ASPIRA of New York is a Hispanic non-profit organization working to foster educational excellence and civic responsibility among young Latinos. ASPIRA youth development clubs, dropout prevention initiatives and after school programs each year serve more than 8,000 young people in the five boroughs of New York City and Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Former ASPIRA club members, or ASPIRANTES, as they are known, include Anthony Romero

Anthony Romero

Anthony D. Romero is the American executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.-Early life:Romero was born in New York City on July 9, 1965 to Puerto Rican parents Demetrio and Coralie Romero. He was raised in the Bronx.-Education:...

, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union

American Civil Liberties Union

The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...

; former Bronx Borough President and New York City democratic mayoral nominee Fernando Ferrer

Fernando Ferrer

Fernando James "Freddy" Ferrer was the Borough President of The Bronx from 1987 to 2001, and was a candidate for Mayor of New York in 2001 and the Democratic Party nominee for Mayor in 2005.- Background :...

; and the actor Jimmy Smits

Jimmy Smits

Jimmy Smits is an American actor. Smits is perhaps best known for his roles as attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s legal drama L.A. Law, as NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s police drama NYPD Blue, and as Congressman Matt Santos on The West Wing...

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History

ASPIRA of New York was founded in New York City in 1961 by Dr. Antonia Pantoja

Antonia Pantoja

Dr. Antonia Pantoja , educator, social worker, feminist, civil rights leader and founder of ASPIRA, the Puerto Rican Forum, Boricua College and Producir.-Early years:...

 to combat the exorbitant dropout rate among Puerto Rican high school youth. The ASPIRA movement and Dr. Pantoja’s ideals took root around the country, leading to the creation in 1968 of ASPIRA of America—today known as The ASPIRA Association—and the establishment of ASPIRA associate offices in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico.

ASPIRA of New York, with the support of ASPIRA of America and the representation of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, filed a suit against the New York City Board of Education in 1972 that led to the ASPIRA Consent Decree. The decree, signed August 29, 1974, established the right of New York City public school students with limited English proficiency to receive bilingual education.

The “Triple A Process”

At the core of ASPIRA’s work with youth is promoting adherence to the Triple A Process, which consists of:

• Awareness – Cultural and self-awareness; the discovery of self-value and the value of others.
• Analysis – Critical thinking; the process of finding out about one’s self, other cultures and the world.
• Action.— Social action; putting the knowledge and skills one has acquired to use for the benefit of self and others, especially one’s family and community.