Liberty's Promise
Investing in America's Immigrant Youth
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The youth we serve come to the United States with hopes for a better life than the ones they left behind. They soon end up disoriented and disillusioned, however, as the challenges they face threaten to overcome them. Many had their education interrupted or are pressured to focus on earning a living to support their families. Feeling left behind from their peers from the start, they begin wondering if it is worth their time to continue their education as they struggle to learn English. Our youth also often live in cramped apartments, sharing one bedroom with multiple family members, including parents with whom they may be reconnecting after years of separation. Girls, especially, are expected to act as primary caregivers for younger siblings while their parents are at work, and many of our youth end up facing the added duty of serving as translators for their parents.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Opportunities Plus
Arranges for eight-week internships at for-profit businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies. Youth are also provided with mentoring and job skills training. The program is designed to help newcomers understand and feel comfortable in a professional work environment.
Civics and Citizenship
A 10-week, 30-hour, after-school program of civic engagement, in which youth visit local government and community institutions. Successful immigrants also visit the class to share their experiences with the participants. The program is designed to help newcomiers learn about American civic life and feel at home in their new communities.
Civic Engagement for Beginning English Language Learners (CE-BELL)
A 10-week, 30-hour, after-school program of civic engagement, conducted in Spanish, in which youth visit local government and community institutions. Successful immigrants also visit the class to share their experiences with the participants. The program is designed to help our most recent arrivals adolescents understand and feel at home in their new American home.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Hours of mentoring
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Civics and Citizenship
Context Notes
Each program officer spends roughly 204 mentoring hours on a specific program. In 2017, we conducted 20 programs, therefore, on average we spend at least 4,080 hours/year mentoring youth.
Number of youth who demonstrate civic participation skills (e.g., compromise, perspective-taking)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Civics and Citizenship
Context Notes
In Spring 2017, 483 students reported feeling more involved in their community through civic participation. In Fall 2017, 597 students reported feeling more involved in their community.
Number of youth who demonstrate that they have developed knowledge about occupations
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Opportunities Plus
Context Notes
In 2017, during the Spring semester, 490 youth reported feeling better prepared for employment. In the fall semester, 605 youth reported feeling better prepared for employment.
Number of youth who volunteer/participate in community service
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Civics and Citizenship
Context Notes
In 2017, each program dedicated a program session to community service. Throughout the year, 1,165 students participated in a community service project. (some students may have been counted twice)
Number of youth who plan to attend post-secondary education
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Civics and Citizenship
Context Notes
During 2017, in the fall semester 466 youth reported feeling more prepared for secondary education. In the spring, 575 youth reported feeling more prepared for secondary education.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Liberty's Promise supports young immigrants in need while encouraging them to be active and conscientious American citizens. Our programs aim to inform youth about the plethora of opportunities available to them while realizing that despite cultural and linguistic differences, they can succeed in the United States. Our goal is to help young immigrants pursue higher education, embark on meaningful careers, and become actively involved in their communities, as they discover their own, personal American dream.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Civics and Citizenship and Civic Engagement for Beginner English Language Learners (CE-BELL) are designed to expose young immigrants to a vast array of educational, enrichment, and professional opportunities. Both programs run twice per year, in the spring (March-May) and again in the fall (October-December). Youth meet twice a week, after school, over the course of 10 weeks for 90 minutes per session. In each of these programs, youth are introduced to guest speakers such as college and scholarship representatives, community leaders, and successful immigrants. Through these encounters, our youth are able to make connections and learn through hard work they can accomplish their dreams. We also take our youth on field trips around the community so that they feel comfortable and welcomed in their new homes.
Civics and Citizenship is delivered in English while CE-BELL is taught in Spanish, targeting young people with little or no proficiency in English. CE-BELL also incorporates a modest English-language-learning component as a way to encourage our newcomers to keep making improvements in their English-language skills.
Our internship program, Opportunities Plus, places low-income, documented, immigrant youth, ages 15-21, in six- to eight-week internships with local businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits, where they learn about the American workplace in a professional environment.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Since opening our doors in 2005, Liberty's Promise has served more than 4,500 low-income, immigrant youth from 120 countries. We currently run 22 programs in 15 locations across 8 jurisdictions. We currently employ 12 full-time staff members who are committed to the mission and goals of the organization. Each of our staff members have a passion for working with immigrant youth, and go above and beyond what is asked of them to ensure success for their students.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
After contacting 93.46 percent of our 4,557 past participants, we have found that of those youth who no longer attend high school, 98.28 percent (2,805/2,854) have earned their high school diploma or GED, and 54.38 percent (1,552/2,854) have completed some college. According to research from Johns Hopkins University and Pew Research, these statistics exceed the average high school graduation rate of 74 percent and college enrollment rate of 51 percent for low-income students in urban areas. Our youth have graduated from 140 colleges or universities, including schools like Brown, Columbia, Duke, Penn State, and the University of Virginia, and are currently employed at places like Duracell, Georgetown University Hospital, Marriott Hotels, Nestlé USA, the U.S. Navy Naval Air Systems Command. In short, our programs help change young immigrants’ belief in their potential, propelling them along the pathway to success that they choose for themselves.
In the next 3-5 years, we will be working to further develop the bonds we have with our youth. We are planning more events to keep alumni engaged and to help them network to advance their educational and professional goals. We are also working with a Board Member to update our strategic plan, which will call for an expansion to other states and regions. As we open more programs, we are hoping to magnify the network of services from which our youth can benefit, so that when an alumnus moves to a different city or state, they know they will have a Liberty's Promise family to connect with and fall back on.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Liberty's Promise
Board of directorsas of 04/29/2019
Mr. Andrew Young
Renner & Company, CPA, PC
Term: 2017 - 2020
Louisa Greve
Independent Consultant
Krista R. Hendry
Monkey Forest Consulting
Jack McLindon
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Rodger Potocki
National Endowment for Democracy
Jennifer Wilk
Passenger Vessel Association
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes