The Alliance for Peace: For a New Lo\u00edza (Alianza) aims to reduce violence incidents in Lo\u00edza and provide educational and employment alternatives that allow young people to guide their human development. The alliance is comprised of the Puerto Rico Community Foundation (FCPR), the Municipality of Lo\u00edza, Nuestra Escuela, and Taller Salud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The initiative benefits young people between 15 and 30 years old who reside in the neighborhoods of Pueblo, Median\u00eda Baja, and Median\u00eda Alta in Lo\u00edza\u2014neighborhoods where personal and family disputes have occurred, limiting some of these young people's ability to leave their surroundings for fear of risking their safety. The Alliance's objectives are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The organization Taller Salud is the first point of contact that young people have with the Alliance. Using the evidence-based \u201cCure Violence\u201d model, the organization assigns a \u201cCommunity Outreach\u201d worker to provide individualized mentoring and support to each of the over 30 young participants in the program. The Community Outreach staff are residents of the community whose backgrounds include their own experiences with acts of violence in Lo\u00edza. Simultaneously, the entity has a team of \u201cViolence Interrupters.\u201d The primary function of this staff is to mediate interpersonal and community conflicts to prevent them from escalating into acts of violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Vision | A Lo\u00edza of peace and unity where youth has a love for life and alternatives to achieve their dreams.<\/p>
Mission | To link efforts and channel resources that inspire Loice\u00f1a youth to develop a culture of peace.<\/p>
Values | Respect. Justice. Commitment. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Young participants who do not have a high school diploma are referred to the \"Nuestra Escuela\" program in the community. \"Nuestra Escuela\" is an alternative education project that values and empowers its students in the process of personal development and contributing to a better country. Through teachers who adapt this educational model to the community, referred youth can complete their degree in a period of 3 months to a year and a half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least 40 young people who already have their diploma or plan to complete it during the program will participate in work experiences identified in collaboration with community associations, local businesses, and the Municipality of Lo\u00edza. Some examples of work development projects include: beautification brigades, public infrastructure, or the coordination of recreational activities in Lo\u00edza communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this Alliance, the Puerto Rico Community Foundation provides leadership and coordination, while also identifying and allocating resources that complement the funds received from the Obama Foundation through its My Brother\u2019s Keeper (MBK) Challenge 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n