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Escalera: Taking Steps to Success
In 2003, Instituto teamed with the National Council
of La Raza and the PepsiCo Foundation to develop a pilot college-bridge
program, Escalera that
would address barriers to education, employment and economic mobility
amongst Latina/o youth. The partnerships represents an ongoing
effort by Instituto, NCLR, and PepsiCo to create a sustainable, community-based
model with a measurable impact for Latina/o youth locally and nationwide.
Escalera targets
youth who face obstacles that might otherwise prevent them from being
able to achieve their life goals, such as having a limited proficiency
in English, coming from a working poor family, previous poor academic
performance, being the first in the family to attend college, and having
juvenile records or issues with legalization status.
Throughout
the 15-month program, Escalera provides
an opportunity for high school juniors to learn about options available
for the future by:
- Encouraging students to graduate from high school
- Helping prepare for higher education by learning about
different types of colleges and universities
- Exploring career opportunities
based on academic strengths, personal interests, and industry demands
In the last 5 years, Escalera has achieved
a 94% graduation rate and 100% college placement rate. Escalera was recognized
as a “Best Practice” in the Winter 2007 issue of Corporate Philanthropist.
Interested in applying? Click here to
download the application
For more information on Escalera, email us
at idpl.escalera@idpl.org
or call us at (773) 890-0055.
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