Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation (HOPE) records

The Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation (HOPE) was a statewide, community based, nonprofit organization established in 1971 to advocate, develop, facilitate, coordinate, and evaluate educational, health and human services, and community development programs for the Latino community of Massachusetts. HOPE was incorporated in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1973 and established regional offices in Boston, Lawrence, and Springfield. The organization endeavored to improve the quality of life and to increase the number and range of opportunities for Latinos to succeed as productive members of their families, workplaces, neighborhoods, communities, and society. HOPE worked to accomplish these goals through programming areas in college readiness, health promotion, prevention education, technology training, and workforce and leadership development. In December 2011, HOPE declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy, closing its doors after 40 years of service to the Latino community.

College Readiness

Since 1976, HOPE provided college support services including one-on-one academic counseling, financial aid information, and assistance with forms and applications related to the college application process. In addition, HOPE provided access to SAT tutoring and college and career exploration through college visits and field trips. In 2004, Citizens Bank recognized HOPE as one of the original "Community Gems" for its college readiness programs. These programs included College Fair, Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), HOPE for Youth, and TRIO Educational Talent Search.

College Fair provided over 1,000 students annually with an opportunity to meet and obtain information from over 50 colleges and universities. Initiated by HOPE in 1989, the College Fair occurred every October, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. During the fair, the college application process was clarified as students talked with college representatives and obtained admissions and financial aid information. The fair was a vehicle for connecting students with colleges and connecting colleges with "college ready" Latino students.

GEAR UP was a Massachusetts Board of Higher Education partnership that was offered in Lawrence since 1999. It served cohorts of 7th grade students of South Lawrence East Middle School. Each year it established a new cohort of students and followed the students through the 12th grade. Fundamental components of GEAR UP included more challenging courses, tutoring, professional development for teachers, parent involvement, and recreational and enriching summer activities. HOPE's GEAR UP program increased community involvement; produced measurable outcomes such as Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System results; utilized Brainfuse, an online tutorial service program; and conducted workshops centered on college awareness, study skills, and academic success.

HOPE for Youth was developed in 1992 to provide one-on-one and group activities, emotional support, academic assistance, and educational and enrichment experiences for Latino youth ages 11 to 14 in Boston and Lawrence. The program matched youth with volunteer mentors who gave two hours of their time every week to meet and connect with their mentee for a minimum of one year. The commitment also included participation in monthly group activities. Mentors received training and support through group activities. The youth participated in after-school homework assistance, art activities, science exploration, colleges and museums field trips, cultural awareness activities, college and career awareness, goal setting, and access to the Timothy Smith Community Technology Center. HOPE for Youth was a member of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay's Latino After-School Initiative. Funding for the program was provided in part by the Economic Development and Industrial Corporation of Boston's Community Development Block Grant and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay.

TRIO Educational Talent Search annually served over 1,800 low-income, first generation college students from grades 5-12 in Boston and Lawrence. Funded by the United Stated Department of Education, HOPE established a partnership with Boston schools in 1976 and Lawrence schools in 1991. The program provided one-on-one academic counseling, tutoring and mentoring, as well as a range of college preparatory services: financial aid information, technical assistance with college admission forms and applications, and college entrance exam registration and preparation. The program also encouraged college and career exploration through field trips, college visits, access to the internet, HOPE's resource library, and an annual college fair.

Health Promotion

HOPE utilized a "Promotores de Salud" (Health Promoters) model of nonprofessional health educators who promoted community awareness, mobilization, and education on a range of health concerns. These included assisting with enrollment in the Medicare Part D Prescription Coverage plans; increasing utilization of primary health care services in order to reduce health disparities; and raising awareness of the prevention and treatment of such issues as AIDS/HIV positive, diabetes, cancer, heart health, obesity, and smoking.

The Pedro Zamora Center, opened in 1995, was a peer support drop-in resource center providing AIDS/HIV support services, networking, and programming for Latino individuals, significant others, friends, and families living with AIDS/HIV. The center provided a range of support and referral services. Peer-led discussions about treatment and other relevant topics and a hot meal were provided to those present. The program received funding in part by the Boston Department of Health and Hospitals.

Prevention Education

HOPE provided a range of peer education and peer leadership interventions for youth and adults. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded HOPE from 1992-1997 to replicate science-based models that had been demonstrated as effective interventions. Curricula for these interventions focused on issues such as the prevention of AIDS/HIV, substance abuse, chronic disease, injury and violence. Peer Education programs include Cuida tu Vida, Poder Latino de Jovenes, and Padres Latino Educando a Nuestros Amigos/a.

Cuida tu Vida (Take Care/Charge of Your Life), launched in 1994, was a community intervention and mobilization campaign designed to mobilize and enlist the active support and involvement of community organizations, grassroots groups, leaders, and residents. The public information campaign utilized social marketing approaches aimed at influencing community norms in support of risk-reducing behaviors, and at mobilizing a community–derived movement of informal networks among residents committed to action in the fight against AIDS/HIV. The program received funding in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Poder Latino de Jovenes (Latino Youth Power) was developed in 1991 as a 12-week AIDS/HIV prevention and education peer leadership youth development program. Staff trained over 60 Latino youth to serve as AIDS/HIV prevention peer educators in providing prevention education to their peers on a range of health issues. The youth participated in service-learning activities that included street-based education outreach, home-based sessions, community presentations, and community service learning projects. Funding for the program was provided in part by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Massachusetts Prevention Center, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and United States Department of Health and Human Services: Office of Minority Health.

Padres Latino Educando a Nuestros Amigos/a (Latino Parents Educating Our Friends), launched in the early 1990s, trained a minimum of 60 Latino adults annually in the area of AIDS/HIV education and prevention. The trained adult peer educators conducted peer-led, community-based education sessions and community-level interventions reaching at least 1,500 Latino parents each year. The program received funding in part by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Technology Training

The Timothy Smith Community Technology Center, opened in 2004, was a state-of-the-art computer-learning center funded by a grant from the Timothy Smith Trust Fund administered by the City of Boston. The Center was part of a network of 40 community technology centers located throughout Boston helping to bridge the "digital divide" by assisting hundreds to use computers and technology for personal and community benefit. The Center had twenty workstations and offered a range of computer skills training at basic, intermediate, and advanced levels. In addition, it housed all of HOPE's youth development programs that served students during after-school hours and out-of-school time. In Lawrence, HOPE operated a computer-learning center for HOPE's college readiness program participants and family members. Additional funding and assistance was provided in part by the National Council of La Raza and Microsoft Corporation.

"Earned Income Tax Credit" Tax Clinics provided free tax filing assistance for those eligible for the federal and state Earned Income Tax Credit. Staff also provided assistance with the preparation and filing of state and federal returns.

Workforce Development

The Center for AIDS and Substance Abuse: Staff Training, Consultation and Education: Statewide Latino/a Addictions Counselor Training and Technical Assistance Program established in 1987 provided training to Latino professional and paraprofessionals who were becoming certified and/or licensed as substance abuse counselors in Massachusetts. The training component of the program offered 270 hours of Continuing Education Units approved by the American Academy of Health Care Providers, Massachusetts Board for Voluntary Certification, and Massachusetts Department of Public Health: Bureau of Substance Abuse Services. In addition, the program delivered ten hours of training in case preparation and presentation techniques. HOPE organized and encouraged participants to take part in study circles for graduates eligible to take the written portion of the exam. The training was delivered primarily in Spanish with English translation as necessary. Funding for the program was provided in part by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Leadership Development

The Poder Latino Action Network, launched in 1991, delivered HOPE's model to promote community-oriented leadership development of emerging grassroots community and organizational leaders. The program introduced, trained, and supported individuals to participate in local, state, and national civic engagement activities. The program received funding in part by the National Council of La Raza's Hispanic Leadership Initiative. In 1995, HOPE was selected as the National Council of La Raza National Affiliate of the Year in recognition of its service to the Latino community, community leadership development, and youth development initiatives.

Community Poder Latino Action Network and Youth Poder Latino Action Network was HOPE's development of civic engagement components as part of the formal re-invention process that occurs in the replication, adaptation, and tailoring of three United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention certified replication models: Street Smart, Healthy Relationships, and Real AIDS Prevention Project. These components focused on health promotion, disease prevention, community level prevention education, and access to and utilization of health care. Leadership development components were planned to be added to these models in 2008. Young and older adult cohorts convened in peer group supported initiatives to contribute to public policymaking. Project participants engaged in a series of activities (described in the Proyecto PLAN Replication Manual) including study groups, policy analysis, issue debating, public speaking, skills building, data presentations, media strategies, social marketing techniques, community education, mobilization, organization and sustention of a peer network support system.

1971

Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation established

1973

Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation incorporated

1976

TRIO Educational Talent Search offered in Boston, MA

1987

Center for AIDS and Substance Abuse: Staff Training, Consultation and Education opens

1989

First College Fair

1990s

Padres Latino Educando a Nuestros Amigos/a established

1991

Poder Latino Action Network launched

1991

Poder Latino de Jovenes established

1991

TRIO Educational Talent Search offered in Lawrence, MA

1991

Boston Mayor Raymond L. Flynn issues "HOPE Day" Proclamation

1992

HOPE for Youth launched in Boston and Lawrence, MA

1994

Cuida tu Vida established

1995

Pedro Zamora Center opens in Boston, MA

1995

First Latino Leadership Conference "Unity: The Road to Power"

1995

Awarded National Council of La Raza's "Affiliate of the Year"

1996

Inaugural Conference "Latina/Latino Community Based Organizations and Providers Which Serve the Community"

1997

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino issues "HOPE Day" Proclamation

1999

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program offered in Lawrence, MA

2004

Timothy Smith Community Technology Center opens in Boston, MA

2004

Awarded Citizens Bank's "Community Gems"

2011

Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation declares Chapter 7 bankruptcy