Heritage Language Literacy Club:

A Proven Model of Success

Our model program, the Heritage Language Literacy Club, was developed in 1999 by teachers in a Latino immigrant community in which many young people were rapidly losing their linguistic and cultural heritage and finding their identity in local gangs.  Over 1,000 tutors have participated in the program since its inception and 100% of those who successfully completed training have graduated from high school and continued their education in colleges and universities.

The program’s strength is that, at every level, participants interact with successful role models of their own ethnic background.  The young readers build mentoring relationships with their tutors, who serve as models of responsible behavior and success in school.

The young adult tutors, in turn, are guided by and identify with their teacher leaders.
This bond of strong relationships with positive role models encourages youth to see themselves as valuable contributors to a community of learners; staff expertise and the structure of the program help participants develop the bilingual skills and attitudes needed to become leaders in the global economy.

Tutors receive a college scholarship award upon successful completion of each year of service and are encouraged to develop college aspirations through various program activities.