WASHINGTON, April 14, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This morning, at the invitation of President Obama's administration, six of Esperanza's youth are in attendance at the White House Easter Breakfast to represent our successful mentoring initiatives. All six youth – attending the White House event accompanied by members of Esperanza's leadership team (including Reverend Luis Cortés Jr., Esperanza's founder and President) – are young Hispanic and African American men between the ages of 13 and 16 who have excelled academically and socially due to their participation in Esperanza's best-practices mentoring programs. Five of the youth are engaged with mentors through Esperanza Academy, where they are currently enrolled as eighth and ninth-grade students; the sixth youth receives mentoring support through the Timoteo Football league, one of the local affiliate organizations in Esperanza's national "Real Time" mentoring initiative.

Esperanza's mentoring programs achieve extraordinary outcomes with inner-city, at-risk youth who have a prior history of low academic achievement, disciplinary action due to behavioral issues, and involvement with the juvenile justice system. Many of the youth in our mentoring programs come from poverty communities, single-parent households, and other circumstances that present challenges to their academic success. Through rigorous evidence-based program models that adhere to best practices, Esperanza's mentors help these young people transform their outlook and behavior, turn failing grades into superior academic performance, and pave the way for a bright future.  

We are proud to participate in the White House Easter Breakfast, and grateful for the opportunity that has been given to our youth to learn and grow from this valuable experience. We look forward to continuing to contribute to the development and success of our community's young people, through our successful educational institutions – Esperanza Academy has a 91% on-time graduation rate with a 100% minority student body – and through strong mentoring supports.   

Esperanza, the premiere Hispanic Evangelical faith-based network in the country, was founded in 1987 by the Reverend Luis Cortés Jr. and the Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity.  With a national network of over 13,000 Hispanic congregations, faith and community based agencies, Esperanza is a leading voice for Hispanics in America. To read more, please visit www.esperanza.us.

Esperanza Academy is dedicated to providing quality education that prepares critically thinking, socially capable, spiritually sensitive, and culturally aware young adults who can use English, Spanish, and technology as tools for success. Mentoring is a key component of the support services offered to students during their academic career.

The Esperanza national "Real Time" mentoring program works with 15 organizations in 8 states to support the delivery of high-quality mentoring services. Esperanza provides capacity building, training and technical assistance, funding resources, oversight, and evaluation for these organizations, helping them to expand their reach and strengthen their mentoring services.

SOURCE Esperanza