About La Oportunidad
Over the last 20 years, La Oportunidad has become an internationally recognized and leading provider of bilingual and bicultural family-centered educational and supportive programs to help Latino children, youth, adults, and families in the Twin Cities metro to achieve greater capacity, develop practical skills, nurture healthy relationships, and build a stronger community. La Oportunidad, a nonprofit 501c3 organization created in 1987, achieves its mission of "championing the development of Latino individuals and families to create a strong, peaceful community," through its holistic, culturally-relevant programming:
- The El Camino (The Path) Children's Program provides weekly after-school preventive cultural education and self-esteem building groups and a summer program to Latino children to assist them in developing positive attitudes and behaviors in the areas of self, family, and community that will reduce their vulnerability to negative behaviors in their adolescence. In 2009, El Camino served 392 children.
- The Latino Youth Program provides weekly school-year groups, year-round truancy prevention groups, a mentorship program, and a leadership program to assist Latino adolescents to develop positive attitudes and behaviors in the areas of education, self, family, and community that will help them to become positive, contributing members of the community. In 2009, Latino Youth Programs served 721 youth.
- The Padres Parenting Programs provides year-round classes to empower Latino parents with the tools necessary to support their children’s education, and raise healthy, well-adjusted children who will contribute to their communities. In 2009, Padres direct programming served 297 parents. 90% of the parents who participated in the Padres Parenting Program increased participation in their children’s education.
- The Latinos Ending Abuse Program (LEAP) provides year-round classes to Latino men and women to give them the tools, education, and support necessary to help eliminate violent behaviors in their relationships, families, and communities. In 2009, LEAP served 173 Latino adults.
- Reflections of Peace Photography Project
A Message from the Executive Director
Newsletters and Annual Reports
Recent Accomplishments
La Oportunidad continued implementation of its 2008-2010 strategic plan, exceeding its program goals and organizational capacity, despite of the state of the economy.As a result, the organization positively impacted the lives of thousands of individuals in its efforts to build a strong, peaceful community.
Comprehensive Direct Services: Over 1,585 Latino children, youth, and adults received direct services through weekly year-round and school-based educational, preventive, and support groups. La Oportunidad's program areas are: El Camino (The Path) Children's Program, Latino Youth Program, Padres/Parents Program, and Latinos Ending Abuse Program.
La Feria, 15th Annual Latino Families Resources Fair: Approximately 1,300 community members received information and resources from 100 bilingual educational, health, and social service providers, increasing awareness and access to services.
Education Connect Events: As part of its leadership role in the Latino Youth Development Collaborative (LYDC), La Oportunidad coordinated several Education Connect events where 718 Latino youth and their families received educational resources and connected with service providers. The LYDC's mission is to increase and enhance healthy youth development and educational success for Latino youth through access, participation, leadership, and family engagement.
Youth Violence Prevention Campaign: La Oportunidad, along with twelve other organizations, played a leadership role in the development of a multicultural community campaign to unlearn the culture of violence ("Peace 24/7, It Begins with You"). The campaign development was sponsored by the Minneapolis Foundation with the Minneapolis Health Department, and facilitated by the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development.
Strategic Plan 2008-2010: The organization continued with the successful implementation of its current strategic plan. Part of the process included a mid-term evaluation of the plan with key stakeholders.
En Familia (In the Family) TV Program and other presentations/trainings: Over 20,000 individuals benefited from educational community outreach and training including several school districts and viewers of the En Familia weekly Spanish TV cable program, which La Oportunidad co-produces and hosts.
Volunteers and Interns: 100 interns and volunteers continued to play a key role in the organization's success. Their time, energy, and talents made a great contribution to the increased capacity of the organization.
