2002 Celebration
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2002 Celebration |
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Programs Centro Sor Isolina Ferré, Inc. Program Descriptions Centro Sor Isolina Ferré, Inc. Contact When Sister Isolina Ferré arrived at La Playa de Ponce in the 1960s, she discovered that the children were not getting an education. Many had never gone to school, and others only attended for half a day. The children spent the rest of the time in the streets, where they were at greater risk of becoming delinquents. Sister Isolina decided to meet with a representative from the 20 barrios that make up La Playa area to listen to the residents’ problems and needs. In 1969, Sister Isolina, along with several missionary servants of the Most Blessed Trinity and a group of community leaders, began to offer counseling to residents. They provided them with skills that would help them improve their quality of life. Today seven centers in Ponce, Guayama, and Rio Piedras, as well as an independent health center, are national examples of collaborative endeavors. Each year, 12,000 people benefit from the more than 40,000 indirect services and programs at the centers, which operate 40 programs aimed at providing education, counseling, and other services for children, adolescents, families, single mothers, runaways, school dropouts, and the unemployed. Participants learn or relearn to build their future and receive job training and job opportunities. The centers are based on the principle that when a community becomes aware of its own resources, it will come alive and provide a safe environment for the children. For this, the employ more than 200 professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors, teachers, therapists, social workers, accountants, counselors, optometrists, janitors, horticulturists, artisans, dentists, photographers, lawyers, drivers, nurses, and advocates. Club de Aventureros Contact: Club de Aventureros is an after-school education program for children ages 5–12 in Puerto Rico’s public housing communities. It is designed to develop critical thinking skills through writing and reading, as well as anger management skills through the creative expression—in the arts and culture—of the violence children see reflected in their community. The program, which is in its fourth year, is offered in 15 public housing projects in San Juan serving more than 15,000 residents. Single mothers head most of the families, and a large proportion of the population—60 percent—is under age 18. Unemployment is approximately 75 percent of the total job-seeking population, and poverty is a very real factor in everyday life. Program participants meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions focusing on personal development, health care and cognitive development; they also participate in sports, recreation and cultural activities. Story sessions allow children to hear stories and reflect on their meaning; audiovisual sessions allow children to view and educational movies; and an array of art and craft sessions can develop their motor skills and express their creativity. A social worker oversees the program in each community, and volunteers from the community make up the rest of the staff. In most of the public housing communities, violence and social marginalization are engrained in daily life. The program’s long-term goal is to prepare children to avoid high-risk behaviors and resist negative peer pressure in their teen years. The club provides participants and their parents a sense of belonging and a safe place to share their thoughts and observations about their lives. Values and good behavior are required for children to remain in the club, stimulating an atmosphere of cooperation, solidarity and mutual respect. In addition, the program reinforces children’s Latino identity, celebrating Latin customs and Puerto Rican traditions, culture and habits. Estancia Corazón, Inc. Contact Estancia Corazón is a nonprofit organization that provides assistance and special services to children and adults in need, primarily those afflicted by HIV/AIDS. The program is committed to join efforts, maximize resources, and intervene directly to prevent human suffering due to HIV/AIDS, transmissible diseases, and homelessness. Special attention is given to the children, the sick, the dying, the homeless, and those who feel neglected by society. Estancia Corazón believes that the family and community must work together to achieve long-term results. Therefore, proper assistance must be given to children’s families and their communities. The program works with other agencies, such as the Mayagüez Migrant Health Care Center, to offer various programs and services. El Hogar de Adultos (Home for Adults), located at the Mayagüez Medical Center, provides basic palliative medical services to AIDS patients in the last days of their lives. Estancia Corazón’s Programa de Manutención de Niños (Children’s Sustenance Program) offers food, milk, diapers, and other basic necessities for children infected with HIV/AIDS. El Hogar de Niños (Home for Children) is a home for children infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS and provides care consistent with each child’s needs. In collaboration with the Mayagüez Municipality and the Department of Health, Estancia Corazón provides an AIDS education and prevention project, Programa de Educación y Prevención de Estancia Corazón. Staff distribute information conferences, festival, workshops, and other community events. Fondita Corazón serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the homeless and those who cannot afford a meal, as well as offering case management, counseling services, and referrals. In April 1993, the Programa de Manutención was established. Through this program, 62 HIV-positive children are given everything they need, including food and other goods, to have a reasonably healthy life in their own home.
Contact Since 1987 Southwest Key Program, Inc. has been a leader in implementing innovative and effective program models for many federal, state, and local agencies. The Southwest Key Program is a private, nonprofit agency that operates community-based treatment programs for youth and their families in every major city across Texas and Arizona as well as in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The program was established as a way to develop community-based treatment programs for troubled youth as an alternative to institutionalization. Traditional means of dealing with youth—primarily out-of-home placement in institutional settings—have not proven effective, as evidenced by high recidivism rates and the numbers of juveniles entering the adult correctional system. The program believes that youth belong at home with their families and that troubled youth are most effectively treated in their own communities with the participation of family members, school personnel, employers, and community resources. Accordingly, the program places a great deal of emphasis on family development and involvement in the therapeutic process. The program in Hato Rey is a Day Treatment Center for adjudicated youth from the San Juan area of Puerto Rico. The Juvenile Justice Agency of Puerto Rico contacted Southwest Key to help relieve overcrowding in the island’s juvenile facilities. The program has made it a matter of policy to recruit bilingual clinicians and caseworkers so that families and clients can communicate in the language of their choice. In addition, a strong emphasis on the achievements of Latinos throughout history is woven throughout every subject area and extends to field trips, special celebrations, etc. The program’s recreational therapy component is designed to expose clients to new and appropriate ways to spend free time, improve social skills and sportsmanship, and develop impulse control and a sense of mastery over one’s environment. Activities include team sports and field trips to museums, concerts, festivals, amusement parks, and a variety of cultural events. Staff believe that awareness of different cultures’ traditions, beliefs, and contributions goes a long way toward building tolerance and understanding. Counseling services are provided in the home whenever possible to increase communication among families. |