Contact: Catherine Easby-Smith
(202) 833-0060
manacatherine@aol.com

Washington, D.C., October 1, 2003 - At the invitation of the White House, members of the National HERMANITAS® Mentoring Program operated by MANA, A National Latina Organization (MANA) will attend a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at the White House this Thursday. Thirteen young Latinas and their chaperone/mentors from MANA chapters in Detroit (MI), Northern New Mexico, San Antonio (TX), and Sonoma County (CA) will attend.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for the Hermanitas. We know that this experience will broaden their horizons, and hope that it will also call attention to the need for mentoring programs for Hispanic youth," stated Alma Morales Riojas, President and CEO of MANA.

MANA's National HERMANITAS® Program, now in its eighth year, provides education, training, leadership development, mentoring, and peer support to Hispanic female adolescents between the ages of eleven and seventeen. The program is designed to improve the health practices and behaviors of young Latinas, while also encouraging them to stay in school and to pursue high academic goals. MANA expands efforts to consider the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual needs of Latina youth by providing accurate information, nonjudgmental counseling, and skill building opportunities. The program aims to develop strong young Latinas who are active in their communities. MANA members and volunteers donate their time to this effort.

In 2001, MANA received a grant from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a three-year pilot study of the HERMANITAS® Program. Now in its third year, the Community Disparities Grant is being used to perform a study of the effects of mentoring on the health attitudes and behaviors of Latina youth. The outcomes of this study will be available as a best practice model for using culturally relevant means to improve the health and future of Latina youth.

HERMANITAS® Program funding is also provided by State Farm Insurance Companies, General Motors Corporation, Nordstrom, SBC, and Verizon. The AvanZamos Fellowship Program to train mentoring trainers is funded by Ford Motor Company Fund.

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MANA, A National Latina Organization, is a nonprofit, advocacy organization headquartered in the nation's capital, Washington, D. C. With chapters across the country, it is the oldest National Latina membership organization in the United States. MANA, whose mission is to empower Latinas through leadership development, community service, and advocacy, envisions a national community of informed Latina activists working to improve the quality of life for all Hispanics.

MANA also has the only national young Latina's mentoring program for girls 11 to 17, "HERMANITAS®" which brings over 200 girls to Washington DC to a summer institute that includes a briefing at the White House and a visit to the girls' Congressional representatives.