MESSAGE
SOLID STEPS TO THE FUTURE
Eduardo Págan
Eduardo Carrera
Olga Ramos
The political, economic and social landscape in Puerto Rico has brought challenges for all sectors of the island. We, at Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico have felt the impact directly and indirectly. However, this has not made any difference for our mission and the commitment we have with our children, young people and their families. We remain convinced that child poverty deserves attention and can be eradicated.
Even after 52 years in Puerto Rico, it wasn’t until seven years ago that we began to understand what it means to live under these conditions and how the work we used to do had to evolve according to the need in order to change that reality. Today, we can share that during the past year, we have consolidated the foundations of our organization and equipped it with the necessary tools for the complex, yet achievable, operation to eradicate multigenerational poverty.
For example, during this period, we launched Vimenti by Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico, our first project directly aimed at reducing generational poverty through three programmatic areas: educational, social and economic. During its first year, this four-year demonstration project managed to reduce unemployment for participating families from a 42% to 16%. Although we still have work to do, we have taken the steps to demonstrate that providing economic security to the populations we serve is in fact tangible.
With the same urgency and strategy, we have been changing the programming of our service centers. A conversation we had at the beginning of 2019 with around twenty college level participants gave us light and direction to lead this process. This helped us understand the needs within our previous programming in order to bring them and their families, closer to their aspirations. This year we are ready to launch our new programmatic strategy, where our participants will have a top notch experience, keeping their voice at the center of our operation.
We count on you, because this year we also confirmed that the establishment and maintenance of alliances with various sectors is crucial to the eradication of poverty in order to meet the aspirations of disadvantaged communities. After all, poverty is a cost on Puerto Rico and all of us, but mainly affects the younger generations of all sectors who need hope for a better present and an even better future.
We work to
Eradicate Poverty
WHO WE ARE
MISSION
PROMISE OF SERVICE
Youth Development Model (YDM)
OFFER
OUR PROGRAMS
This is box title Our programmatic offer is focused on a “two-generation approach”, which creates opportunities and addresses the needs of children and adults in their lives together, enabling them to break the generational cycle of poverty. *
Academic Support
Post-secondary Support
Innovation and Technology
Health & Wellness
Family Integration
Social Responsibility
Personal Development
Employability
Entrepreneurship
IMPACT
WHY INVEST ON US?
9 out of 10 participants live below the poverty line
Living in poverty is defined as growing up in families with insufficient resources for
basic needs, such as: housing, food, health, education, transportation
and access to opportunities.
EVENTS
Advocacy Day
Leaders and participants from our Clubs visit the Capitol of Puerto Rico serving as a voice for the more than 12,000 children, young people and their families who have attended our Clubs. There they share with the senators and representatives the impact results of the organization and the critical need for public investment in the development of children and youth.
Youth Leadership Summit
Exposes participants to experiences that strengthen their leadership and service skills through our Keystone Clubs. Participants develop their own community projects focused on improving their surroundings and present these to the rest of the Clubs. This year the first place went to the project created at the Luis Llorens Torres Residential Club and the second place to the project created at the Isabela Club.
Youth of the Year
Ángel Hildebrand of the Las Margaritas Residential Club in Santurce was selected as the Youth of the Year 2019.This award is the most important recognition that the participants of the organization can receive. It recognizes the academic excellence and leadership of youth noted for their contribution to their family, community and Club, as well as the personal challenges and obstacles they have faced.
FINANCES
DONATIONS & INVESTMENT
DONATIONS = $14,604,532
INVESTMENT = $14,596,532
