P.E.C.E.S., Inc. (Programa de Educación Comunal de Entrega y Servicio, Inc.)

Founded in 1985, P.E.C.E.S. is a nonprofit organization that promotes the social, educational and economic development of communities in the eastern region of Puerto Rico. Our programs are based on a community participation model that allows for leadership development in a region that has been impacted by economic and social challenges. The success rate for our community programs has inspired us to consider expanding our services beyond the eastern region. Many of us working at P.E.C.E.S. today participated in several of the organizations' programs decades ago, and can talk about its effectiveness. This is why we’d like for the new leaders that we are helping today to come back and serve their communities in the future. Our services include: -An alternative education school: we aim to prevent school dropouts through a successful, well rounded program that is tailored to the needs of each of our students. It includes counseling, supervised studies and personal development activities that makes our students commit to completing their high school, keeping themselves away from risk activities and fulfilling their life and career goals. -Support Center for the Development of Community Business and Jobs (Centro de Apoyo al Desarrollo de Empresas y Empleos Comunitarios –Cadeec). Cadeec supports, trains and coaches people on entrepreneurship and on how to be self-sufficient. Through workshops, business and technical counseling on business development, it provides guidance on financing and has a small business incubator in place. -Community leadership center: we develop future leaders supporting them with character building strategies and helping them develop their community and learning skills. -Other programs in alliance with public and private agencies: from providing after-school activities to public school students, to offering workshops on parenting skills to parents and caretakers of participating children, to managing teen pregnancy prevention programs.