Fernando Lopez, MS, Ed.

School Principal

ASPIRA Eugenio Maria de Hostos

Youth Leadership Charter School

ASPIRA of Florida, Inc.

January 30, 2009

ASPIRA

An Introduction to a New Partnership between ASPIRA of Florida, Inc. and its Programs and

Urban Bird Gardens

What is ASPIRA?Who Do We Serve, Where, & How?

Client DemographicsWhere We Provide Services

ProgramsASPIRA Charter Schools

ASPIRA EM de Hostos Charter SchoolPoints of Interest

Connections / Interests with Urban Bird Gardens

Overview

Who is ASPIRA?The ONLY national Hispanic

organization dedicated EXCLUSIVELY to developing the EDUCATIONAL and LEADERSHIP capacity of HISPANIC YOUTH. 

Since 1961, ASPIRA has been working at the grass-roots level to provide programs that encourage Hispanic students to stay in school, prepare them to succeed in the educational arena, develop their leadership skills, and to serve their community.

Youth leadership development ASPIRA has over 45 years of experience in implementing youth

leadership development programs in inner cities.  Virtually every second generation Hispanic leader, in the Northeast, Chicagoland, Southeast and Puerto Rico, has been an Aspirante.

International outreach ASPIRA programs are used in over 10,000 organizations

operating telecenters in North America, Central America, South America, Africa, the Caribbean and Spain through several international cooperative agreements.

Extensive experience in the implementation of programs for youth  ASPIRA serves over 85,000 students and parents directly each

year through its Associate Offices and extensive on-line programs.

Who is ASPIRA?

Proven track record with the Hispanic population Our record demonstrates forty-four years of experience in working

with students and parents.  In each of our offices, we have at least 35 years of service to the communities.

Extensive capabilities in information technology ASPIRA manages over 20 web sites, provides web hosting for its

affiliates and other community based organizations (CBOs), manages e-mail services, the organization extranet, the national online MIS system, operate or provides support to over 150 community technology centers, and provides networking engineering and security services and IT technical assistance and training.

Inclusive organization  ASPIRA reaches out to the local community to provide programs and

services to any youth and their families who wish to participate.  ASPIRA services non-Hispanic Caribbeans, African American, and non-Hispanic Whites, as well.

Who is ASPIRA?

Rated as one of the top ten charities in the nation As reported by Money Magazine, the American

Institute of Philanthropy rated ASPIRA an A+ organization, based not only on our compliance with programmatic standards, but also on program spending, fund-raising efficiency and size of reserves.

Rated by Hispanic Business magazine in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 as one of the largest Hispanic nonprofit organizations in the U.S.  Based on its shared mission and governance structure,

budget size, human and technical resources the ASPIRA Association has been rated as one of the three largest Hispanic community based organizations in the country.

Who is ASPIRA?

Clients Demographics:ASPIRA is a very diverse and inclusive organization working

with substantial numbers of Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Dominicans, Central Americans, South Americans, and Cubans, as well as with African Americans, non-Hispanic whites, and Haitians, among others.

Gender: From the perspective of gender distribution, our student

population is distributed as 65% females and 35% males. Clients age distribution:

ASPIRA serves youth and adults. Age of youth served by ASPIRA varies by state depending on their programs, but in general we serve pre-school students (4 years old) to high school students. The adult population serve is primarily composed of student's parents, on the average from 25 to 55 years old.

Who We Serve

ASPIRA locations: ASPIRA Associates offices are located in the following

states: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico. The National office is located in Washington, DC and delivers services to residents in the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland.

Global virtual outreach: Internationally our resources are used by organizations

and individuals in North America (Canada and Mexico), in Europe (mainly Spain and the United Kingdom), in Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Nicaragua), in the Caribbean (Cuba and Dominican Republic), in South America (Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia), and in Asia (China and India).

http://www.aspira.org

Where We Serve

Youth Development:    Youth Leadership Development    ASPIRA Clubs   

Dropout Prevention:    Academic Tutoring Mentoring Truancy Prevention  Gang Prevention    Conflict Resolution    Parental Engagement – ASPIRA Parents for

Educational Excellence (APEX)

Our Programs

Cultural Awareness

Career Selection and Pre-College Programs    Academic Advisement / Planning    Math and Science Academy    Reading Institute    SAT / ACT Preparation   Health Careers Program    College Visits    College Application and Admission Support    Scholarships Application Support  

Our Programs

Information Technology    Community Technology Centers    On-line technology literacy programs    Teachers information technology programs      

Health and Safety Programs    Traffic Safety    HIV Prevention   Teen Pregnancy Prevention    Drugs and Alcohol Prevention

Our Programs

Community Wealth Development    Financial Education    Entrepreneurship    Homeownership Education    Insurance Literacy    Investments    Vehicle Financing

Academic Development    Charter Schools (Middle & High Schools) Post-Secondary Schools (Technical Schools &

Colleges)  Illinois – Technical SchoolPuerto Rico - College

Adult Education    Family Literacy 

Our Programs

EM de Hostos Charter SchoolThe ASPIRA Eugenio

Maria de Hostos Youth Leadership Charter School serves over 400 students, sixth to eighth graders whose parents have chosen to leave the traditional environment for a smaller teacher-student ratio environment.

EM de Hostos Charter School ASPIRA Eugenio Maria de

Hostos Charter School is located in the Wynwood Art and Design District community within the City of Miami;

ASPIRA E.M. de Hostos Charter School has been in existence since the 2001-2002 academic school year;

The majority of the student population is first or second generation immigrants and represents many Central and South American countries as well as islands of the Caribbean;

Each of our school based leaders has had success improving student achievement;

EM de Hostos Charter School Average attendance rate for

students is 96% in comparison to the district’s 92% and is comparable to the state average of 96%;

The school's environment provides clear guidelines for a safe, orderly, and discipline school climate to ensure continuous educational achievement;

Graduation rate into the high school is at 98% (well above the district and state rate);

The ethnically and culturally diverse community surrounding the school provides a myriad of opportunities to positively impact students and the community;

EM de Hostos Charter SchoolSpecial Programs:

The school offers several specialized programs such as:• SPED program, 

• ELL program, • An advanced academics academy (A LIFETIME), • Gifted program, • School-To-Career curriculum, • Award winning art program• Spanish and German language programs.

Connections/Interests- Urban Bird Gardens & ASPIRA of

Florida, Inc.Connection:

Specific need for High Interest Informal Science EducationState Assessment

Data identifies low performance in Science across the State of Florida

Science is identified as the lowest scoring subject in state assessments

Connections/Interests- Urban Bird Gardens & ASPIRA of

Florida, Inc.Specifics:

26% of Students performed at a Proficiency Level in Science in 2008

Drop of 1% from the 2007 year with 27% Proficiency in Science

Connections/Interests- Urban Bird Gardens & ASPIRA of

Florida, Inc.Interests:

Partnerships between ASPIRA and UBG scientists that answer real-world questions will heighten interest for students.

Community Projects can offer a sense of community involvement between parents, students, teachers, & other community members

Our Other ConnectionThe Pitirre is the symbol of ASPIRA.

A small tropical bird found in Puerto Rico, the pitirre is known for its a gility, rapid flight and for its ability to outsmart, tire and defeat much larger birds. ASPIRA believes that the pitirre is a fitting symbol for young Latinos. ASPIRANTES gain the confidence of the pitirre by acquiring knowledge and developing their leadership skills. They can face and overcome seemingly overwhelming odds to become productive adults, returning to their communities the benefits of their skills and leadership abilities. The symbol of the pitirre reinforces ASPIRA’s belief that even the smallest and seemingly powerless can take control of their lives and cause change.