Program areas at Presencia
Presencia teaches the children of immigrants to lead with love through tutoring, leadership development, and job opportunities. We build community and provide life-changing care in our tutoring program, where students receive personal homework help, nutritious meals, and positive community interaction. Approximately 60 students are currently receiving care in our program. Students who graduate from our tutoring program join our leadership team, where they have opportunities to serve the younger students, develop skills through trainings, weekly meetings, and retreats. Five students are currently developing leadership through participation on this team.
Presencia has partnered with Brookhaven Presbyterian Church to provide a path to homeownership for a couple of families in our program. These families live in homes in our neighborhood, where a portion of their rent is put aside to accrue as capital towards a down payment on a home purchase in 3 years. These families are also assisted with skills needed to manage the finances and responsibilities of home ownership.
Our high school and college-aged students are trained, equipped, and paid through our job opportunities. Five young leaders currently serve on our tutoring staff, where they begin building their resumes, gain a range of work experiences, develop as professionals, and earn income for themselves and their families. Our youth leaders have a 100% high school graduation rate, nearly double the community average.