From Mai Fernandez of LAYC:
In response to the previous post, I would like to take the opportunity to clarify the relationship between the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) and the LAYC YouthBuild Public Charter School (YBPCS).
Founded in 1968 and incorporated as a non profit in 1974 for the purpose of serving youth, the LAYC has grown from a small grassroots organization to a nationally recognized organization that serves all low-income youth and families across the District of Columbia and in Maryland’s Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. The LAYC achieves its mission through a regional network of youth centers, school-based sites and two public charter schools with a shared commitment to meet young people where they are and help them make a successful transition to young adulthood. LAYC provides multi-lingual, culturally sensitive programs in six areas: Educational Enhancement, Workforce Investment, Social Services, Art + Media, Recreation and Advocacy.
LAYC’s nationally recognized youth development model, nurtured and refined over more than 35 years, has three goals for youth: 1) Increased academic success, 2) Improved ability to successfully transition to work, and 3) Improved skills for healthy living.
LAYC founded the LAYC YouthBuild Public Charter School in 2005 for the purpose of re-engaging high school drop outs through education, vocational training, leadership development, and community service. Students who attend YouthBuild split their time between classroom instruction to prepare for the GED exam and construction training. The redevelopment of the J.F. Cook School will serve as a second campus for the LAYC YBPCS that will provide DC youth with the following critical services: affordable housing, educational enhancement, job readiness training, vocational skills training and community service opportunities.
YBPCS staff will heavily recruit in Ward 5, particularly the Cook School community, to ensure that there is a large representation of students from these communities. During this 2008-2009 academic year, 12% of YBPCS students are from Ward 5. We anticipate that approximately 40% of students at the new YouthBuild Cook School Campus will be Ward 5 residents.
YBPCS’s current facility is located in the basement of a high-end condominium building in Columbia Heights. YBPCS staff, students have developed and maintained positive relationships with the staff and residents of the condominium building. The LAYC proposes to redevelop the Cook School into a safe, supportive and nurturing environment for DC youth to gain the necessary skills and confidence to become healthy, happy and self-reliant young adults. On behalf of the LAYC and YBPCS, I would like to share our enthusiasm about building strong relationships within the Bates Community in order to bring to life our vision for the Cook School and our mission of supporting local youth.
Here is an overview of YBPCS Academic and Vocational Outcomes for 2008-2009 Academic year:
· 68% student retention rate
· 84% student attendance rate
· 66% of graduating class earned their GED
· 85% of students with less than an 8th grade reading level advance 2 grade levels in reading
· 90% of students advance 1 grade level in math
· 92% of students earned certification in the construction vocational training
Bates Area Civic Association 
Thanks for reaching out to the BACA blog. To emphasize once again, nobody in the community is questioning the worthiness of the services your organization provides. Rather, we object to the heavy concentration of social services in our neighborhood, and the fact remains that your organization offers no upsides to the community and many potential downsides (and bringing in troubled young adults from across Ward 5, as opposed to from the rest of the city, is not a strong selling point in my view). While your outreach efforts are appreciated, I question why they came only after the decision to locate LAYC at Cook had been made. The entire decision making process was dysfunctional and non-transparent, and LAYC’s complete silence before and during the process suggests that it was complicit in presenting neighbors with a done deal that ignored our wishes. That, along with the Mayor’s mishandling of the situation, naturally makes BACA residents suspicious and distrustful.
Also, I have one question: How many residential units does your organization have in the basement of the high-end condominium building in Columbia Heights that you mentioned?
A total of 100 students attend the YBPCS in the basement of the high end condominium while 24 students live in residential units in townhouses around the corner on 15th St in Columbia Heights.
We would like to share the most recent update on the Cook School Re-Development Project Plans. The School will be re-developed according to the following design:
–The First Floor will be composed of technology classrooms, a construction laboratory space to support on-site vocational training, an auditorium with a capacity for 175 people, and several offices.
–The Second and Third Floors will be composed of 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments.
–Several multi-use rooms will also be incorporated throughout the school. These spaces will be used for school-related activities but will also be available to local residents to utilize for community-related programs and events.
–Parking spaces will be provided for the school and housing units; however, the LAYC YBPCS does not anticipate that many residents or students will use them.
More updates to come …
Best,
Mai Fernandez
LAYC