About TuFuturo
Purpose
TuFuturo, a key initiative of the CEC, focusses on serving Latino Youth in Bartholomew County. While the CEC as a whole works with various age groups including adults, there are currently no other youth service organizations in the country that specifically serve Latino youth & their families in the education context.
Mission
Support the Latino community to improve their lives through education and training.
Meet your Latino Coaches
Jeliane Novais Latino Coach for Columbus East High School (CEHS) and CSA New Tech
Chris Torres
Latino Coach for Columbus North High School (CNHS) and McDowell
Since 2016, two TuFuturo high school coaches have been helping Latino high school students graduate high school sucessfully and navigate the pathway to post secondary education. The coaches are embedded in the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (BCSC) high schools, working closely with Latino students, their parents, teachers and school administrators, post-secondary partners, and community programs. They partner with employers to provide career awareness information, plant tours, and other strategies to help students identify education and career pathways.
The objective of this work is to increase high school graduation rate and the post-secondary education attainment rate (including certification 2 years and 4 years) for Latino students. While coaching is open to all Latinos, it is low-income, first generation students who tend to benefit the most.
Key aspects of the Latino Coaches work includes:
- One-on-One Coaching
- The TuFuturo high school coaches develop strong relationships with students and parents focussing on all aspects of high school and post-secondary education success.
Events
The coaches also plan and execute a full calendar of activities and events centered around increasing the Latino high school graduation rate and the number of Latino students enrolling in college or training after graduation.
In 2011, the CEC created the role Latino Education and Outreach Manager to bring together stakeholders through a collaborative group focused on improving educational outcomes for Latinos in Bartholomew County. With twenty-five actively engaged organizations today, the “Latino Education Group” meets monthly, acting as a guiding team to identify opportunities to collaborate, leverage resources, and implement strategies that will improve educational outcomes for Latino students. By fostering strong trusting relationships among the partners, the group works as a “system of support” to strengthen the learning outcomes for Latino children, families, and adults in our community.
VALUES
Trust, Be Proud, Participation, Support
Achievements / Outcomes / Data
In collaboration with BCSC, TuFuturo has contributed toward making a significant impact on education outcomes for Latino students. The Latino high school graduation rates increased by 14.4% from 2007 (64%) to 2022 (78.4%). While the 2019-20 graduation rates dropped from the previous year due to the pandemic and challenges of virtual learning, the long-term trend is upward. Similarly, in 2007, the equity gap for high school graduation rates between Latinos an all students combined was -17.6%.
