| Mission and History
Founded in 1957 by Dr. Antonia Pantoja, the National Puerto Rican Forum (NPRF) provides education, training, advocacy and information to prepare individuals for meaningful employment that pays a living wage and leads to self-sufficiency and dignity. NPRF is the oldest national Puerto Rican organization in the United States. Long before national welfare-to-work legislation, NPRF created programs to empower Latinos and other people of color to forsake public assistance for gainful unsubsidized employment. In the past 48 years NPRF has developed, implemented and managed a range of educational and training programs for over half a million people across the United States and Puerto Rico.
Programs and Services
NPRF operates a range of successful vocational and basic education programs, as well as employment and youth development initiatives out of its sites in the Bronx (NY), Chicago (IL), and Rio Piedras (PR). Programs in 2005 were:
21st Century Youth Academy (Chicago): ACT examination preparation, tutoring, and mentoring for youth in three high risk schools. A youth brass band and dance team train year round and perform at various functions.
Allied Health Youth Academy: out-of-school youth obtain their GED and home attendant certification and are coached in their exploration of health careers.
BEGIN: public assistance recipients transition to full time employment through job readiness coaching, GED preparation, internships and mentoring.
Environmental Health & Safety Program: youth ages 18-21 obtain credentials and jobs in asbestos/lead abatement and hazardous waste management.
Excellent Teachers/Maestros Excelentes (NYC & Puerto Rico): Teachers and prospective teachers are coached for their credentialing examinations, participate in professional development and are placed in teaching jobs.
Learn Earn and Advance Youth Program: Students in three Bronx high schools are tutored, coached for the SAT examination, and are engaged in dance, acting, leadership, entrepreneurial activities, and community research.
NYC Adult Literacy Initiative: new immigrants from Central and South America and the Caribbean gain English language skills, basic education and their GED.
Senior Community Services Employment Program: workers aged 55+ sharpen their skills through training/internships before re-entering the workforce.
SUBE Special Populations Program: Limited skilled, low income workers gain basic education, English language skills and job readiness in fields beyond their current experience.
Program Achievements
500 youth in grades 10-12 continue to focus on completing high school and going to college. Each year over 86% of graduating seniors have entered college.
700 adult limited English speakers complete education programs annually including GED, basic education, and English language courses.
210 out-of-school youth in the Allied Health Academy achieved certification and 180 are employed as personal care workers and other fields, 80% retention has been maintained;
125 older workers primarily ages 62-75 in the Senior Employment Program demonstrate their excellent work ethics and drive to learn. The income they earn raises them out of poverty and contributes to their financial, physical, and emotional well being.
850 teachers received coaching for the multiple licensing exams required for state certification, 83% of exams taken were passed. 312 unemployed teachers secured teaching positions with the Dallas/Texas, Florida, California and NYC Departments of Education.
Success Stories
Marta at 19 had two small children and was in a marriage where she was stripped of her self-esteem and dreams of becoming a nurse. She joined NPRF’s Allied Health Academy and passed her certification as a home attendant. Once she began working, she learned how to manage her finances and became a certified nursing assistant. “I learned that I could succeed for myself and my children and that my husband was wrong. I gained the confidence to leave my husband and to become a nurse,” said Marta three years after she graduated.
Nereida, 43 year old mother of four, gained two levels in English proficiency, passed her GED, and became eligible for employment as a marketing associate for a new firm in Manhattan. These achievements led to the end of her 20 year dependence on public assistance. She reports on her progress, “Even my teenage kids are doing better in school since I started working.They are learning that if you work for what you want, you can get it.”
“When I first went to NPRF I felt lost,” said 21 year old Enrique. “I had recently been released from jail and I didn’t want anyone to know how I felt inside, especially my wife, who had spent the last two years raising our two young boys alone.” Enrique graduated from NPRF’s Environmental Health & Safety Program and was immediately hired by the Carpenter’s Union at a salary of $25 an hour. “My wife and family are so proud of me and I feel good that I didn’t let myself down,” says Enrique.
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