LATINAS ON THE VERGE OF EXCELLENCE

“We are very grateful to the Amplify Her Foundation for its generosity. The foundation’s support will allow L.O.V.E. to continue expanding and growing its programs, which will help to increase our impact and serve more young women in NYC. By successfully implementing the L.O.V.E. Program, we can create long-lasting change that allows young women to realize their goals- whatever that may mean for each of them.”
— Claudia Espinosa, Founder & Executive Director, Latinas on the Verge of Excellence

MISSION 

Latinas On The Verge of Excellence (L.O.V.E.) empowers young women to identify their innate strength to fulfill their personal and professional goals through mentorship and health education targeted at mental, reproductive and physical health, as well as college and career readiness. L.O.V.E. is the only non-profit organization in New York City that was created with the mission to support young Latinas to realize their goals. Their culturally- and linguistically-sensitive mentoring approach allows young women to feel safe and express themselves freely without judgment, which encourages them to be open to receiving the education and support they need.

 
 

GRANT PURPOSE & IMPACT

Amplify Her Foundation funding will support the L.O.V.E Mentoring Program, which serves as a preventative and motivational program that emboldens young women to believe in themselves and in their self-worth to achieve their ambitious goals.

L.O.V.E.’s school-based model is delivered during the academic year in Health Studies or aligned classes in partner public schools in New York City. L.O.V.E. is implemented as a class for girls only with a specific curriculum that covers socio-emotional content and addresses health standards. During the academic year, mentors and mentees participate in weekly, hour-long sessions guided by a curriculum that consists of four core components: mental health, reproductive health, college access, and career readiness. L.O.V.E. mentors are female university students, and a teacher from each partner school is also present. 

L.O.V.E. believes that young women already possess the innate strength to fulfill their personal and professional goals. Yet, lack of access, representation, and guidance, can make it challenging for them to recognize this. Mentorship is the main component of the L.O.V.E. program. L.O.V.E. provides mentorship that focuses on relatable-role modeling that comes from individuals who directly understand the challenges and support the young women we serve need to shine. L.O.V.E’s relatable role-modeling allows the mentees to see themselves reflected in their mentors, and witness first hand the promising future that lies ahead of them. Most mentors are Latina or women of diverse cultural backgrounds and a majority are first-generation college students from NYC. The similarity in background and proximity in age allows for mentees to directly relate to the mentors, as they have recently gone through similar experiences. Through this, we are working to create a shift in the ways young women view themselves and their futures, as group mentoring can create a sense of belonging, connection, and mutual support. 

With support from the Amplify Her Foundation, L.O.V.E Mentoring Program will deepen its existing partnerships with New York City public high schools, to increase the number of classes offered, with the goal to support at least 1,000 young Latinas in 2024.