The LAYC's Promotor Pathway program aims to reconnect disengaged youth to services through long-term relationships with caring adults called Promotores. Promotores provide youth with individualized case management and support across educational, employment, housing, and health domains for 4-6 years. An evaluation found the program significantly improved school engagement, parenting rates, and access to safe housing for youth compared to other LAYC services.

1. A New Model for Youth Development
LAYC’s Promotores reconnect
disconnected and disengaged youth
to services that enable them to
succeed academically, obtain long-
term employment, and to live
healthy and productive lives.
Susana Martinez, LICSW
Promotor Pathway Director
Copyright ©2014 Latin American Youth Center Inc. All Rights Reserved.

2.  Multi-service organization serving the DC
region for over 40 years
 Focus on positive youth development
 Service areas include:
 Educational Enhancement
 Workforce
 Housing
 Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Treatment
 Intensive Case Management
 Serving DC, Prince George’s County, and
Montgomery County Maryland

3. Source: Measure of America, Social Science Resource Council, 2012

4. There are an estimated 9,000 low income disconnected youth in the DC area,
lacking a high school credential, stable employment, and facing multiple
obstacles in their transition to adulthood.
In 2007, LAYC began to explore and research the best way to serve these high
need youth in a lasting and impactful way.
We discovered a common thread; a lasting relationship with a caring adult.
“I can go to Jasmin with
anything. I trust her completely
to help me with whatever I need”
-Current LAYC youth, age 14
“I would be on the streets if it
wasn’t for Pibe at the LAYC”
- Former LAYC youth, age 24
“The LAYC is a place where
people can find someone like
themselves who can inspire them
to make something of themselves”
-Current LAYC youth, age 19

5. With Ties to the
Community
Provide consistency
across services and
programs
Commitment to the work
(min 2 years)
Expertise in youth
development and case
management
Relationship
with a Caring
Adult

6. Target Youth
• Low-income youth, ages 16-24, who live in neighborhoods
that are substantially Latino and African-American and
exhibit a substantial combination of risk factors
Service
Description
• LAYC will match high-need youth with a “Promotor”
• Promotores will focus on relationship building and will be
expected to work with youth long term, approximately 4-6
years.
• Promotores will be generalists, providing service
coordination across various programs to address multiple
needs
Expected Benefits
• Achieve positive outcomes – across academics, employment,
and healthy behaviors
• A powerful model for other youth-serving organizations to
learn from and replicate
• Significant return on investment for government and other
funders
Copyright ©2014 Latin American Youth Center Inc. All Rights Reserved.

7. LAYC developed a measurement tool of 30 Yes or No questions to screen youth for risk
factors
 Primary risk factors for youth:
 No diploma/GED
 Housing issues or homeless
 Unsafe home environment
 Substance abuse issues
 Mental health issues
 Criminal justice involvement
 Secondary risk factors for youth:
 Has IEP or 504
 Held back a grade or failing classes
 Has recently been suspended
 Unemployed or existing job does not support self or family
 Ongoing childcare responsibilities within the family
 Has child or is expecting
 Close friend or family member convicted of a crime or in a gang
 Exhibits some mental health concerns (e.g. depression, anger)
Youth with these
characteristics
will definitely
receive a Promotor
Youth with these
characteristics
will likely
receive a Promotor
Copyright ©2014 Latin American Youth Center Inc. All Rights Reserved.

8. IDENTIFY BUILD SUPPORT
•Risk Screening
•Outreach
•Voluntary
Consent
•Match with
Promotor
•Relationship
Building
•Needs
Assessment
•Small Wins
•Relationship
Building
•Youth
Driven Goals
•Re-assess
•Monitor
progress
Copyright ©2014 Latin American Youth Center Inc. All Rights Reserved.
OurApproach: *Non-judgmental *Focus on Relationship andTrust Building
*Youth DirectedGoals *WorkAlongside youth

9.  Promotores are experienced youth workers
with various educational backgrounds, but
all with extensive knowledge of community
resources.
 Match the diversity of our youth and
undergo initial and ongoing training (approx
25 hrs per year)
 Six Promotores are former LAYC
participants
 Maintain a max ratio of 1:25 to ensure
quality services for youth
“I’ve Got
Connections”
Copyright ©2014 Latin American Youth Center Inc. All Rights Reserved.

10. Build Relationship
Small Wins
Support
through Crises
Ongoing Case
Management & Mentoring
Assessment & Youth
Driven Goals
Copyright ©2014 Latin American Youth Center Inc. All Rights Reserved.

11.  The Promotor Pathway supports youth in making a successful
transition to adulthood. We focus on long-term goals including:
 High School/GED Completion
 Post-secondary enrollment
 Vocational / Technical Training Completion
 Employment Placement and Retention
 Healthy Behaviors
Needs Assessment &Tracking includes a total of 12 non-academic Outcome Areas :
 Ready for Employment
 Behavior & Communication
 Risky Sexual Behavior
 Substance Use
 Housing Status
 Ability to Access Community
Resources
 Mental Health
Violence
 DomesticViolence
 Preventative Health
 Legal/Court Involvement
Parenting
Copyright ©2014 Latin American Youth Center Inc. All Rights Reserved.

12. Copyright ©2014 Latin American Youth Center Inc. All Rights Reserved.
On average, each youth in the
Pathway works on 4 outcome areas
at any given time.

13. From 2008-2014, a total of 351 youth were served and achieved the following
outcomes:
Academic Outcomes:
 59 out-of-school youth re-enrolled into school
 77 youth completed High School or High School Equivalency
 29 graduated from High School or Charter School
 48 obtained their GED
 33 youth enrolled in post-secondary education
 10 youth enrolled in vocational programs
Healthy Behaviors Outcomes:
 183 youth obtained stable housing
 99 youth increased their knowledge of safe sexual behavior
 193 youth obtained employment experience
Copyright ©2014 Latin American Youth Center Inc. All Rights Reserved.

14. External Evaluation
• The Urban Institute has conducted an impact
evaluation of the Promotor Pathway. The
evaluation assesses, via a random control
trial, the impact of the Promotor Pathway
Program relative to all other LAYC services.
 Roughly one-third of eligible clients received a
Promotor (treatment), with the remainder of
youth or young adults assigned to the control
group.
 Over 470 applicants were enrolled in the study
from April 2010 through March 2013. In
addition to a baseline survey, study participants
complete outcome surveys at six, 12, and 18
months.
Preliminary Results
• The Pathway appears to have had a sizable
impact on the following outcomes:
• School Engagement: treatment group was in
school at rates roughly one-third higher at 18
months than the control group, a sizable
difference
• Parenting Rates: The treatment group was
roughly one-third less likely to have a child than
the control group
• Safe Housing: Treatment group youth were
roughly 60 percent less likely than control
group youth to have slept in a shelter at some
point during the six months prior to the 18
month survey.
Copyright ©2014 Latin American Youth Center Inc. All Rights Reserved.

15. Copyright ©2014 Latin American Youth Center Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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