Elmer Diaz is laid back and tries to get his clients to open up. Rachel Laser is direct and has a no-nonsense style. Diaz grew up in DC, only a few blocks from his current employer, and Laser was raised in Utah. But both are Promotores. The Promotor Pathway is a youth development model at the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) which links disconnected youth age 14-24 with long-term comprehensive support services through an all-encompassing mentor, advocate, and case management worker, called a “Promotor.” Each Promotor has around 15 to 20 clients, and is accessible to them any time, day or night. Promotores support their clients—some of whom are homeless, some of whom are dropouts—by linking them to services inside and outside of LAYC. The relationship also serves as a strong adult connection for youth who most likely have none. youthCONNECT Begins Strategic Planning Process Last month, youthCONNECT kicked off its strategic planning activities, which are being facilitated by the Monitor Institute. The six-month-long strategic planning process will include work to develop a shared analysis of the problems facing low income, at-risk 14-24 year old youth in the National Capital Region (NCR), and will decide on a shared vision of the network’s core purpose, long-term goals, and governance structure. Through this analysis, VPP, the Monitor Institute and the network partners will develop a strategic action plan to effectively leverage youthCONNECT's resources for the greatest impact. |
 FEBRUARY 2012
It's been over 18 months since VPP became an inaugural member of the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), and almost a year since we launched our SIF initiative, youthCONNECT, a collaborative network of six nonprofits that are working together to improve the lives of disconnected youth in the National Capital Region. We thought long and hard about applying to this new program, but after a year of results, I am glad we did. Our youthCONNECT network partners have performed exceptionally in all areas, both in terms of the number of youth served and by achieving significant organizational milestones. The SIF is a new way of doing business for the philanthropic sector. Public and private funds are mobilized to grow promising, innovative community-based solutions that have evidence of compelling impact. The SIF provides grants to intermediaries like VPP, who then invest in organizations that can drive solutions to pressing social problems. With each re-granting, the money must be matched, resulting in a 3:1 leverage of the federal dollars. When the award winners were released in July of 2010, there was some criticism of the selections, as we were all generally organizations with proven results that had been operating for several years. Several people saw it as counterintuitive to include "proven" solutions in a fund encouraging "innovation."
|
|
Two Paths, Two Approaches, One Job Elmer Diaz is laid back and tries to get his clients to open up. Rachel Laser is direct and has a no-nonsense style. Diaz grew up in DC, only a few blocks from his current employer, and Laser was raised in Utah. But both are Promotores. 
The Promotor Pathway is a youth development model at the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) which links disconnected youth age 14-24 with long-term comprehensive support services through an all-encompassing mentor, advocate, and case management worker, called a “Promotor.” Each Promotor has around 15 to 20 clients, and is accessible to them any time, day or night. Promotores support their clients—some of whom are homeless, some of whom are dropouts—by linking them to services inside and outside of LAYC. The relationship also serves as a strong adult connection for youth who most likely have none. "Promotores is designed as a way to help youth overcome their challenges…" said Isaac Castillo, the former Director of Learning and Evaluation at LAYC, who helped design the model. "Promotores empower the youth in a consistent and formalized way. In traditional [case management] programming…if there is an issue outside the program's content area, the staff [in those programs] have limited options to solve the issue. Promotores are there to give an underpinning of support where a traditional program wouldn't be able to." Both Diaz and Laser say they are drawn to their jobs because they see themselves in their clients. Diaz grew up in the rough neighborhood of Columbia Heights where there was a lot of gang activity. He was not involved, he said, but associated with it. After graduating from high school and enrolling in college, he was a victim of a stabbing in 2002. To get away from trouble, he moved to Canada and stayed with family members in Calgary. While Diaz was in Canada, he realized what he wanted to do with his life. “It just hit me,” he said. “I was thinking about what happened to me and what all my friends have been through. I was like—I’m going to help people…All of a sudden, it was just something that clicked.” He moved back to DC and began to work at LAYC as a street outreach worker. Eventually, after pursuing a college degree again, he switched jobs and became a Promotor. Laser had a different path. She grew up in Utah and went to American University in DC. After graduating, she moved back to Utah and worked at a homeless youth shelter for three years. She decided she wanted more diversity in her life as she had seen in DC during college, and saw the Promotor position at LAYC online. She applied, and got it. She says she identifies with her clients because of the adult role models in her life. “I did not have a strong family structure [growing up],” she said. “Had I not been in the socio-economic class I was in, I could have been in a very similar situation to some of my clients. I turned to other adults in my life through school, through clubs, through debate, and they taught me to believe in myself. And I believe without that, I would not be the person I am today.”
A desire to teach young people to believe in themselves is a common sentiment expressed by Promotores. While they are there to support the youth, they are not there to make decisions for them. “I’m not here to solve their problems, I’m here to help them solve their own problems,” said Laser. “A lot of times, it’s just about listening to them and acknowledging, ‘That’s a really crappy situation,’ and asking, ‘What are you going to do about it?’” The situations Promotores work through with their clients are challenging, if not overwhelming, and Laser, Diaz, and the seven other Promotores help their clients make the best choices possible. However, the outcomes are not always what Promotores want to see. “You have to be strong emotionally. We hear some sad stories here,” said Diaz. “You have to have the courage and strength to stand up and help them out of the water and be that life guard.” When the victories do happen, it is often because the client has the strength to persevere and only needs the support of a strong adult role model to tap into that strength. Laser tells the story of one client who was homeless and in an abusive relationship. She ended up moving into a house, graduating, and speaking at her commencement. “She’s an amazing person… She thanks me for where she is, but I turn it back at her and say you’ve done these things and I’ve been lucky enough to be along for the ride," said Laser. "The Pathway has given her the support she needs to stay on track and make the right decision she knows she needs.” One common frustration of social service workers is the difficulty tracking clients and measuring the impact of programs. Promotores is unique in this regard as well, as clients remain in the Pathway for several years and are more easily tracked. Castillo, who now is a Senior Research Scientist at the research center Child Trends, said LAYC measures 24 different outcomes for each youth in the Pathway. This allows LAYC to see individual progress, progress of a Promotor's entire caseload, or the progress of every youth in the Pathway. “The Pathway actually allows a little bit more for [precise evaluation] because we follow them,” said Laser. “When I was working at the homeless teen center in Utah, I would see kids for months at a time, and then they’d be gone. Hopefully they are ok, but I have no idea.” Both Diaz and Laser said the small victories get them through each day and keep them coming back to work. It may be when a client decides to go to counseling, or when he or she ends an abusive relationship. Or it might be simply an expression of appreciation. Diaz said he knows he is doing a good job when one of his clients tells him he or she is glad to have him as a Promotor. He said: “It feels really good when a youth that has no one…tells you they are glad they have you in their life.” youthCONNECT Begins Strategic Planning Process
Through this analysis, VPP, the Monitor Institute and the network partners will develop a strategic action plan to effectively leverage youthCONNECT's resources for the greatest impact. youthCONNECT, which is funded in part through the Social Innovation Fund, is a pioneering collaborative of nonprofit service providers, funders, and the federal government. The six high-performing nonprofits in the portfolio will serve 20,000 youth over 5 years, and will also form an integrated network with a strong infrastructure for collaboration. The goal of youthCONNECT is to have the network not only serve youth, but also improve the educational, employment and healthy behaviors systems that affect the children and youth of the National Capital Region. The strategic planning process with Monitor will create a framework for these systems-change efforts. "The business planning kick-off meeting was informative and inspiring for the entire youthCONNECT network," said Marc Schindler, VPP's lead partner on the initiative. "I'm looking forward to seeing the product of this process. We will push forward to produce a blueprint for how to significantly improve the outcomes of the young people we are serving in this region." To learn more about youthCONNECT, watch the network partners discuss their work on VPP’s YouTube page. | ||
White House Releases Report Detailing Societal Cost of "Opportunity Youth" Last month, a joint commission released the report "The Economic Value of Opportunity Youth," which outlines the societal costs of youth not enrolled in school or participating in the labor market. The report was released by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the White House Council for Community Solutions, and estimates the immediate taxpayer burden of each of these youth, also called "opportunity youth" is almost $14,000 per year. Around 17%, or 6.7 million youth aged 16-24 fit into this "opportunity youth" category. The report calculated that in addition to costing taxpayers nearly $14,000 a year, each youth has a social burden of around $37,000, which includes costs to society like lost earnings and crime. The aggregate estimate of the total taxpayer burden of this cohort is $1.56 trillion, and the total social cost is $4.75 trillion. You can read the full report here [PDF] and coverage of the report in the Atlantic Monthly. The Nonprofit Finance Fund Releases Report on Pay for Success Last October, the Nonprofit Finance Fund hosted a convening with the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation to discuss the Pay for Success program, a new way of funding nonprofits through public-private partnerships. From that summit, it produced a report on the challenges and opportunities of Pay for Success, also known as Social Impact Bonds, which can be read here. The report highlights the government's commitment to Pay for Success financing, which ensures government reimbursement to nonprofits if they can achieve specific outcomes. The report provides an overview of the adoption of Pay for Success in other countries, and notes the need for increased infrastructure for local and state governments to implement this type of financing. You can read the report and learn more about Pay for Success on the Nonprofit Finance Fund's site, http://nffsib.org. |
Last month, 
AALEAD Students Become Civically Engaged at Montgomery County’s Budget Forum Thanks to Rick Chen, Director of Development and Communications, for this update.
In continuing AALEAD’s civic engagement theme, “Get Involved!”, two Montgomery County middle school students participated in Mr. Leggett’s January 17th forum by sharing their personal experiences at AALEAD, emphasizing the importance of continued community support for youth and families like themselves. Both students were initially nervous in preparing but wrote pieces that captured the attention of Mr. Leggett and the audience. One student shared how AALEAD was like a family and how he appreciated the feeling that friends and family were there for him anytime. Similarly, the other student shared how AALEAD staff were like brothers and sisters who could help her with her school and personal problems. As the only youth in the room and among some of the only Asians, the students' opinions were closely followed by all attendees of the forum. Boys & Girls Clubs Bring Arts Education to More Youth in the Greater Washington Area Thanks to Andrea James, Communications Manager, for this update.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington (BGCGW) club members are excited about their new Artmobile. Spearheaded by the BGCGW Women’s Leadership Group, this refurbished school bus travels from club to club allowing more children the opportunity to express themselves creatively. This innovative approach has not only provided a way to counter the cuts in arts education in area schools but has enabled the organization to build partnerships with companies and organizations that want to give back to their communities and serve thousands of children that need it most.
Made possible by the generous support of the Friess Family Foundation and Superior Home Services, Inc., the Artmobile furthers BGCGW’s mission by providing a means for safe communication, expression, and imagination. Youth who are engaged in arts programs do better in school and in their personal lives. Young people gain the confidence, self-esteem, and motivation needed to reach their full potential. Students Help CFNC Families in Honor of Martin Luther King Thanks to Alison Doherty, Development Associate, for this update.
On Monday, January 16th the students at Burgundy Farms Country Day School commemorated the work and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through the school’s annual Day of Service. Students and their families participated in more than 20 projects around campus to benefit many local nonprofits, including CFNC. Students assembled 20 newborn baby kits and decorated picture frames for expectant mothers. In another room, students put together 200 dental hygiene bags, including toothbrushes, tooth paste, dental floss, and mouthwash. Some of these kits will be distributed to CFNC’s families. Ansley Shackelford, a CFNC Social Worker, and Alison Doherty, CFNC’s Development Associate, were excited to attend the event and participate in the activities. “It was wonderful,” Alison said, “for community service projects to be planned so children of all ages could participate. CFNC is thankful for these contributions and will put them to good use.” CentroNia Accredited by the Council on Accreditation Thanks to Laura Anduze, Communications and Marketing Manager, for this update.
CentroNía has been accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) for its out-of-school time programming. This accreditation recognizes CentroNía as an after school provider that successfully implements high performance standards and delivers the highest quality services to children, youth, and families in the District of Columbia and Maryland. “The granting of national accreditation to CentroNía’s after school program means the program has grown in stature, content development and program implementation to meet the rigorous criteria of a national accrediting body. At a deeper level, in the classrooms, it serves as an inspiring and challenging call to action for serving our children, youth and families to the best of our resources and abilities. It means moving our program continuously from good to great because our families and their children deserve nothing less,” said Timothea Howard, Director of Community Engagement and Learning. CentroNía’s after school program was implemented in 1990 and currently serves 350 children. It is composed of 3 individualized programs: Studio Rocks, a multi-disciplinary before and after school program that weaves together academics, poetry, drama, music, dance, chess, fine arts, photography and technology; the Family Literacy Tutoring Program provides weekly individualized reading and math support to public school students in grades K-12th; and the Studio 64 Youth Leadership Program, which engages high school students to gain cultural sensitivity through social advocacy. Youth gain competency in multi-media technology, professional development and the fine arts, through hands-on experience in both traditional and new media. Registration is currently open to children and youth in the community. KIPP DC and CityDance Partner to Offer Dance Programming East of the River Thanks to Lindsay Kelly, Communications Manager, for this update.
KIPP DC has partnered with CityDance, a local performing arts nonprofit, to offer dance instruction to both KIPP DC students and the broader community at the new KIPP DC Community Arts Center located on Benning Road in southeast D.C.
Khala Johnson, KIPP DC’s Director of Music and Fine Arts explains, “KIPP DC has previously worked with CityDance at our Shaw campus and we have been extremely impressed with the quality of the instruction that our students receive. Dance programming has both physical and emotional benefits, and we are excited to offer classes to our students and neighbors at the Benning Road Campus.” At the KIPP DC Community Arts Center, CityDance will offer in-school, multi-disciplinary arts classes focused on theme-based movement, music, and visual arts. After-school dance training will also be offered in ballet, modern, jazz, Hip Hop, African dance, and Bollywood. The after school classes will be available not only to KIPP DC students, but also to interested students in the local community. Both CityDance and KIPP DC are committed to providing students from under-resourced communities with access to the tools and skills that promote success in school and life. KIPP DC is excited to partner with an organization that has long supported arts education programs east of the river. LAYC Receives $65,000 from DPR Construction Foundation Thanks to Araceli Curiel Rosenberger, Communications Specialist/ Grant Writer, for this update.
LAYC's Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers received $65,000 from DPR Construction Foundation for its programs at the Center for Educational Partnership in Riverdale, Maryland. Maryland Managing Director, Luisa Montero accepted the award, along with dozens of youth, from DPR Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager, Jeff Vertucci.
DPR employees also volunteer during the school year and in the summer in programs like the LAYC summer football clinic, making the LAYC-DPR relationship even stronger. "The people of DPR are our friends. Not only do they fund us, but most importantly they volunteer with us and share their expertise and enthusiasm," said Luisa Montero. This is the third year LAYC-MMYC received support from DPR. This year LAYC-MMYC received the foundation's largest grant among grant recipients country-wide. Maria Gomez, President and CEO of Mary’s Center, Named Local Hero by Washingtonian Magazine Thanks to Amy S. Bruno, MSc, Development and Communications Associate, for this update.
Maria Gomez, President and CEO of Mary’s Center, was recently recognized by the Washingtonian magazine as a local hero who continuously strives to make Washington a great place to live and work. Gomez, having received the Washingtonian of the Year award in 1994 for her commitment to supporting the most vulnerable families in the District of Columbia, has grown Mary’s Center, the nonprofit organization that she founded in 1988, from an initial budget of $250,000 serving 200 participants a year to an annual budget of $20 million with more than 24,000 participants. The Center, which started as a basement clinic in Adams Morgan, now has three sites in the District, one in Montgomery County, and a new site in Prince George’s County that opened on January 31st. “It is truly an honor to stand among all of the distinguished leaders that have been acknowledged by the Washingtonian over the last 40 years,” said Maria Gomez. “I’m committed to continue to serve our community as long as there is need.” In 2010, the Washingtonian also recognized Ms. Gomez as one of the 45 individuals who have shaped Washington between 1965 and 2010, acknowledging Mary’s Center for its role as a “critical piece of the region’s healthcare system.” Urban Alliance Interns Go Back to Work Thanks to Sean Segal, Chief of Staff, for this update.
Urban Alliance Interns got back to work in January after enjoying some time off for winter break. Urban Alliance now has 160 DC youth placed in paid-internships, matched with professional mentors. In January, the relationships between Interns and Mentors deepen and the benefits of the program begin to be demonstrated. To illustrate these benefits, Tyrone, who works at Pepco, told the following story: “One of my tasks during my time at Pepco was to start my own budget on Microsoft Excel. Doing a budget is very time consuming and I'm updating it almost every day. My mentor told me you’re going to make your own budget, and I'm thinking, 'How am I supposed to do that?' Well, he taught me all the things that are included in a budget from my total revenues, expenses, net loss, etc...” Tyrone’s Mentor explained that he wanted Tyrone to know how to budget his money for now as well as his future. After this lesson, Tyrone is now capable of maintaining his own ledger. | |||||||||||
| Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP) is a philanthropic investment organization that helps great leaders build strong, high-performing nonprofit institutions. It concentrates money, expertise, and personal contacts to improve the lives of and boost the opportunities for children and youth of low-income families in the National Capital Region and cultivates a growing donor community of high net worth families to generate funding and influence in support of these institutions and of social change. | |||||||||||
This month, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett sponsored five budget forums throughout the County to seek input from residents about Fiscal Year 2013 Operating Budget priorities. Residents were encouraged to attend the forums to provide input. 
 | » SIGN UP | » UNSUBSCRIBE | » SEARCH | |
     | ||||
| Copyright 2012© Venture Philanthropy Partners | ||||
