The Hopkins, Esperanza, Asylee Women And Loyola (HEAL) Refugee Health and Asylum Collaborative is a collaboration among Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the Esperanza Center/Catholic Charities, Asylee Women’s Enterprise, and Loyola University Maryland to increase access to forensic physical and psychological evaluations, mental health care, and other services to survivors of torture and trauma seeking refuge in the United States. The first such dedicated physical clinic in the Baltimore area, HEAL works to address the needs of Baltimore’s burgeoning population of asylum-seekers. Services are located at The Esperanza Center, a comprehensive resource center whose mission is to welcome immigrants by offering hope, compassionate services, and the power to improve their lives. This grant provided operating support.

The mission of Adelante Latina is to help Latina girls in Baltimore overcome the socio-cultural, economic and academic barriers they face in pursuing a college career. The program strives to improve high school performance through interaction with expert teachers and caring tutors, with an emphasis on reading comprehension, vocabulary, writing skills and SAT preparation. Students participate during their sophomore-senior years of high school.

During senior year, Adelante Latina provides guidance with the college decision process, and college and scholarship applications. In the 11 years it has been in operation, 100% of students have been accepted to college and 97% have attended. This program provided core operating support.

Through a curated educational pathway that starts in middle school, continues into high school and concludes with professional training, Wide Angle Youth Media equips participants with the media arts skills to capture, document, and write the stories of their time. Current core programs include media arts education for middle and high school youth; summer employment and college/career readiness programming; and paid skilled media internships and apprenticeships for youth up to age 24. Young people who participate in Wide Angle’s programming are majority youth of color (with an annual average of over 90%), and an average of over 80% from low- to middle- income backgrounds.

Wide Angle’s programs have served over 7,000 youth since its founding in 2000. The desire to expand programming even further prompted Wide Angle to move to a new, much larger space, which will enable to them to develop a pre-apprenticeship framework to fill the current gap between high school programming and full apprenticeships. The pre-apprenticeship for youth ages 18-24 will equip youth who demonstrate interest and aptitude for media-making, but do not yet have the skills necessary to produce professional-level media content, with foundational skills to increase their employability in the media communications sector. Grant funds will be used for a team of consultants to help them clarify the pre-apprenticeship model in terms of format, curriculum, staffing and operational considerations, and establishing employer partnerships.