The Puerto Rican Institute for Arts and Advocacy, Inc., (PRIAA) is an outstanding 501-c3, non-profit organization dedicated to promote civic and cultural awareness for the Puerto Rican and Latino community through the performing and fine arts. PRIAA works with the state, city agencies, schools, universities, museums, gallery and existing organizations. They bring the best of the Caribbean traditions to the state of Rhode Island, Boston, Springfield Connecticut and Holyoke, MA., New York, and Puerto Rico. OUR MISSION: The Puerto Rican Institute for Arts and Advocacy, (PRIAA), was founded in 1994, which works adamantly to advocate for the Puerto Rican community, and Latinos in general. We strive to reach our communities with lessons to immerse them in a sense of pride of their cultural identity, their language, and at the same time acquire the commitment to maintain, develop, and transmit that pride generationaly. Our advocacy directs through the arts and expressions to maintain the heritage of the Puerto Rican population. We advocate for the respect we deserve as American citizens who contribute to the social, political, economic, and cultural well being of the entire nation. We strive to extend our culture to other Latino nationalities, as well as other nationalities, as an integral part our own culture, in particular the Caribbean culture- creating from our culture a cornerstone of communication among our population which lets us feel identified and proud of our cultural values and morals; of our race, our language, and our idiosyncrasy; as a point of union and brotherhood. PRIAA runs a Caribbean Island Program in Rhode Island since 1995, and since 2012, through the Performing and Creative Arts as an integrated arts and academic facilities, have fostered the future 21st century leaders with Hartford Performs in partnership with the public school system in Connecticut.