would be ideal to have an endowment that permits the organization to reduce its dependence on short-term grants and on funders’ changing priorities.

It is important to be strategic in seeking funding and to resist adapting to trends that don’t fit the agency’s

vision. Realizing how important it is to be strategic in both seeking and accepting funds, LAYC has created a matrix of criteria to be used for deciding whether or not to embrace new programmatic opportunities. The elements of this matrix are listed in Chapter V of the full case study.

Staffing:

As an organization becomes larger and more complex, it is important to establish a tier of capable senior staff. LAYC’s current President & CEO has been open to suggestions regarding the need to establish new senior management positions, to fill them with qualified people, and to delegate to them responsibility to develop and implement needed systems. In 1997, at the urging of the Board, Lori Kaplan hired a deputy director to assume oversight of internal aspects of the organizations while she focused on fundraising and external contacts. Further senior staff positions were established following the strategic planning exercise carried out in 2003 - 2004.

Lessons learned for youth development programs Vision/leadership:

It is important to keep youth as number one priority, to constantly reach out to youth and identify their needs, and to reflect their voices in programming. As the literature has shown, the most effective youth development agencies are those that program around the needs of youth, reflecting the suggestions of youth in that process. This has been a strength of LAYC. Former participants tell many stories of how in early years they identified new program needs and in several cases helped develop grant proposals for programs. It is also an area of challenge, as funding opportunities often must be responded to quickly, at times without the desired input from youth.

While LAYC’s focus has been on Latino youth, it had the foresight not to restrict its programs to Latino youth. All

low-income immigrant and minority youth are in need of the multiple services that LAYC provides. It would be inappropriate for a youth development agency to turn non-Latino youth away when needed services are not available in the community. In its expansion to Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, LAYC has made a decision to reflect its focus in its title: Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers.

It is important to be able to open doors, to know how to interact with political systems, and to be able to play a

role in shaping policy that benefits the Latino population in general and Latino youth in particular. LAYC has been adept over the years at identifying the needs of Latino youth and playing a policy role to encourage the D.C. government to bring needed services to these youth. That LAYC has reached out to advocate not just for Latino youth but for the needs of the Latino population in general has brought credibility and a sense that the organization is not operating merely out of its own interests.

It is extremely valuable to have sufficient seed money at the onset when planning expansion to new sites. LAYC

has been fortunate to have seed funding from Venture Philanthropy Partners to finance key positions in Maryland.




This has enabled the new director, Luisa Montero, and her deputy, Gabriel Albornoz5, to continue the networking started by Lori Kaplan and Mai Fernandez, as well as to establish logistics before launching programs.

Management:

It is vital to take a holistic approach to youth development, ensuring that youth voices are heard in all that the organization does. Such an approach makes possible a successful transition to adulthood, where young people are able to support themselves financially, engage in healthy social relationships, and contribute to their communities. Taking such an approach, constantly reaching out to meet the changing needs of youth, has been a LAYC strategy since its early years, long before this became a widely acknowledged axiom in the youth development literature. Maintaining this holistic approach and in the process assuring that programs are developed in a comprehensive and integrated fashion is a challenge for youth organizations that undergo rapid expansion. Further, it is important to track organizational effectiveness and take action to ensure appropriate linkages between programs.

As service delivery expands, it is important to ensure that programs that promote youth leadership and advocacy remain a part of a comprehensive youth development program. Programs that promote advocacy are important vehicles for team building, for challenging youth, and for encouraging critical thinking. They also provide important opportunities for youth to acquire skills in leadership and public speaking. Youth advocacy also can be an important vehicle for social outreach. One of LAYC’s early strengths was its ability to involve youth in community advocacy as part of its leadership programming. The impact on youth who participated in leadership and advocacy programs attest to the benefits.

Program:

It is important to maintain a welcoming environment, a sense of home and safety for youth. Being a welcoming, safe place, a home away from home, has been an important priority for LAYC since its inception. Maintaining a welcoming environment and a sense of home as an organization undergoes dramatic growth requires special attention.

It is important to set high expectations for youth. A repeated theme in interviews with former youth, echoing the

youth development literature, is that LAYC set high expectations for them and challenged them to meet those expectations. Maintaining this kind of environment continues to be a priority and a challenge for LAYC.

A youth development model that incorporates parents should be effectively articulated and implemented. Again

a lesson learned from the youth development literature, LAYC has incorporated parents into its youth development model and a number of its programs are doing so. Assuring that other programs appropriately incorporate parents remains a challenge to be addressed.

Effective gang outreach and intervention is complex, requires a wide-ranging approach, and is staff-intensive.

There is no magic bullet for weaning youth from gangs. Trust must be established, and this often does not come easily. Each youth’s situation needs to be carefully assessed and a strategy developed to assist the youth un-link from gang life. This requires patience; good weeks when youth seem to be making progress may be followed by bad weeks when they appear to backslide. Equally important, experience shows that organizations like LAYC are just one part of the equation. To be effective in gang prevention and intervention, it is necessary to collaborate with other community-based organizations and with local police and other justice authorities, which may be difficult.

The arts can be of tremendous value as a means of self-expression, establishing identity, and addressing

problems and challenges faced by youth in an agency that serves youth of various ethnic backgrounds. What makes LAYC’s arts experience perhaps unique is the comprehensive approach it has taken to weaving arts into its programming. Over the years, the dramatic and visual arts have become a vehicle for instilling in Latino youth reaffirmation and pride in the rich artistic heritage of their countries. For example, mural painting and street

5 In 2007, Albornoz accepted a job with Montgomery County. He was replaced by Lupi Quinteros Grady, former LAYC participant and staff member.




theatre, introduced to the U.S. in the 1970s and early 1980s from the Southern Cone (Chile, Argentina, Peru), was early on incorporated into LAYC’s programs. Art has been used to help youth address racial issues and tensions, a prime example being the Latinegro street theater program that from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s helped Latino and African American youth work through their conflicts. Art has also served as a way of helping youth address health issues. Finally, for many of the youth interviewed, through LAYC they have been able to identify and develop their talents and move into successful careers in the arts.

Staffing:

Incorporating former youth participants as staff can contribute tremendously to a youth development organization. Former participants are in the best position to understand the needs and desires of youth, to relate to them, and to represent their needs in programming. From its inception, LAYC has made a special effort to move promising youth into staff positions and where appropriate to groom them to assume increased responsibility. As LAYC has learned over the years, it is important to think strategically and not to move former participants into positions of increased responsibility before they have the needed skills.

It is of critical importance to attract and maintain qualified staff who care strongly about youth and who serve

as role models and mentors. Interviewed youth indicated that having staff who were there for youth, who challenged them, was critical in making a difference in their lives. Most troubling for youth who had developed trusting relationships with staff they saw as mentors were situations where staff member left after a short period of time.

A staff development program is vital. Given that staff are the number one asset of a youth development

organization, a culture should exist complemented by adequate funds that provides staff with the mentoring and training they need to be effective in their jobs. LAYC always has tried to create staff development opportunities. This can be difficult in an atmosphere with limited funding where funders feel that administrative costs must be kept to a minimum. With new funding from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, LAYC will hire a human resources director responsible for designing and implementing a comprehensive staff development program.

layc information packet

Documents

layc promotor

washington post names

layc career academy

layc information packet

americas youth

disconnected youth

national americorps

national recognition