Loisaida, Inc. Mission
Loisaida, Inc. is a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt not-for-profit community based organization founded in 1979 to address the problem of social and economic disenfranchisement of poor and low income residents of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The mission of Loisaida, Inc. is to facilitate access to education, training and employment opportunities that ensure the overall improvement and economic development of the community. Loisaida, Inc. concentrates its human development efforts through comprehensive youth and family support programs in order to eliminate barriers to learning and to secure significant social and economic development opportunities.
Current Loisaida Inc. Programs
Loisaida Inc helps more than 2,000 children and youth of the Lower East Side to acquire and build the skills and confidence needed to reach their full potential for successful life. Loisaida ensures the overall improvement and economic development of the Lower East Side through a variety of creative and innovative after school and youth development programs.
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention in the Lower East Side (A.P.P.L.E.S.) is a consortium of more than 40 agencies committed to reducing teen pregnancy on the Lower Eastside. Funded by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services, Loisaida Inc. has been the lead agency for over 12 years.
The Loisaida Players is a youth theater troupe of high school students trained as peer educators to reach out to other adolescents to prevent pregnancy, and HIV infection. Each year, over 1,000 young people in the community attend performances presented by the troupe. The Players Program has produced a video of its pregnancy prevention stage performance for distribution to youth serving agencies.
Parental Awareness Prevents Abandonment (P.A.P.A.) is a program to help insure that young fathers stay involved in the lives of their children. Through individual and group counseling, participants develop parenting, communication and problem solving skills. Additionally, clients receive services that help them resolve issues of education, employment, family court and other legal matters.
Striving to Achieve Remarkable Success (S.T.A.R.S.) is a Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) funded tutorial program which helps prepare high school students to take the PSAT and SAT exams and enhance their overall academic skills. The program also works with the students’ families to help them understand the importance of a college education and how they can afford it for their children. The program is based in the Henry Street School for International Studies.
Loisaida Commercial Revitalization Initiative: With support from the NYC Department of Small Business Services, Loisaida Inc. is developing a commercial revitalization plan for Loisaida, which will include solutions and supports around the problems faced by minority-owned small businesses, and developing entrepreneurs who are facing the challenges of gentrification and the economy. It will also broaden the scope and impact of the Annual Loisaida Festival and Carnival as a marketing event for the Lower East Side, and the commercial corridors in Loisaida, particularly Loisaida Avenue (C).
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