Press Releases
Speaker Silver Sponsors ASPIRA Leadership Club in ‘Loisaida’ (September 4, 2008)
ASPIRA Honors CUNY's Hershenson, ALPFA and Latino Achievers at Annual Awards Luncheon (May 19, 2008)
ASPIRA Youth Conference Brings Together Hundreds for Day of Thought-Provoking Workshops and Fun (January 19, 2008)
ASPIRA Launches Website to Educate Parents and Youth About Dangers Online (December 20, 2007)
The newly formed ASPIRA club will draw youth from high schools on the Lower East Side, as well as community-based partner organizations Vision Urbana, Inc. and Loisaida, Inc. The club will begin meeting this fall in space provided by Loisaida, Inc.
At a press conference at the Seward Park Extension Community Center to announce the creation of the new club, Speaker Silver was joined by ASPIRA alumnus Fernando Ferrer, the former Bronx borough president and Democratic mayoral nominee.
“I am proud to have been able to support ASPIRA’s efforts to establish a program that will help so many young Latinos pursue and achieve their lifelong goals and become the leaders of tomorrow,” said Silver. “The time, money and energy we invest today will go a long way toward ensuring that our children have the tools they need to succeed in this ever-growing, global economy. It is a wise investment that will create a brighter future for our youth and a better tomorrow for our city, state and nation. I applaud ASPIRA for successfully opening the doors of opportunity for countless Aspirantes since 1961. Working together, there is nothing we cannot achieve.”
“It’s heartening to see the ASPIRA spirit alive and well and thriving,” Ferrer said. “I always look back fondly on my days in ASPIRA and will always be grateful for what being an Aspirante helped me achieve professionally and how it helped me grow personally. I want to extend my warmest and sincerest thanks to Speaker Silver for his commitment to our young people.”
“One of the solutions to the Latino dropout crisis is ASPIRA,” said Hector Gesualdo, executive director of ASPIRA. “The more young people we reach, the more Latinos that will graduate high school and go on to college. Speaker Silver understands that and is affording us an opportunity to work with young Latinos on the Lower East Side. Thank you Speaker Silver, and thank you Loisaida, Inc. and Vision Urbana for partnering with us in this important endeavor.”
Luis Nieves, executive director of Loisaida, Inc., said, “I want to thank Speaker Silver for his longstanding commitment to the youth of the Lower East Side and for this opportunity to help more young people. I look forward to working again with ASPIRA and Vision Urbana on this much-needed and important program for our community.”
Rev. Dr. Marc Rivera, chairman of Vision Urbana and senior pastor of Primitive Christian Church, said: “Vision Urbana believes that there are many critical issues facing the Latino community now, chief among them, the drop out rates among the youth, which has economic and social repercussions on a long term basis. The grant announced today, and the collaboration among all ASPIRA, Loisaida and Vision Urbana, provides an example of how a community can act and combine efforts to help students excel academically, and build a sense of social responsibility in them.”
ASPIRA of New York is a youth services agency, founded in 1961, working to foster the advancement of the Hispanic community by helping Latino young people aspire to improve their lives through educational excellence and to better their communities through enlightened leadership.
Over the years, thousands of Aspirantes, as ASPIRA youth are known, became the first in their families to go to college. Scores of ASPIRA alumni went on to blaze trails for future generations of Latinos in government, business, the arts and the legal and medical professions. In addition to Ferrer, ASPIRA alumni include Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, former Deputy Mayor Ninfa Segarra and the actor Jimmy Smits.
ASPIRA leadership clubs meet at least once a week. The ASPIRA Leadership Development Curriculum emphasizes the ASPIRA Process—Awareness, Analysis, Action—in sections ranging from “Preparing for College” and “Time Management/Study Skills,” to “Conflict Resolution & Group Dynamics” and “Community Action Brainstorm.”
A priority of the ASPIRA Leadership Development Curriculum is to have students create and develop community service projects. Activities include school-based food drives; the creation and development of audio and video public service announcements directed to other youth about teen pregnancy, relationship abuse, violence prevention and adolescent sexuality, among other issues; and identifying a worthwhile community cause or issue and organizing and holding a fundraiser to help remedy the problem identified.
More than 90 percent of ASPIRA club members go on to college, with several receiving full scholarships to top-tier universities, such as Franklin and Marshall and Barnard.
Loisaida, Inc. was founded in 1979 to address the problem of social and economic disenfranchisement of poor and low-income residents of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The mission of Loisaida, Inc. is to facilitate access to education, training and employment opportunities that ensure the overall improvement and economic development of the community. Loisaida, Inc. concentrates its human development efforts through comprehensive youth and family support programs in order to eliminate barriers to learning and to secure significant social and economic development opportunities.
Agency programs include The Players, a theater troupe of high school students trained as peer educators to reach out to other adolescents to prevent teen pregnancy and HIV infection; and Parental Awareness Prevents Abandonment (P.A.P.A.), a program to help insure that young fathers stay involved in the lives of their children.
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Hershenson and ALPFA Chief Executive Officer Manny Espinoza were presented with Dr. Antonia Pantoja Leadership Awards, named for ASPIRA’s founder. ASPIRA also recognized the contributions to the city’s Latino community of Deputy Mayor Carol Robles-Roman and City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, among other honorees, at its Ninth Annual Circle of Latino Achievers Luncheon.
In addition, 41 college-bound Aspirantes, as ASPIRA youth are known, were awarded $1,000 scholarships donated by corporate sponsors. WNBC-TV reporter Monica Morales and WNJU-TV news anchor Ramon Zayas served as luncheon hosts.
“ASPIRA’s founder, Dr. Antonia Pantoja, stressed the importance of education and articulated through the agency’s name the aspirations of Latino youth to succeed, contribute and lead,” said Magda N. Yrizarry, chair of ASPIRA’s board of directors. “For their generous, selfless commitment to Dr. Pantoja’s goals for our young people, it is with great pride that we present our leadership awards to Jay Hershenson and ALPFA.”
“The extraordinary work of ASPIRA is indispensable to the future of our city—helping young people everywhere realize their dreams through higher education,” said Hershenson. “I am deeply honored to be counted as a strong supporter of Aspirantes.”
“ALPFA is pleased to accept the 2008 Dr. Antonia Pantoja Corporate Leadership Award,” said Espinoza. “As an organization comprised of business professionals we understand the importance of good corporate citizenry and are committed to supporting the Latino community through our ALPFA Cares community service initiatives. We are also excited about opportunities we have to partner with great organizations like ASPIRA and we applaud them for the work they do with Latino middle and high school youth throughout New York City.”
In recognition of their professional achievements and community service, Circle of Latino Achiever Awards were presented to the following:
The 41 scholarships awarded at the luncheon to college-bound Aspirantes were donated by Verizon, which sponsored 17; Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, who contributed nine on behalf of CUNY; Con Edison and Goldman Sachs, which sponsored five each; Colgate-Palmolive, which donated two; and Hunter College, Citibank and ALPFA, which each donated one.
ASPIRA is a youth services agency working to foster the advancement of the Hispanic community by helping Latino young people aspire to improve their lives through educational excellence and to better their communities through enlightened leadership. ASPIRA alumni include Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, Fernando Ferrer, former Bronx borough president and New York City Democratic mayoral nominee, and the actor Jimmy Smits.
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The students participated in workshops led by distinguished presenters, including one of Wall Street’s leading analysts, as rated by Forbes Magazine, Cid Wilson, who lead the workshop, “Success and Social Responsibility: Are They Mutually Exclusive?.”
Other workshops included, “About the Young Lords Party,” presented by Young Lords co-founder Felipe Luciano; “Latino Influences in Jazz,” led by jazz trumpeter Ray Vega; “Increasing Minority Political Power,” presented by Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, Jr.; and “Learning From Our Leaders,” led by Luis Colon, a teacher at Collegiate Institute for Math and Science and former Navy JAG Officer, who was a member of one of the original ASPIRA clubs formed in 1961.
Other workshops covered a wide variety of topics, including salsa dancing, “Going Green,” financial literacy and money management and Latino immigration.
Some 30 colleges and universities were on hand to provide admissions and financial aid information to the students during the college fair portion of the conference.
The conference closed with a student talent show featuring a performance by special guest, the poet, La Bruja.
Top
The Café Aspira website, found at www.cafeaspira.com, in both English and Spanish, covers malicious programs, discusses cyberbullying and identifies various types of cyber child sex offenders and their methods. The site also features a section on cyber fraud, covering phishing, credit card scams and identity theft schemes. Café Aspira provides advice and links to resources about keeping safe, as well as what to do if victimized.
“Café Aspira is a tool for becoming cyber savvy and understanding how to avoid being the victim of a cyber predator, bully or fraud,” said Hector Gesualdo, executive director of ASPIRA of New York. “Café Aspira will help answer questions about online security and be a source for advice on how to safely navigate the Web.”
Gesualdo added that it was especially important to promote cyber awareness during the holiday shopping season, a time of year when many people will be buying a personal computer for themselves or receiving one as a gift.
The campaign’s launch comes on the heels of a report by researchers organized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing a 50 percent increase since 2000 in the number of youths aged 10 to 17 who said they were harassed online.
The Café Aspira cyber awareness campaign was made possible by a court-approved settlement of anti-trust claims brought by the Office of the New York State Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission. The print component of ASPIRA’s cyber awareness campaign features posters in both English and Spanish to be distributed to schools and local businesses.
ASPIRA is an Hispanic youth services non-profit organization founded in 1961 that works to foster educational excellence and civic responsibility among young Latinos. ASPIRA youth development clubs, as well as dropout prevention initiatives and after-school programs, can be found at schools in the five boroughs and Nassau and Suffolk counties.
Top
ASPIRA Honors CUNY's Hershenson, ALPFA and Latino Achievers at Annual Awards Luncheon (May 19, 2008)
ASPIRA Youth Conference Brings Together Hundreds for Day of Thought-Provoking Workshops and Fun (January 19, 2008)
ASPIRA Launches Website to Educate Parents and Youth About Dangers Online (December 20, 2007)
SPEAKER SILVER SPONSORS
ASPIRA LEADERSHIP CLUB IN ‘LOISAIDA’
The newly formed ASPIRA club will draw youth from high schools on the Lower East Side, as well as community-based partner organizations Vision Urbana, Inc. and Loisaida, Inc. The club will begin meeting this fall in space provided by Loisaida, Inc.
At a press conference at the Seward Park Extension Community Center to announce the creation of the new club, Speaker Silver was joined by ASPIRA alumnus Fernando Ferrer, the former Bronx borough president and Democratic mayoral nominee.
“I am proud to have been able to support ASPIRA’s efforts to establish a program that will help so many young Latinos pursue and achieve their lifelong goals and become the leaders of tomorrow,” said Silver. “The time, money and energy we invest today will go a long way toward ensuring that our children have the tools they need to succeed in this ever-growing, global economy. It is a wise investment that will create a brighter future for our youth and a better tomorrow for our city, state and nation. I applaud ASPIRA for successfully opening the doors of opportunity for countless Aspirantes since 1961. Working together, there is nothing we cannot achieve.”
“It’s heartening to see the ASPIRA spirit alive and well and thriving,” Ferrer said. “I always look back fondly on my days in ASPIRA and will always be grateful for what being an Aspirante helped me achieve professionally and how it helped me grow personally. I want to extend my warmest and sincerest thanks to Speaker Silver for his commitment to our young people.”
“One of the solutions to the Latino dropout crisis is ASPIRA,” said Hector Gesualdo, executive director of ASPIRA. “The more young people we reach, the more Latinos that will graduate high school and go on to college. Speaker Silver understands that and is affording us an opportunity to work with young Latinos on the Lower East Side. Thank you Speaker Silver, and thank you Loisaida, Inc. and Vision Urbana for partnering with us in this important endeavor.”
Luis Nieves, executive director of Loisaida, Inc., said, “I want to thank Speaker Silver for his longstanding commitment to the youth of the Lower East Side and for this opportunity to help more young people. I look forward to working again with ASPIRA and Vision Urbana on this much-needed and important program for our community.”
Rev. Dr. Marc Rivera, chairman of Vision Urbana and senior pastor of Primitive Christian Church, said: “Vision Urbana believes that there are many critical issues facing the Latino community now, chief among them, the drop out rates among the youth, which has economic and social repercussions on a long term basis. The grant announced today, and the collaboration among all ASPIRA, Loisaida and Vision Urbana, provides an example of how a community can act and combine efforts to help students excel academically, and build a sense of social responsibility in them.”
ASPIRA of New York is a youth services agency, founded in 1961, working to foster the advancement of the Hispanic community by helping Latino young people aspire to improve their lives through educational excellence and to better their communities through enlightened leadership.
Over the years, thousands of Aspirantes, as ASPIRA youth are known, became the first in their families to go to college. Scores of ASPIRA alumni went on to blaze trails for future generations of Latinos in government, business, the arts and the legal and medical professions. In addition to Ferrer, ASPIRA alumni include Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, former Deputy Mayor Ninfa Segarra and the actor Jimmy Smits.
ASPIRA leadership clubs meet at least once a week. The ASPIRA Leadership Development Curriculum emphasizes the ASPIRA Process—Awareness, Analysis, Action—in sections ranging from “Preparing for College” and “Time Management/Study Skills,” to “Conflict Resolution & Group Dynamics” and “Community Action Brainstorm.”
A priority of the ASPIRA Leadership Development Curriculum is to have students create and develop community service projects. Activities include school-based food drives; the creation and development of audio and video public service announcements directed to other youth about teen pregnancy, relationship abuse, violence prevention and adolescent sexuality, among other issues; and identifying a worthwhile community cause or issue and organizing and holding a fundraiser to help remedy the problem identified.
More than 90 percent of ASPIRA club members go on to college, with several receiving full scholarships to top-tier universities, such as Franklin and Marshall and Barnard.
Loisaida, Inc. was founded in 1979 to address the problem of social and economic disenfranchisement of poor and low-income residents of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The mission of Loisaida, Inc. is to facilitate access to education, training and employment opportunities that ensure the overall improvement and economic development of the community. Loisaida, Inc. concentrates its human development efforts through comprehensive youth and family support programs in order to eliminate barriers to learning and to secure significant social and economic development opportunities.
Agency programs include The Players, a theater troupe of high school students trained as peer educators to reach out to other adolescents to prevent teen pregnancy and HIV infection; and Parental Awareness Prevents Abandonment (P.A.P.A.), a program to help insure that young fathers stay involved in the lives of their children.
Top
ASPIRA HONORS CUNY’S HERSHENSON, ALPFA AND LATINO ACHIEVERS AT ANNUAL AWARDS LUNCHEON
Hershenson and ALPFA Chief Executive Officer Manny Espinoza were presented with Dr. Antonia Pantoja Leadership Awards, named for ASPIRA’s founder. ASPIRA also recognized the contributions to the city’s Latino community of Deputy Mayor Carol Robles-Roman and City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, among other honorees, at its Ninth Annual Circle of Latino Achievers Luncheon.
In addition, 41 college-bound Aspirantes, as ASPIRA youth are known, were awarded $1,000 scholarships donated by corporate sponsors. WNBC-TV reporter Monica Morales and WNJU-TV news anchor Ramon Zayas served as luncheon hosts.
“ASPIRA’s founder, Dr. Antonia Pantoja, stressed the importance of education and articulated through the agency’s name the aspirations of Latino youth to succeed, contribute and lead,” said Magda N. Yrizarry, chair of ASPIRA’s board of directors. “For their generous, selfless commitment to Dr. Pantoja’s goals for our young people, it is with great pride that we present our leadership awards to Jay Hershenson and ALPFA.”
“The extraordinary work of ASPIRA is indispensable to the future of our city—helping young people everywhere realize their dreams through higher education,” said Hershenson. “I am deeply honored to be counted as a strong supporter of Aspirantes.”
“ALPFA is pleased to accept the 2008 Dr. Antonia Pantoja Corporate Leadership Award,” said Espinoza. “As an organization comprised of business professionals we understand the importance of good corporate citizenry and are committed to supporting the Latino community through our ALPFA Cares community service initiatives. We are also excited about opportunities we have to partner with great organizations like ASPIRA and we applaud them for the work they do with Latino middle and high school youth throughout New York City.”
In recognition of their professional achievements and community service, Circle of Latino Achiever Awards were presented to the following:
- Deputy Mayor Carol Robles-Roman, CUNY Trustee
- Council Member, Melissa Mark-Viverito, New York City Council
- Yolanda Askew, WNBC
- Rita DiMartino, CUNY Trustee
- Nelson Gomez, Con Edison
- Valerie Leeder, Goldman Sachs
- Crecensio Morales, Long Beach High School
- Dr. Hugo M. Morales, CUNY Trustee
- Lupita Reyes, Verizon
- Beneranda Rivera-Baez, Telemundo 47
- Salvador Padron-Gomez, Citibank
- Helen Rosado, The Bank of New York Mellon
- Diana Sabogal, PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Mercedes Saint, Community Leader
The 41 scholarships awarded at the luncheon to college-bound Aspirantes were donated by Verizon, which sponsored 17; Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, who contributed nine on behalf of CUNY; Con Edison and Goldman Sachs, which sponsored five each; Colgate-Palmolive, which donated two; and Hunter College, Citibank and ALPFA, which each donated one.
ASPIRA is a youth services agency working to foster the advancement of the Hispanic community by helping Latino young people aspire to improve their lives through educational excellence and to better their communities through enlightened leadership. ASPIRA alumni include Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, Fernando Ferrer, former Bronx borough president and New York City Democratic mayoral nominee, and the actor Jimmy Smits.
Top
ASPIRA Youth Conference Brings Together Hundreds For Day of Thought-Provoking Workshops and Fun
The students participated in workshops led by distinguished presenters, including one of Wall Street’s leading analysts, as rated by Forbes Magazine, Cid Wilson, who lead the workshop, “Success and Social Responsibility: Are They Mutually Exclusive?.”
Other workshops included, “About the Young Lords Party,” presented by Young Lords co-founder Felipe Luciano; “Latino Influences in Jazz,” led by jazz trumpeter Ray Vega; “Increasing Minority Political Power,” presented by Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, Jr.; and “Learning From Our Leaders,” led by Luis Colon, a teacher at Collegiate Institute for Math and Science and former Navy JAG Officer, who was a member of one of the original ASPIRA clubs formed in 1961.
Other workshops covered a wide variety of topics, including salsa dancing, “Going Green,” financial literacy and money management and Latino immigration.
Some 30 colleges and universities were on hand to provide admissions and financial aid information to the students during the college fair portion of the conference.
The conference closed with a student talent show featuring a performance by special guest, the poet, La Bruja.
Top
ASPIRA LAUNCHES WEBSITE TO EDUCATE PARENTS AND YOUTH ABOUT DANGERS ONLINE
The Café Aspira website, found at www.cafeaspira.com, in both English and Spanish, covers malicious programs, discusses cyberbullying and identifies various types of cyber child sex offenders and their methods. The site also features a section on cyber fraud, covering phishing, credit card scams and identity theft schemes. Café Aspira provides advice and links to resources about keeping safe, as well as what to do if victimized.
“Café Aspira is a tool for becoming cyber savvy and understanding how to avoid being the victim of a cyber predator, bully or fraud,” said Hector Gesualdo, executive director of ASPIRA of New York. “Café Aspira will help answer questions about online security and be a source for advice on how to safely navigate the Web.”
Gesualdo added that it was especially important to promote cyber awareness during the holiday shopping season, a time of year when many people will be buying a personal computer for themselves or receiving one as a gift.
The campaign’s launch comes on the heels of a report by researchers organized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing a 50 percent increase since 2000 in the number of youths aged 10 to 17 who said they were harassed online.
The Café Aspira cyber awareness campaign was made possible by a court-approved settlement of anti-trust claims brought by the Office of the New York State Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission. The print component of ASPIRA’s cyber awareness campaign features posters in both English and Spanish to be distributed to schools and local businesses.
ASPIRA is an Hispanic youth services non-profit organization founded in 1961 that works to foster educational excellence and civic responsibility among young Latinos. ASPIRA youth development clubs, as well as dropout prevention initiatives and after-school programs, can be found at schools in the five boroughs and Nassau and Suffolk counties.
Top