About the Program
About the Hispanic Youth Institute
The Hispanic Youth Institute (HYI) is a national pre-college program that begins the Hispanic College Fund’s pipeline of programs helping students graduate from college, pursue professional careers and give back to the community. HYI is scheduled to run in four communities in 2011: Greater Washington; Los Angeles, CA; New Mexico; and Silicon Valley, CA.
The Kick-Off in Each Community
Beginning in the summer, approximately 100 high school students will experience a university campus for a four-day, three-night college empowerment program where students will learn to overcome both real and perceived barriers to college access. The students will participate in college and career workshops, connect with local Hispanic professionals, meet college admissions officers, interact with near-peer mentors, listen to inspirational speakers, and compete for scholarships. Throughout the on-campus experience, the students will build their confidence and receive practical tools to help them along their pathway to college.
A Year-Round Program
Upon completion of the on-campus kick-off program, students are enrolled into year-round programming that reinforces the key themes of college, career and community, while encouraging them to promote a college-going culture to their peers throughout the remainder of their high school years. The Hispanic College Fund works with organizations in the local community to leverage existing resources and fill resource gaps.
Challenge
The U.S. Census projects 1 in 5 Americans will be Latino by 2020. However, nearly 1 in 5 Latinos currently drop out of high school and only 1 in 8 have a college degree, the lowest rate of any racial/ethnic group.
Action
To address the high school drop-out crisis and low college enrollment rates in the Latino community, the Hispanic College Fund began the Hispanic Youth Institute to educate and motivate high school students to go to college, pursue professional careers, and give back to their communities.
Impact
Our students will perpetuate a college-going culture among their peers and create a future where developing the next generation of Hispanic professionals is no longer just HCF’s mission – it’s their mission, too.