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The Interrupters Community Resource Organizations Assignment

Jamie La Fuente

OGL 350 – Diversity in Organizations

Module 5

February 13, 2023

Dr. Kermit Brown

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ASPIRA

I selected the organization, ASPIRA, as the first organization because my city has

a large Latino community. This is a community where I feel I could have a direct impact in

encouraging and supporting youth. ASPIRA has over 44 years’ experience working with you and

their families and serves over 85,000 students and parents each year. Their reach is even larger

due to extensive online programs that are available.

Something I find unique and interesting about ASPIRA is that even though they consider

themselves a Latino organization, it is open to anyone who wants to participate includes African

American and Puerto Rican families. They have a vast online presence, including over 20

websites and they operate or support over 150 neighborhood technology centers. This provides

young people with resources to access help that they may not be able to get in their home.

Another unique thing about ASPIRA is the level that youth is involved in the

organization. “Youth are represented on all ASPIRA Boards of Directors (local), and each

Associate has a youth representative on the National Board of Directors. In fact, 7 voting

members of the National Board of Directors are youth under the age of 25 (stated in the by-

laws), 40% of the National Board.” (What is Aspira? 2020)

In “The Interrupters” documentary, I saw that the young people appreciated someone

holding them accountable and that is something the Interrupters worked to do. One young man,

Mikey, said upon getting his first job, “I got a job. I got a job. All I used to hear, you're a Class X

felon. Can't do nothin'. I'm doin' somethin'.” (The Interrupters, 2011) The ASPIRA organization

works with youth to become aware of their own and their community situations. It encourages

them to find the root cause of the barriers to their own success and to help them take positive

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action in their lives, promoting the good that can happen when they make these changes. I feel

that this is the key to making changes in the communities like Chicago. These young people need

a path to success and to understand that they can get out and change. Having an organization like

ASPIRA behind them can make all the difference.

I have been contemplating a career move over the last few years into the nonprofit sector.

I have some colleagues who have made the move. I think this would give me a sense of really

helping people instead of just taking people’s money. I am not in a financial position know

where I can survive financially with just volunteer positions. I do believe if I start volunteering

with an organization like ASPIRA, I can make the right contacts to help me make the transition

to working for a nonprofit organization as a career choice. In my city alone, there are so many

programs, and they all need volunteers.

ENCLACE CHICAGO

ENLACE CHICAGO is unique in the fact that it is not trying to save all of the youth in

the nation or even in Chicago. Their focus is on one community, The Village. This provides

ENLACE an opportunity to work closely with the youth and the families and become a part of

the community and are effective. ENLACE works in partnership with CEASEFIRE. ENLACE

works in three areas in the community - education, community health, immigration and violence

prevention. ENLACE is not just concerned on helping today but believes in creating strategies

for 5 to 10 years in the future. I believe this is so important for youth in this community. They

need to realize that there is a future. In the documentary, there was an ominous tone of the youth

and the families. They do not believe they have a future. By creating plans for them, it changes

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that mindset and allows them to plan and want to fight for life. An important piece of solving the

issues in Chicago, are targeting the youth when they are still young enough to change their lives

and providing them a safe space. This is exactly what ENLACE is doing.

Something that stood out to me, and I feel like is very essential to the youth in this area is

creating “Safe Passage.” ENLACE collaborates with the community to make the walk to and

from school safer. This includes community volunteers or residents who live along the school

routes taking positions before and after school to ensure the children get to and from safely. That

really shows a true partnership with the community.

Researching these organizations makes me think about the careers that are available in

organizations that really have influence. I would like to say I am effective to my own company

through innovation and hard work, but I have to wonder how that really translates to my

community. As I mentioned before, I do take advantage of volunteer opportunities but that is

helping on such a small scale. My goal is to begin researching and getting involved in some more

organizations working locally in San Antonio and eventually making a career change to

somewhere I can truly make a difference in my local community.

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Works Cited

What is Aspira? ASPIRA. (2020, November 30). Retrieved February 13, 2023, from
https://aspira.org/about-us/what-is-aspira/

Kartemquin Films. (2011). The Interrupters. United States.

Little village: Enlace chicago: Chicago. enlace. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2023, from
https://www.enlacechicago.org/

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