Latin American Youth Center’s (LAYC) nominationto RPCV/W’s “Partnership for Peace” Competition
Organization Name:
Latin American Youth Center (LAYC)
Federal ID #:
52-1023074 LAYC is a registered 501(c ) 3 organization
Organization Website
Primary Contact name, address, e-mail and telephone number:
Amy Kunz, Senior Grants Manager1419 Columbia Rd NW Washington, DC 20009
email:
telephone:
202.319.2256 or 202.270.4886
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Summary of organization’s mission/purpose (max 500 words):
Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) operates a network of youth centers, publiccharter schools, and social enterprises with a mission to “support youth and families intheir determination to live, work, and study with dignity, hope, and joy.” LAYC achievesits mission by adhering to a youth development model, which offers low-income andminority youth a continuum of services, programs, and opportunities with the goal of ensuring a successful transition to young adulthood. Youth facing the most significantlife challenges work with
promotores
(“guides” in Spanish) who form a long-termrelationship to guide the young person through all necessary programs and services inorder to complete an Individual Success Plan. Support from the World Bank hasenabled LAYC to contract with nationally known evaluators to conduct a multi-yearevaluation of the
promotores
, which will be shared nationally with our stake-holdersand will be the first in the youth development field to document and analyze outcomesof this innovative relationship-building client management model.LAYC’s services are clustered in five areas:
•
Educational Enhancement
provides academic enrichment, collegepreparation, and mentored recreation with the help of its vibrant AmeriCorpsprogram;
•
Social Services
provides prevention education, outreach, treatment, housing,and case management;
•
Workforce Investment and Social Enterprises (WISE)
provides work and life skills training, GED preparation, and leadership development;
•
Art + Media
encourages youth to discover the power of their art as a means of self-expression and as a tool for exploring community issues; and;
•
Advocacy/Public Policy
educates and involves youth in relevant publicpolicies and civic activities. In cases where LAYC does not offer a needed service,long-standing collaborations with other community-based organizations, public(including government) agencies, clinics, and a range of private service providersallow us to meet each youth’s needs without duplication.
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Latin American Youth Center’s (LAYC) nominationto RPCV/W’s “Partnership for Peace” Competition
LAYC serves the Washington D.C. region: all eight DC wards as well as Prince George’sand Montgomery counties in Maryland. Our anchor site is in Washington DC’s Ward 1Columbia Heights as are four residential houses serving homeless youth including some who are also single parents; an Art + Media House with classrooms, a dark room, andexhibition space for youth artwork. Also in Ward 1 are LAYC’s two public charterschools, which grew out of LAYC programming: The YouthBuild Public Charter Schoolserves youth ages 16-24 who have dropped out of traditional high schools by giving themopportunities to learn construction skills while working toward a high school diploma orGED and the Next Step Public Charter School serves immigrants or young people who were born or grew up in the United States, but have found it difficult to achieve successin traditional public schools. There are also three Maryland sites in Silver Spring,Langley Park, and Riverdale. Of the 4,214 individuals served in FY09, 59% were Latinoand 32% African American and lived in all eight wards of the District of Columbia, inMaryland’s Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties and in Prince William, Arlington,and Fairfax counties, Virginia.
Summary of organization’s past involvement with RPCV/W if applicable(max 250 words):
LAYC has had the good fortune of employing dozens of RPCVs, many of whom are activemembers in RPCV/W, over its 35-year history. Currently, 12 RPCVs are on staff at alllevels of the organization: AmeriCorps Program Coordinator, Mental Health/Substance Abuse Counselor, Transitions Coordinator at the Next Step Public Charter School,Maryland Site Director, and Senior Grants Manager to list a few.LAYC has invited RPCV/W to host various programs at its anchor site in the ColumbiaHeights neighborhood of Washington, D.C. such as a panel discussion on socially responsible investing and a writing workshop that focused on crafting auto-biographicalessays and short stories based on Peace Corps experiences.LAYC staff members regularly participate in Peace Corps Week each March. Thanks tothriving in-school and after-school programs, LAYC has worked very closely withDistrict of Columbia Public Schools and public charter schools for decades, whichfacilitates the coordination of sending RPCV speakers into elementary, middle, and highschools in the area to talk about their cross-cultural experiences.
In what capacity can RPCV/W best assist your organization? (max 500 words):
With its access to thousands of community-minded members, RPCV/W would make theideal vehicle for getting the word out about the life-changing work LAYC does with low-income, minority youth and families in the Washington, D.C. area. RPCV/W could helpLAYC both in the short-term and the long-term.
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RPCVW Partnership 2010 LAYCs Nomination Form.oct 26. 2009
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