The ASPIRA Story: from Small Local Counseling Agency to an International Network

The ASPIRA Association, a 501(C)(3) organization, is 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. It is organized in eight states and Puerto Rico and has extensive national presence through its partnerships with hundreds of regional, state and local education CBOs. It currently serves over 85,000 students each year through its ASPIRA Clubs in schools and its after-school education and guidance programs.  ASPIRA is a very diverse organization working with substantial numbers of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Central Americans, Mexicans, and Cubans, as well as with African Americans, non-Hispanic whites, and Haitians, among others.

The ASPIRA Association is a confederation of ASPIRA statewide organizations, which provide various educational, enrichment and support services to Latino youth and their families in schools, community centers and ASPIRA Clubs.  ASPIRA Associates develop partnerships with schools, community organizations, businesses, community leaders and parents to provide comprehensive programs to advance the leadership capabilities and educational achievement of Hispanic and other youth. Today, ASPIRA has over 450,000 alumni.  Virtually every Puerto Rican leader, both nationally and locally, has been an Aspirante.  ASPIRA is in a unique position and particularly suited to advance this project for the following reasons:

·         National scope. One of the advantages of the ASPIRA Association is its widespread reach, with its offices in seven states and Puerto Rico.  At these locations ASPIRA maintains its long-standing relationship with the community. In addition, ASPIRA has hundreds of partners nationally through which it has delivered ASPIRA-originated programming.

·         Youth leadership development. Aspira has over 45 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 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.

·         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.

·         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 [3] Hispanic Business magazine in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 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.

·         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 Puerto Rican, African American, and non-Hispanic Whites, as well.

 Youth Participation in Governance and Planning – The ASPIRA Association is unique in its governance structure. No other youth organization in the country has the level of youth representation in governance that ASPIRA has. 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 there are 7 voting members of the National Board of Directors who are youth under the age of 25 (stated in the by-laws), which is 40% of the National Board.  The National Board has a Committee on Student Affairs as a Standing Committee of the Board, which is composed of the young people on the National Board. The Committee chair sits on the Executive Committee. In fact ASPIRA has two youth members on the Executive committee (of 7 total).  ASPIRA was incorporated in New York. The New York State legislature passed a law exempting ASPIRA specifically, from the requirement that board members be 21 or over. Currently, ASPIRA, by special legislation, can have board members who are 16 and over.

The ASPIRA Process and ASPIRA's Success - Over the years, ASPIRA has developed a highly successful model for intervention called the “ASPIRA Process."  This process teaches young people to become aware of their own situation and that of their community, to analyze the root causes of barriers to their success, and to take action for positive changes in their personal lives and the life of their community, all within the context of reinforcing pride in their cultural background as well as their self-esteem. Because of this process and the services ASPIRA offers, more than 95% of Aspirantes (ASPIRA’s students) complete high school, and over 90% go on to college. Moreover, almost every Latino leader in politics, business and education in the cities ASPIRA serves has been an Aspirantes. A more recent example of ASPIRA’s success is that ASPIRA was credited by the Superintendent of Bridgeport, CT public schools of cutting the Latino drop-out rate that city by half. Among many others, ASPIRA has also been recognized nationally by the U.S. Department of Education for its mathematics and science academy (MAS) and for its parent involvement program (APEX), as well as by the President's Initiative on Race, which designated ASPIRA as an "Exemplary Program."

Drop Out Prevention, Increased College-Going, an alternative to Gangs and Violence in Schools and a Commitment to Service

ASPIRA's Youth Development and Youth Leadership program has proven a highly effective national model for ensuring that students remain in school enhance their academic achievement, go on to college, pursue a career and engage in service.  It has been the alternative in schools with high concentrations of poor Latino students in the inner cities ASPIRA serves, to gangs and violence.  Through community service, each year thousands of hours are dedicated by ASPIRANTES to serving as tutors and mentors to younger children in their communities.  As indicated, an overwhelming majority of ASPIRA Club members (currently over 15,000 nationally) all of whom participate in the program finish high school and go on to college.

The impact of ASPIRA’s youth leadership program is best exemplified by the number of Latino leaders in the states served by ASPIRA who are today leaders in their communities. In fact, almost every Latino leader in these states has been an ASPIRANTE, and many leaders across the country were ASPIRA Club members in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Including politicians, college presidents and a host of professionals.

The ASPIRA Association promotes the empowerment of the Puerto Rican and Latino community by developing and nurturing the leadership, intellectual, and cultural potential of its youth so that they may contribute their skills and dedication to the fullest development of the Puerto Rican and Latino community everywhere.
Based on this vision, the ASPIRA Association has defined its mission as follows:

To empower the Puerto Rican and Latino community through advocacy and the education and leadership development of its youth.
 

Clients Demographics

• National origin of our client base: 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 Native Americans, 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.

Where do we provide our services?

• 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.
• National scope: One of the advantages of the ASPIRA Association is its widespread reach, with its offices in seven states and Puerto Rico. At these locations ASPIRA maintains its long-standing relationship with the community. In addition, ASPIRA has hundreds of partners nationally through which it has delivered ASPIRA-originated programming.
• Global virtual outreach: ASPIRA programs and resources are used domestically by thousands of individuals daily in the USA through our robust web page www.aspira.org [7]. 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).
• International cooperative agreements: ASPIRA programs and online resources are used over 10,000 organizations operating telecenters in North America, Central America, South America, Africa, the Caribbean and Spain through several international cooperative agreements.

In 1961, Dr. Antonia Pantoja and a group of Puerto Rican educators and professionals created ASPIRA (which means aspire in Spanish), to address the exceedingly high drop-out rate and low educational attainment of Puerto Rican youth. They were convinced that the only way to free the Puerto Rican community from poverty and to promote its full development, was by focusing on the education of young people, and developing their leadership potential, self esteem and pride in their cultural heritage. This was the best way, they believed, of ensuring that youth would become not only productive members of society, but leaders the development of their own community. ASPIRA conveyed in its name the expectation that Puerto Rican youth could succeed if they dared to aspire.

After extensive research on youth, ASPIRA founders developed a process for leadership development that remains the core of all ASPIRA activities: The ASPIRA Process. Since its formation over 47 years ago, ASPIRA has grown from a small nonprofit agency in New York City to a national association with statewide Associate organizations in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico, with its National Officer in Washington, D.C. In the last three decades, ASPIRA has become an inclusive organization. While still mainly a Puerto Rican organization, it now reaches out to include all Latinos and a significant group of non-Latinos throughout the United States.

Presently, ASPIRA serves over 85,000 students each year in over 400 schools, through its core activity, the ASPIRA Clubs. ASPIRA provides leadership training, career and college counseling, financial aid, scholarship assistance, educational advocacy, cultural activities, and most importantly, continuing opportunities to implement community action projects. Throughout its existence, ASPIRA’s commitment to its initial mission of leadership development has remained unchanged. All programs still aim to help Latin• youth develop their intellectual and leadership potential so that they can achieve educational excellence and make a long-term contribution to improving their own lives and that of their community.

Dra. Antonia Pantoja was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1922 and studied at the University of Puerto Rico where she obtained a Normal School Diploma in 1942. Upon graduating from the University of Puerto Rico, she worked as a schoolteacher for two years in Puerto Rico where she cultivated a profound interest in education and addressing the needs of disadvantaged children. She arrived in New York City in November 1944 where she got a job as a welder in a factory making lamps for children. During these years which involved long hours of hard work, Dra. Pantoja was awakened to the harsh experience of racism and discrimination against Puerto Ricans and how this community lacked the knowledge and political power to overcome these and other challenges in the United States. She became an activist in the factory, providing information to other workers about their rights and how to organize a union. These were the most formative years of her life. But within a few years, the women who welded pieces of filament for submarine radios would rise to weld together a fragmented community, a community much in need of leadership and vision.

After great personal initiative that included doing extensive research on academic scholarships, Dra. Pantoja received a scholarship from Hunter College, City University of New York, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1952. She went on to acquire a Master of Social Work in 1954 and was bestowed a Ph.D. from the Union Graduate School, Union on Experimenting Colleges and Universities in Yellow Springs, Ohio in 1973.

Her most profound contribution to the Puerto Rican community in the United States began in 1958 when she joined a group of young professionals in creating the Puerto Rican Forum, Inc. which paved the way for the establishment of ASPIRA in 1961. ASPIRA was Dra. Pantoja's dream, but it was not the only organization she help build for the Puerto Rican community. In fact, as early as 1953, Dra. Pantoja, then a graduate student at Columbia University, joined a group of students and created the Hispanic Youth Adult Association which later became the Puerto Rican Association for Community Affairs (PRACA). In 1970 she wrote a proposal and secured funds to establish the Universidad Boricua and the Puerto Rican Research and Resource Center in Washington, DC and in 1973 became its Chancellor. For health reasons, Dra. Pantoja moved to California in 1978 to become an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work, San Diego State University. There, in collaboration with another successful educator, she founded the Graduate School for Community Development in San Diego, an institution that served communities and neighborhoods throughout the nation. She became the President of this organization, devoted to imparting people with knowledge and skills necessary for problem-solving and restoring their communities. She was involved in a variety of community and professional organizations, all working toward the goal of building stronger Puerto Rican and minority communities, including the Ford Foundation, the National Urban Coalition, the Museo del Barrio, the National Association of Social Workers, the Council on Social Work Education and several other groups and organizations.

Dr. Antonia Pantoja talks about her history and vision.

Her most notable contribution-the creation of ASPIRA- in 1961 was the result of considerable hard work and collaboration with educators and social work professionals who shared her concern" with the high dropout rate of Puerto Rican youth in New York City during the ‘50s and ‘60s. The organization flourished into a major national organization dedicated to empowering communities and especially Puerto Rican youth to have a say in and control of their future.

Dr. Pantoja's work has not gone unnoticed. Virginia Sánchez-Korrol, Professor of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies at Brooklyn College and Co-Editor of the forthcoming Latinas in the United States: An Historical Encyclopedia, has called her "one of the foremost figures in community activism from the 1950's to the present." In 1996, Dr. Pantoja received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor bestowed upon civilians by the United States government. She became one of only four Puerto Rican recipients of the award, which has also been presented to Governors Luis Muñoz Marín and Luis Ferré, as well as Sr. Isolina Ferré.

"One cannot live a lukewarm life," Dr. Pantoja has said. "You have to live life with passion." After nearly sixty years as an educator and activist, she continues to display that passion and vigor. In 1999, she interrupted work on her memoirs to return to New York City and lend her assistance to a new initiative. Alarmed by reports of threats to the city's bilingual education system - a system which she was instrumental in initiating - she worked to raise awareness about the value of nurturing students to be proficient in multiple languages.

In 2000 she appeared on a panel discussion on "Latinas Making History" at a hotel in midtown Manhattan. A small woman with a powerful voice and no-nonsense attitude, she wears a poker face that breaks periodically into a beaming smile. "I am for the fact that our children must learn English for their livelihood, and because they should know that other language of the place where they live," she explained. However, she described the "total immersion" of Spanish-speaking students in an English-only environment, as "a stupid, stupid thing," "If we already bilingual," she asked, "why should our children lose their language and only speak one language, English?"

Unapologetic for her forceful opinion, she added, "Sometimes people think that you should't express yourself directly and say what you're thinking, but you have to. You have to be open and direct and say what you mean. Call things by their name." This was Antonia Pantoja. She left us on May 24th., 2002.

More information about her biography available here [11].

The Youth Leadership Development Program (LPD) is the core program of ASPIRA. Through school-based leadership ASPIRA Clubs, students learn the 'ASPIRA Process" of awareness, analysis, and action. The program provides leadership training, cultural enrichment activities, and community action projects that teach students how to develop their abilities to become effective leaders of their communities. Through ASPIRA Clubs, youth are challenged by giving them opportunities for self-direction and self-determination so that they can stretch to their full potential. As a result, Aspirantes learn to sustain their own motivation and direction helping them to create order, meaning, and direction in of their lives and to contribute their leadership skills to their communities.

Each club is represented at the ASPIRA Clubs Federation (ACF), an assembly that convenes twice every month to discuss action-oriented activities for all clubs in each state.

ASPIRA’s believes that youth are key to the socio-economic development of their communities. We aim is to prepare youth to become future leaders by focusing on positive youth development. We work to instill in youth the desire to achieve their goals, further their education, and use their skills and knowledge to make positive and lasting contributions to their communities. Youth that participate in ASPIRA’s programs are called Aspirantes. ASPIRA wants all our youth to return to their communities as leaders and fulfill our motto: Once an Aspirante, always an Aspirante.

Dr. Antonia Pantoja, ASPRA's founder, indicated that all those individuals "touched" by ASPIRA are considered ASPIRANTES. For us, ASPIRA is something more than just an after school club. ASPIRA is a family. All ASPIRANTES are members of the ASPIRA family.

An ASPIRANTE is someone who comes to ASPIRA not by force, but one who chooses to come. An ASPIRANTE is someone who chooses not to do drugs, and uses that motive in a way to help others to make the same decision. An ASPIRANTE is someone who chooses to help their community, not for the community service hours required for graduation, but instead for the joy of helping others. An ASPIRANTE is someone who comes to ASPIRA not to be with friends, but rather to be with family. An ASPIRANTE is someone who is not limited by the education he or she receives, but instead uses that knowledge he or she is given and seeks ways to gain more. An ASPIRANTE is someone who does not dwell in the past, but instead looks to the future, and sees how they will be a success in life. An ASPIRANTE is someone who appreciates their culture and knows that where they came from is just as important as where they are going. An ASPIRANTE is a model community member devoted to its development. Being an ASPIRANTE is a life-long commitment. This life-long commitment is reflected on their motto:

ONCE AN ASPIRANTE, ALWAYS AN ASPIRANTE!

Among the ASPIRA prominent Aspirantes are:

• Fernando Ferrer, former Bronx president, who ran for NYC Mayor in 2001 and 2005 unsuccessfully;
• Angelo Falcón, prominent political scientist and President of the National Institute for Latino Policy (formerly the Institute for Puerto Rican Policy);
• Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union;
• Ninfa Segarra, former President of the Board of Education of New York, former Deputy Mayor under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and she is currently a lobbyist with Toñio Burgos & Associates and former President of the National Puerto Rican Coalition in Washington, DC;
• Aida Alvarez, former director of the Small Business Administration under President Bill Clinton;
• Nelson A. Diaz, first Puerto Rican Solicitor General in Philadelphia;
• Jimmy Smits, Puerto Rican actor.
• Luis Guzmán, character actor
• Dr. Isaura Santiago Santiago (Ph.D., Fordham University), first tenured Puerto Rican woman at Columbia University and first Puerto Rican woman president of Hostos Community College of the City University of New York
• Digna Sanchez, who led such organizations as the Puerto Rican Socialist Party (PSP), MADRE and Learning Leaders in New York City; she also worked at the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund, the United Way of New York City, and the Children's Television Workshop.
• Dr. Jaime "Gus" Rivera, Director of Public Health, State of Delaware
• Hon. Iris Martinez, Senator, State of illinois, first Latina in the state Senate
• Hon. Angel Cruz, Pennsylvania State Representative, first Puertorrican state legislator
• Hon. Billy Ocasio, former City of Chicago Alderman

Through this ceremony, the leaders of the Aspira movement take an oath of commitment to work for the achievement of Aspira's goals no matter what hard work and sacrifices it will require of them.

The idea of incorporating the Areyto ceremony is taken from the Taino Indian ceremony where the leaders sang of the great deeds of their people. The Areytos were religious ceremonies that involved the entire Taino community and neighboring communities as well. Areytos were held in the main plazas at important times. Areytos were long celebrations that included ritual feasting, singing, and dancing. At Aspira, the Areyto ceremony has been developed by each generation of Aspirante leaders into today and it is already one of our traditions. The Aspira Clubs Federation (A.C.F.) membership committee and Aspira Board of Directors are responsible for planning and conducting it.  The ideology behind the use of Taino symbols, language and rituals is to provide our youth with a sense of belonging to something ancestral, to understand our cultural and historic roots from which they will develop their own direction.  These are the symbols and ideology of a brotherhood of service.

The ceremony is held to initiate each club. The president of the club presents a request to the ACF Nitaynos (club officers) to initiate his/her club consisting of (number) of members. The president of the A.C.F. then initiates the club by hearing their oath all together.  The Executive Director of the associate and the ACF President presents to each member their membership credentials (certificates, ID’s, pins or shirts as applicable).

This ceremony is festive, rather than solemn. A prominent political official or community leader is usually invited as a speaker. There are often short speeches that state the priorities and objectives for the next year, mark the strength existing in the group and request everyone’s efforts in accomplishing the goals of the coming year. The group should, emerge ready to act, impressed with their strength and motivated to face their challenges. At the end of the ceremony all initiated clubs members stand and receive the acceptance from the president and are accepted into the brotherhood. 

The Areyto is a private ceremony in which the leaders of the Aspira movement are initiated every year. The participants are reminded that the oath is the oath of a lifelong brotherhood.  They take an oath of commitment to work for the achievement of the objectives of the movement no matter what hard work and sacrifices it will require of them. The oath is taken by candlelight or torches, with drums and maracas sounds in the background.  The Oath spoken first in Spanish followed by English (in the US mainland) to give the added importance and cultural connect ness to both the oath and the culture.

The ASPIRA Leadership Development curriculum places a high priority on the use of a student-centered, participatory project-oriented model. From its inception, the advice and recommendations of its participants have played a critical role in the development and creation of ASPIRA programs and activities. Students in ASPIRA’s Leadership Development Program engage in what we call the ASPIRA Process. ASPIRA uses a club structure as a means for carrying out this process. It involves three concepts: Awareness, Analysis and Action.

• AWARENESS: WHAT DO I KNOW? Awareness is the process of verbalizing or otherwise expressing already held knowledge on a subject matter. Thereby validating and investigating personal perception and awareness - in other words, the development of self-value and value of others.
• ANALYSIS: WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? Through an inquiry based process for getting, sharing and digesting information, participants engage in group work and critical thinking. In doing so, students expand their knowledge of themselves, and of others. Specific emphasis is placed on the analysis on culture, race, gender, ethnic background, and history.
• ACTION: MAKING IT HAPPEN. Action is the process of putting the knowledge and skills one has acquired to use for the benefit of oneself, one's family and one’s community. Through involvement in community service projects developed by the leadership clubs and through participation in the citywide ASPIRA Clubs Federation, each participant will have opportunities to assume leadership responsibilities and to work cooperatively with a small group to achieve common goals.

By regularly engaging in the ASPIRA Process, Aspirantes develop the skills and the managerial habits that allow them to create, implement, and evaluate action plans at the municipal, community, and/or school level. Aspirantes understand that through the ASPIRA Process—which is essentially a Hegelian dialectic between theory and practice—they develop themselves as community leaders and agents of change.

At first, students may have to make a conscious effort to become aware, analyze and act. Later, as they mature, gain experience, knowledge and skills, they begin to automatically apply the process throughout their lives. By helping youth to establish pride in their background and their own individuality, they are able to realize individual potential within the context of the more complex, larger society. The clubs serves as a vehicle for the development of democratic principles and a commitment to those principles. The youth development curriculum used for the clubs also fosters a climate of caring for others. It provides an opportunity for students to learn to take responsibility for themselves and to develop a sense of autonomy and self-esteem. It develops motivation and a desire in each participant to change his or her life. The exercise of responsibility propels self-development within the context of community development. Increasing the number of youth who are self-directed, goal-oriented and committed to community development is the first step in ensuring that we better our community.

In implementing our mission, ASPIRA has designed or adopted and implemented an inter-related matrix of informal education programs geared towards developing our communities’ human resource capital.  These programs can be classified based on their role as follows:

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)

Cultural Awareness

Career Selection and Pre-College Programs   

• Academic Advisement / Planning   
• Math and Science Academy   
• Reading Instituteo   
• SAT / ACT Preparation  
• Health Careers Program   
• College Visits   
• College Application and Admission Support   
• Scholarships Application Support  

 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

Financial Education Institute  

• Financial Education   
• Entrepreneurship   
• Homeownership Education   
• Insurance Literacy   
• Investments   
• Vehicle Financing

For more information about this programs visit this web site sections on “Programs”, “Resources” and ASPIRA’s Associates web pages.

During the past 47 years Aspira has provided the Puerto Rican and Latino community in the USA mainland and Puerto Rico with informal and formal educational activities delivering a significant number of programs recognized by their excellence and impact. During the first three decades of institutional history Aspira excelled as an advocate for quality education for Latinos; youth leadership development, in the delivery of informal education programs and in designing and delivery intervention strategies designed to lower the dropout rate of Latino students. A significant transformation of our structure and function evolved during the past fifteen years. We evolved from providing solely informal education and intervention programs to a provider of formal education programs in addition to informal educational and intervention services.

For decades we were challenging the educational systems requesting better and more services to the Latino communities we served and to become a formal educational services organization which operates schools and other formal education services. Approximately ten years ago ASPIRA associates taking advantage of opportunities offered through the school reform process were approached by school districts to operate alternative schools. As the reform process continued, our Associates proposed the implementation of charter schools with the purpose of demonstrating how schools should be operated to provide quality education for Latinos in inner cities.

Currently the ASPIRA associates are operating seven (7) charter schools, three alternative school, one recently approve charter in Delaware will become operational on September, 2010, one (1) pre-school program, one (1) post-secondary education institution, two (2) GED programs and potentially there are plans for the next two years to double the number of formal educational institutions operated by the Association members. Currently the formal education institutions operated by ASPIRA associates are as follows:

Charter Schools:

Aspira of Illinois: Mirta Ramirez Computer Science High School [18], ASPIRA Charter-Haugan Middle School [19], ASPIRA Early College [20], and the Antonia Pantoja Charter School High School [21]

Aspira of Florida: ASPIRA Eugenio Maria de Hostos Youth Leadership Charter School [22] (Miami – Middle School), ASPIRA North Youth Leadership Charter School [23] (North Miami – Middle School), Charter South Youth Leadership Charter School [24](Homestead – Middle School)

ASPIRA of Pennsylvania: Eugenio Maria de Hostos Bilingual Charter School (K-8 grades), Antonia Pantoja Bilingual Charter School (K-8 grades)

ASPIRA of Delaware:  Las Americas ASPIRA Academy [25], a K-8 bilingual Charter School recently approved by the State of Delaware will be operational by September 2011.

Alternative Schools:

ASPIRA of Puerto Rico: Proyecto CASA – Mayaguez and Proyecto CASA - Carolina

Pre-School Program: 

ASPIRA of Pennsylvania Pequeños Pasos Pre-School

Post-Secondary Educational Institutions:

Aspira de Puerto Rico: Academia Aspira

 Adult Education and General Educational Development (GED):

Antonia Pantoja Night School [26] (Florida)

Programs Aspira of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)

Aspira de Puerto Rico (Carolina)

Future Plans

 We hold a national scope. One of the advantages of the ASPIRA Association is its widespread reach, with offices in seven states and Puerto Rico. At these locations ASPIRA maintains its long-standing relationship with the community. In addition, ASPIRA has hundreds of partners nationally through which it has delivered ASPIRA-originated programming.

 ASPIRA currently serves over 85,000 students each year through our schools, ASPIRA Clubs, and after-school education and guidance programs. In the coming years, we will expand our network of 10 charter schools with the addition of four new campuses. We also hope to include a virtual high school as part of our system in the future.

Along the years, ASPIRA has needed to take legal action for protecting end ensuring access to quality education for our youth.  The following are two of the most important legal actions.

• The ASPIRA of New York Consent Decree: ASPIRA of New York, with the support of ASPIRA of America and the representation of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, filed a suit against the New York City Board of Education in 1972 that led to the ASPIRA Consent Decree. The decree, signed August 29, 1974, established the right of New York City public school students with limited English proficiency to receive bilingual education. To access a copy of the ASPIRA Consent Decree click here [28].
•   The ASPIRA of Pennsylvania Consent Decree and Order: Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (“PHRC”) representing ASPIRA of Pennsylvania, initiated a complaint against the School District of Philadelphia (“District”) on October 8, 1970, alleging that the District was unlawfully segregated by race in violation of the PHRA and filed an order enforcement petition (“Petition”) in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania (“Commonwealth Court” or “Court”), Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission v. School District of Philadelphia, No. 1056 C.D. 1973. After over 30 years of litigation the Court ordered the District to implement the Five-Year Strategic Plan entitled Imagine 2014, subject to available funding and as is consistent with law, in a manner consistent with the following “guiding principles” set forth in Imagine 2014:
  ·         Increasing achievement and closing the opportunity and achievement
  ·         gap for all students;
  ·         Ensuring the equitable allocation of all District resources;
  ·         Holding all adults accountable for student outcomes; and
  ·         Satisfying parents, students and the community

To access a copy of the ASPIRA of Pennsylvania Consent Decree and Order click here. [29]

ASPIRA currently has offices in the Latino communities of major cities in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico. Each local office operates many programs that grow out of the specific conditions of the local site but have in common the ASPIRA Process model and ASPIRA's commitment to leadership development and education.

These local offices, with ASPIRA's broader network of 5,000 community-based organizations, school districts, local and national policy makers, and corporate representatives, receive information and assistance from ASPIRA's Washington, D.C.-based National Office.

To get information about each of the ASPIRA Offices select and click on the name of the desired location.

ASPIRA National Office [31]
1444 I Street, NW Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 835-3600

Associate Offices

SO YOU WANT TO START AN ASPIRA AFFILIATE?

These are the steps you will need to take

1. In order to start an ASPIRA Affiliate, the Puerto Rican community in your area must establish a dialogue with the ASPIRA Association, Inc., and express an interest in developing the ASPIRA Process. The group should then write to the ASPIRA National Office expressing their interest.

2. The National Office will respond to the initial letter of interest by forwarding additional information on the ASPIRA Association/Process to the Puerto Rican/Latino community. Written and phone communication will further explore the continued interest of your group in establishing an ASPIRA affiliate.

3. Based on the continued interest of your group, the National Executive Director may meet with members of the Puerto Rican/Latino community to discuss the conditions and needs of the community in your area, in order to make a presentation on the ASPIRA Association/Process. The purpose of this meeting is to ascertain the group's understanding of and commitment to ASPIRA's mission and goals. The ASPIRA National Board of Directors may request additional community meetings to ensure local support for your group.

4. Once all the parties agree that the ASPIRA Process is key to fostering the socioeconomic development of the Puerto Rican community in your area, a Local Organizing Committee (LOC), sometimes called "Friends of ASPIRA", is established. This committee is composed of current and past participants in ASPIRA (called "Aspirantes", and community members interested in ASPIRA.

5. The Local Organizing Committee may initially represent a city or a specific geographic region within a state. However, the LOC will need to work with other local organizing committees within the state to ensure the formation of a statewide ASPIRA affiliate. Affiliate, and subsequent Associate status, cannot be achieved until this requirement has been met.

6. LOC's, should develop a proposal to be presented to the ASPIRA National Board of Directors, through the ASPIRA National Office, formally requesting the creation of an ASPIRA affiliate in the state.

7. The ASPIRA National Office will conduct a preliminary review of the proposal and forward it to the ASPIRA National Board of Directors. As part of the review process, the ASPIRA National Board may conduct a site visit to assess local interest and support regarding the establishment of an ASPIRA affiliate, verify information presented in the proposal, and examine any additional local factors pertinent to the proposal. The ASPIRA National Board of Directors may further invite a representative of the interested group to make a formal presentation of the group's proposal.

8. The proposal must contain drafts of bylaws and local policies which are compatible with the bylaws and Articles of Association of the ASPIRA Association, Inc. Affiliate bylaws must be approved by the National Board of Directors as a condition for affiliation. Affiliate bylaws must include wording defining the relationship between the Affiliate and National Association.

9. The proposal should also contain specific evidence of the financial base for the operation of the organization. Evidence of the financial base could be in the form of letters of intent. Said financial base should be sufficient to establish and operate a leadership development program for at least one year.

10. Upon completion of the review process, the ASPIRA National Board of Directors may accept or reject the proposal. Acceptance of the proposal would mean the designation of the groups as an Affiliate of the ASPIRA Association, Inc.

11. Upon acceptance, a statewide Board of Directors is formed, which should include representation from local organizing committees.

12.Terms of Affiliation are then signed by the Chairperson and Secretary of the National Board and the Chairperson and Secretary of the affiliate Board of Directors. This contractual agreement defines the procedures and methods for the effective establishment of an Affiliate. In signing Terms of Affiliation, the National Board of Directors grants the new local board of directors permission to:

• Draft bylaws, rules and regulations pursuant to the bylaws, rules and regulations of the ASPIRA Association, Inc.;
• Incorporate itself as an Affiliate of the ASPIRA Association, Inc.;
• Use the name “ASPIRA” and the “Pitirre” logo in its organizational activities and programs, and in printed materials and publications.

d. Have representation in the ASPIRA National Board of Directors, consisting of two (2) members, for a period of accommodation, self-development and the proper implementation of the ASPIRA Process. The status of affiliation shall be maintained for a period of no less than two (2) and no more than five (5) years. This period may be lengthened or shortened by the National Board. At the end of this period, the affiliate will be considered as a full associate of the ASPIRA Association, Inc.

12. The affiliate Board of Directors will fulfill administrative duties for the establishment of the affiliate, such as:

• Recruitment of a state Director
• Identification of facilities
• Local fundraising
• Development of programs: The state Director will be responsible for fiscal operations, further development of local chapters, quality control, and recruitment of local program directors.

13. The National Office will serve as the financial head of the affiliate until such time as the Internal Revenue Service determines that the affiliate is a nonprofit organization as defined under Section 501-c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The National Office should serve as custodian until the Affiliate is financially stable. The ASPIRA National Board of Directors may request further information at any given point during the affiliation process. Throughout the entire process, the ASPIRA Association, Inc. National Office provides technical assistance to the Local Organizing Committee(s) in effectively fulfilling the affiliation process. Specific assistance includes:

• The provision of information on the ASPIRA Association, Inc., the ASPIRA Process, and the procedures for the establishment of an ASPIRA affiliate;
• Assistance in the recruitment of Aspirantes and other interested community individuals to participate in Local Organizing Committee(s);
• Assistance in information gathering and in the preparation of a formal proposal to be presented to the ASPIRA National Board of Directors;
• Assistance in the identification of potential local funding sources;
• Provision of internal ASPIRA documents such as bylaws of the ASPIRA Association, Inc., the manual on administrative and accounting practices, etc.;
• Serving as a financial conduit for the Affiliate until the Affiliate is granted nonprofit status under Section 501-c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
• Assistance in the development of local programs;
• Provision of training materials and inclusion of local staff in ongoing staff development and training. The Local Organizing Committee will be expected to cover the costs for travel and staff time of the requested technical assistance visits from the National Office Staff, as well as travel of local staff to training sessions. The National Office will assist in fundraising to cover the cost of this technical assistance.

CRITERIA FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ASPIRA AFFILIATE. In order to establish an ASPIRA Affiliate in your area, you must live in:

1. A city, region or state with a large Puerto Rican (Latino) population, particularly a large population of Puerto Rican school-aged children.

2. An actively involved, supportive community, interested in improving the quality of life of Puerto Ricans. Community support should include:

• Community Leaders
• Political Leaders
• Teachers and principals
• Parents, students and residents
• Other community groups and service providers that relate to youth from a variety of ethnic groups

3. A strong local leadership group spearheading the effort, preferably including former Aspirantes.

4. Some individuals in the leadership group who are:

• Prepared to engage in public policy advocacy 
•  Have an understanding of the political climate of the area <br />
• Have some access to policy makers

5. An organizing group with a demonstrated capacity to raise funds, based on previous experience, who have had some preliminary conversations with funders who have indicated interest, and demonstrated commitment to fund the Affiliate (including an executive director, locale, a counselor and office expenses).

6. A match between the community's needs and the programs ASPIRA offers.

7. A demonstrated need. Some of the indicators to assess the need for ASPIRA programs include:

• Total number of children in school
• High School completion rates
• Poverty rates
• Percentage of single-parent families
• Infant mortality rates f) Teen pregnancy rates
• Comparative data on academic achievement (national and statewide)
• Dropout rates
• Drug abuse rates
• HIV/AIDS rates <
•  Disability rates among children

8. An organizing group which commits to developing a program that includes all the components of the ASPIRA Process.

9. Public policy positions and values that are consistent with those held by the ASPIRA Association. This includes:

• Support of bilingual education and programs specifically designed to enhance the educational development of Puerto Rican/Latino children;
• A developmental approach, based on the notion that every child can succeed;
• Belief in the importance of parental involvement, awareness, empowerment, respect, information sharing, inclusiveness;
• Commitment to identifying and changing obstacles to full educational attainment in school systems and processes;
• Belief in the importance of one's own culture, language and roots.

For detailed information about this application process please please contact:

Hilda Crespo
Vice President, Public Policy and Federal Relations
(202) 835-3600 ext. 114
hcrespo@aspira.org [42]