Coalition Members

American GI Forum of the United States

Since 1961 ASPIRA has pursued its mission of empowering the Latino community through the education and leadership development of its youth.  With community-based offices in cities in six states and Puerto Rico, and a combined budget of over $54 million per year, ASPIRA's 1,400 full-time staff work with over 85,000 youth and their families each year to develop the potential of young Latinos, so they will become educated, committed leaders.  Since its inception ASPIRA has been a youth-focused and youth-driven organization.  Young Latinos are fully represented in every aspect of ASPIRA's governance, decision making and programs.

For over four decades, the core of ASPIRA has been the ASPIRA Leadership Clubs in schools.  In the clubs, and following the "ASPIRA Process," students themselves drive their educational and leadership development.  ASPIRA also operates a host of after-school programs for youth, including guidance-counseling, mentoring, tutoring, academic enrichment, college-prep and parental engagement and community education programs.  Ranked as one of the largest Latino organizations in the United States, ASPIRA has more recently engaged in the operation of middle and high-school level charter schools across the country, and is considered a leader in providing access to technology and technology training to Latino communities nationwide.  Over 95% of Aspirantes complete high school and over 90% enter college.

ASPIRA is recognized as a leader in advocating for a better education of Latinos.  With the 1074 ASPIRA Consent Decree in New York City, the second most important court decision in the United States related to bilingual education, ASPIRA has contributed to transforming the education of Latinos in the largest school district in the country.

Since its founding, ASPIRA has provided over a quarter of a million youth with the personal resources they need to remain in school, go on to college, and contribute to their community.  Most mainland Puerto Ricans leaders today in government and the corporate sector were encouraged by ASPIRA during their adolescence.

As the premier national Hispanic educational organization, CHCI has created a pipeline for Latino youth from high school through college, graduate school, and on to the workforce.  CHCI's educational programs, services, and activities have an extremely successful record of developing effective Hispanic leaders.  Since the Hispanic community is the fastest growing and youngest segment of the U.S. population, CHCI firmly believes it is vitally important that Hispanic youth are provided with the tools necessary to compete in today's rapidly changing environment.

Historically, LULAC has focused heavily on education, civil rights, and employment for Hispanics. LULAC councils provide more than half a million dollars in scholarships to Hispanic students each year, conduct citizenship and voter registration drives, develop low income housing units, conduct youth leadership training programs, and seek to empower the Hispanic community at the local, state and national level.

In addition, the LULAC National Educational Service Centers, LULAC's educational arm, provides counseling services to more than 18,000 Hispanic students per year at sixteen regional centers. SER Jobs for Progress, LULAC's employment arm, provides job skills and literacy training to the Hispanic community through more than forty-eight employment training centers located throughout the United States. The LULAC Corporate Alliance, an advisory board of Fortune 500 companies, fosters stronger partnerships between Corporate America and the Hispanic community.

MANA, A National Latina Organization

MANA, founded in 1974 by Mexican American women who determined to ensure there was a voice for Latinas, organized the first nonprofit national Hispanic women's organization in the country.  Twenty years later MANA members recognized the need to be more inclusive and changed the organization's name to become the first pan-Latina organization dedicated to advancing the status of women of Hispanic descent.

MANA promotes leadership skills among Hispanic women through two key programs: The AvanZamos® Program, whose focus to develop leadership skills of adult Latinas, advocate for public policies that benefit Latinas and their families, improve opportunities, further parity for Hispanics in the public, corporate and non-profit sectors, and recognize at Las Primeras®, Latinas who have been the first to succeed with excellence in their field.  The Hermanitas® Program, which is the only national mentoring program for yount Latinas ages 11 though 18, strives to build leadership skills through tested and validated training programs lead by trained Madrinas® who tutor, encourage, educate and show the vast opportunities and doors open to the girls in the program.  Hermanitas have been more successful in doing better in school, rejecting alcohol and drugs, learning about and avoiding teen pregnancy and going on to college.  MANA believes that if you educate a woman, educate a family, and if you educate a family, you build community.  MANA members are dedicated volunteers who seek to not only improve themselves but to make sure the next generation has better opportunities.