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What tools, policies and practices are necessary to prevent opportunity youth from engaging with the juvenile justice system?

This project is made possible thanks to the generosity of the Hive Chicago

Fund for Connected Learning, the Leo S. Guthman Fund, the W.

Clemente & Jessie V. Stone Foundation, K. Kellogg Foundation, the

Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, and the Chicago

Public School District

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Contents

Authors …………………………………………………….2

Executive Summary .................................... 4

Education .................................................... 5

Health ....................................................... 10

Community ............................................... 16

Acknowledgements .................................. 23

Authors “Youth need love, support and motivation.”

– Joanna Martycz

“People need to know how to work around the system.”

– Francisco Renteria

“Youth need a community full of people that will motivate and support

them in all their endeavors.” – Anna Travis

“To stay out of jail young people need someone they can open up to and get

good advice from.” – Michael Shanks

“Someone to show them the right way and family.” – Jeremiah Holt

“To stay busy and give them jobs so they will have less time to be on the

streets.”- Kameron Piphus

“One thing young people need is more jobs for them and better looking

communities.” – Darsale Harrison

“If their family would talk to them and show them drugs, dropping out,

smoking and all that stuff they don’t need in it can mess they future up

youth would be okay so ore talking to parents.”

-Derakita Kathey

“Give them more time, attention and be friendly with them and listen to

their ideas and respond in a right way.” – Samket Goshu

“Youth need programs that youth love to do in their free time to keep them

out of jail.” – Vanessa Mora

“Youth need to have programs in communities or in school to keep them

busy working or volunteering to keep them in a positive place.”

– Xitlali Avila

“Young people need positive guidance, faith, hope, a good support system

and LOVE!” – Dymond Hunley

“Young people need positive role models and equal opportunity education.”

– Keondre Jones

“In order to keep youth out of jail, they need laws to prevent them

incarceration for minor offenses.” – Emmanuel Navarro

“Youth need individual, family and community healing to stay out of jail.” –

Korynna Lopez

“A strong and unified community with good intentions.”

– Adan Soriano

“Parents to look up to and give them good advice.”

– Reanna Crowder

“Young people need leaders and mentors to never go to jail. They need

someone to be a role model, someone to push them to be better.”- Natalie

Gastevich

“Youth need a positive role model that believes in them and their beliefs.” –

Bea Eusebio

“One way to stop youth to never enter the system is the support of other

youths.” – Shani Mei

“Youth need the love of everybody around them, friends, family, police,

alderman, teachers.” – Kortez Brinson

“Young people need love and support from someone they can truly trust.” –

Erykah M. Miles

“Support and role models.” – Kevin Cruz

“What’s one thing young people need to stay out of the JTDC?”

Executive Summary The Cook County Juvenile Justice Council facilitated by Mikva Challenge is a group youth committed to improving the juvenile justice system. Each summer we work to improve the Juvenile Justice System to better meet the needs of youth in Cook County. This summer we worked specifically on preventing youth from entering the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC). Our framing question was: "what tools, policies, and practices are necessary to prevent "opportunity youth" from engaging in the Juvenile Justice System?" In this context, opportunity youth are youth who are not working and are not in school. To answer this question, we did a variety of research. We went on site visits to the Saura Center and Youth Outreach Services to meet and talk with other youth currently involved in the juvenile justice system. In addition, we visited the Jane Addams Hull House and learned about the origin of the Juvenile Justice System. Many guest speakers came into the Council to further our understanding of the system and the issues within the system. Juliana Stratton, the Executive Director of the Justice Advisory Council, talked to the JJC about the system and how it works, as well as issues it faces. Karima Douglas discussed Disproportionate Minority Contact with the council and what institutionalized racism looks like. Officer

Sabrina King of the 9th District gave the JJC a police officer's view of the issues youth face. And finally, Dr. Elena Quintana informed the council about the effects of Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) on youth incarceration. These site visits and guest speakers added to the research we gathered from radio pieces, articles, and our own experiences. Throughout the summer, the JJC used Twitter, Instagram, and Storify to interact with the Chicago community to spread our work and get even more ideas from other citizens. We think our social media presence has largely improved the awareness of the issues we address daily regarding opportunities for youth and incarceration.

From this report, we hope we have effectively shared the recommendations that have resulted from our

summer's work. As a result of our recommendations we hope to see safer communities in Chicago, a

greater consciousness towards youth’s mental health needs, as well as more efforts to keep youth in

school as a way of preventing them from going to jail. Throughout the upcoming year, we will advocate for

our recommendations with decision makers, government officials, community members and our peers, so

as to make more meaningful change for the youth of Chicago.

What do young people need to stay out

of jail?

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Education

Summary

Truancy and dropouts are both crucial risk factors on their own; if truancy is not addressed, youth have a higher chance of dropping out. According to Smart Horizons Lifetime Training Solutions, 80 percent of students who dropped out of school were chronically truant throughout the academic year that they dropped out. [1] Throughout the education section, we focus on addressing the truancy and dropout problem as a means to prevent youth engagement with the juvenile justice system.

“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” - Maya Angelou

If given the right opportunities within education, “opportunity youth,” like all youth can be taught and learn the right choices to make. Education is important because it leads to good opportunities. Youth in society need more motivation in order to overcome negative influences. When there isn’t good education, youth don't choose to do good, but instead turn to bad things like drugs and gangs. According to the National Institute of Justice, 29% of the crimes committed by youth are during hours when youth should be in school. [2]

Statistics: 80% of offenders in youth courts are not engaged at all in the education system. [3] About 41% of inmates in state and federal prisons have less than a high school education. [4] “Students who demonstrate truant behavior are 7x more likely to be arrested than the general teenage population. [1]” “About 95% of juvenile offenders started out as truants. [1]”

The Solution: Our solution to these risk factors is to keep youth in school. Protective factors that can counterbalance the risk factors are people and programs that keep youth in school. The following recommendations will inform you about ways society can change our youth with the right help, knowledge, and support.

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In the article, “CPS Commissioned then abandoned anti-truancy plan”, we learned that increasing the numbers of youth in school by 1% can lead to between $9-11.5 million dollar increase in the CPS budget. We believe that the funding for truancy officers could come from this additional funding. [6]

Recommendation

• Our recommendation is to have truancy officers return to CPS with a stronger focus on the individual students. Instead of forcefully taking youth to school, the officers would start an investigation whenever a youth is constantly missing days of school, shows signs of abuse, or has been arrested. Truancy officers could be funded by money CPS would receive from increasing attendance rates.

Why does this matter?

• There are many reasons why a young person may not attend school, and truancy officers can help identify those reasons and help families solve them. For example:

• Gang violence can also scare a family into keeping their kids at home to make sure their kids are safe. If we could bring back truancy officers who could report these incidents and provide safe passage to school then youth will succeed. [5]

Additional Research

• The Chicago Tribune article,“An Empty Desk Epidemic,” shares the story of a family at Spencer Elementary Technology Academy who could not afford to pay the fee for birth certificates or simply busfare. Since the school didn’t know about this problem, they were unable to offer services to help the family get their kids in school. In this situation a truancy officer can offer help to the family to ensure the student is enrolled in school on time. [5]

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Recommendation

• Our recommendation is to require each school to establish a peer mentoring program as part of a service learning requirement. Upperclassmen would be assigned a freshman who they would help in school and with decision making.

Why will this idea work?

• If teens are more engaged in school, they will be less likely to engage in criminal activity during school hours. Guidance is something freshmen lack when first entering high school, and having another student that has been in the same predicament before giving them advice can be beneficial.

Additional Research

• The article from the Boomerang Project, “Why Link Crew?,” says “high schools don’t have to just stand by and allow this rite of passage to happen to their freshmen. You can, with some strategic and intentional actions, put in place a structure where freshmen get the necessary support to successfully navigate this significant transition and start their high school experience on a positive note.[7]”

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Recommendation

•Our recommendation is to create an online academic program targeted at academic re-engagement and dropout prevention. This would include one-on-one tutoring, online work assignments, and curriculum with some student choice in course selection.

Why will this idea work?

•There is a high correlation between youth who are not in school and the youth who are committing crimes. Youth lack interest in school because they “don’t understand the teacher or the curriculum”, said a youth at the Saura Center. However, with one-on-one tutoring and online classes, youth would have the opportunity not only to succeed, but to exceed as well. Studies have shown that youth who are involved in school, are 41% less likely to be involved in criminal activity stated in the Youth Courts article.[3]

Additional Research

•The University of Chicago’s Crime and Urban Education Labs did a two-part intervention. It is the combination of mentoring and tutoring that researchers believe can have a significant impact on reversing declining grades and absenteeism -- factors eventually leading to dropping out of school. Researchers found that the intervention increased graduation rates by 14 percent, compared with students in the control group.[8]

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“When faithfully attending school, they are much less likely to be involved in crime - even if not academically achieving. [3]”

Recommendation

•Our recommendation is to create a system of social workers and peer mentors that develop relationships with students to address underlying issues affecting a student’s attendance. The student will meet regularly with a relatable mentor while a social worker will provide clinical support.

Why will this idea work?

• This recommendation addresses truancy by repairing an opportunity youth’s relationship with school as an individual and with the school community as a whole. Students that are not in school during school hours shouldn’t be taken to jail - as current policies call for, but instead be taken back to their school. They will be referred by the police or faculty members depending on the situation. Social workers and mentors will help figure out underlying issues students have and will work through it with them. This system will help youth address issues that lead them to negative behavior. Some issues students can work through are ones that primarily cause truancy.

Additional Research

• “Truancy can be caused by many factors:

• a lack of interest

• fear of violence in school

• lack of parental supervision/support

• drug and alcohol abuse

• alienation from school [1]”

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Citations

[1] "Truancy Prevention and Dropout Recovery." Lifetime Training Solutions: Truancy Prevention. Smart Horizons, n.d. Web. 2 Aug. 2014. <http://mytrainingnow.com/tpp/truancy-prevention.php>.

[2] "Juveniles." CrimeSolutions.gov. Office of Justice Programs: National Institute of Justice, n.d. Web. <https%3A%2F%2Fwww.crimesolutions.gov%2FTopicDetails.aspx%3FID%3D5>.

[3] "The Youth Court of New Zealand." Youth Offending: Factors That Contribute and How the System Responds. New Zealand Ministry of Justice, 22 Aug. 2006. Web. 25 July 2014. <http://www.justice.govt.nz/courts/youth/publications-and-media/speeches/youth-offending-factors-that-contribute-and-how-the-system-responds>.

[4] Wolf Harlow, Caroline. "Education and Correctional Populations." Bureau of Justice Statistics. U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Justice Programs, Jan. 2003. Web. Aug. 2014. <http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/ascii/ecp.txt>.

[5] Jackson, David, Gary Marx, and Alex Richards. "An Empty-desk Epidemic."Truancy Cripples Many Chicago Students' Education. Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2012. Web. Aug. 2014. <http://www.chicagotribune.com/ct-met-truancy-mainbar-20121111-story.html#page=1>.

[6] Jackson, David, and Gary Marx. "Chicago Schools Commissioned, Then Abandoned Anti-truancy Plan." Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 24 Dec. 2012. Web. 1 Aug. 2014.

[7] "High School Transition." High School Peer Mentoring, Transition Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2014.

[8] Friedman, Brandis. "Tutoring & Mentoring Show Significant Results for High School

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Students." Chicago Tonight. Wttw, 27 Feb. 2014. Web. 15 Aug. 2014.

[9] "National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a Part of the U.S. Department of Education." National Center for Education

Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a Part of the U.S. Department of Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Aug. 2014.

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Health Summary We focused on mental health and substance abuse for the health section of this report. Mental health disorders and substance abuse are two risk factors that lead to youth incarceration. Thus, addressing these two issues can help prevent contact with the Cook County Juvenile Justice System. Mental health disorders can affect the way one thinks and cause them to exhibit inappropriate behavior due to a mental condition they cannot control. Similarly, substance abuse can create a distorted or altered state of consciousness that may induce behavior deemed inappropriate by the Cook County justice system. The following recommendations address these issues so that youth are not admitted into the juvenile justice system. Risk Factors: Drug Abuse 1. The percentage of booked arrestees testing positive for at least one illicit drug ranged from 49 percent in Washington, D.C. to 87 percent in Chicago.[1] 2. As drug misuse increases some people may resort to crime, such as burglary, to find items that can be stolen and sold to others to raise money to buy more drugs.[2]

Childhood trauma 1. 93% of youth in detention reported exposure to traumatic experiences, 84 percent had experienced more than one trauma, and 56.8 percent were exposed to trauma six or more times.[3] 2. Most youth who experience trauma are able to recover, but up to 50 percent of youth in the juvenile justice system do not recover.[4] Mental Health 1. 66% of males and 74% of females in the Cook County juvenile justice system met the criteria for a mental health disorder.[5] 2. Research consistently shows that rates of mental disorder are higher among youth within juvenile justice versus normative settings.[6] 3. Two-thirds of juvenile detention centers hold youth who are simply waiting for mental health treatment.[7] Our solutions are to lower the amount of drug usage, provide support to youth going through trauma, and treat mental health disorders to prevent criminalization of Cook County youth.

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Recommendation

•Our recommendation is to create a policy to prevent youth with mental health disorders from being suspended or arrested. They

should be referred to counseling and a mentoring program.

Why does this matter

•If students are suspended, this will increase the chance of their incarceration. Outside of school, they are exposed to violence, can

go to jail, and do not benefit from suspension.

Additional research

•In 2004-2005, 45% of students with an emotional disorder dropped of high school

•Up to 14% of adolescents in high school with mental health issues receive mostly D’s and F’s in school

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Recommendation

• Our recommendation is to make mental health programs that offer treatment more accessible to students. The programs can be run by paid mental health professionals and volunteers. The counselors could be paid through donations and through funding by Cook County. Volunteers can also be youth who have experienced similar issues to the students receiving treatment.

Why Does This Matter?

• This recommendation addresses youth’s mental health disorders as a risk factor to avoid their incarceration before it is too late. This recommendation is needed because many youth are susceptible to incarceration because of a disorder that may cause them to make “irrational” or illegal decisions. Providing centers with mental health treatment programs can be a beneficial protective factor for youth in Cook County to avoid incarceration as a result of an unwise decision because of their mental health.

Additional Research

• Crime has increased in areas where mental health clinics have recently closed.[8]

• Less access to mental health clinics because of longer travel times, less clinics, overcapacity and insurance limitations.[9]

• Chicago mental health clinics see 100 patients as opposed to private mental health clinics which see 20-30 patients.[9]

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Recommendation

•Our recommendation is to have mental health evaluations as a requirement for all students entering CPS schools. Similar to physicals, the evaluations would be required as part of the CPS physical requirements and added to the student’s school files. Students will be evaluated at their physicals and afterward submit the evaluation form to their schools’.

Why is this important?

•Students need physicals entering pre-school, kindergarten, 6th grade, and 9th grade, plus anytime they go to a new CPS school. All

Cook County schools should require physicals and the mental health assessments depending on their school requirements.

Additional Resources

•“Ten percent of [Illinois] children have a serious emotional disturbance, impairing their ability to learn…”[13]

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LEFT: JTDC admissions based on zip code. RIGHT: Youth drug/alcohol treatment centers in Chicago.

Recommendation

•Our recommendation is to increase the number of drug treatment programs for youth. Ideally, we should have free drug and rehabilitation centers in all Chicago Public Schools, and 2 per zip code for youth ages 16-24. If this is not possible, youth only rehabilitation centers should be built in zip codes 60628, 60620, 60623, 60644. These are 4 of the 5 zip codes that admit the most youth to the JTDC that don’t already have a youth drug treatment facility.

Why this is important:

•Ivette Castro, from Rudy Lozano, says rehabilitation centers are important because “When a person is locked up they just lock up the problem from society. Rehabilitation is treating the person so that they change and don’t make the same mistake.”

Implementation Ideas:

•Sell vacant lots to rehab centers for $1 using city program. To qualify, applicants must own property on the same block in the pilot area, be current on property taxes, and have no financial obligations to the city. Lots proposed for purchase must be owned by the city, be vacant and have residential zoning. We believe that community centers should still qualify for these $1 program even if they don’t meet some of these qualifications.[10]

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Recommendation

• Our recommendation is to create wraparound services for youth that help with anger management, trauma, and drug abuse. In order to get to the root causes of the issue, these programs should be located in schools or neighborhood clinics for easier access to youth.

Why Is This Important?

• This recommendation is important because it helps address the risk factors that lead youth to negative behaviors. There needs to be programs for youth that help with trauma, drug abuse and anger management. Young people can’t succeed in life when their are no support programs for the negative atmospheres youth live with everyday. Because the program will consist of adults and peer mentors, it will help create a positive relationship with youth. These services will consist of peer mentors who will give support and intensive guidance in order for youth to stay motivated. Relationships with youth are important to create stability.

Implementation

• For trauma, youth would receive therapy and/or participate in peace circles, which would help youth relieve stress and deal with trauma in a positive manner.

• For drug abuse, youth would participate in a rehabilitation program with other youth. As a result, youth are meeting new people and are dealing with eliminating drug use in their systems.

• For anger management, youth would participate in a program that has breathing exercises, telling them other ways how to release anger and give them advice on how to handle their anger.

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Citations

[1] Hunt, Dana, and William Rhodes. Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program II in the United

States, 2010. ICPSR32321-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2011-11-04. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR32321.v1

[2] Becker, Deborah. "Prescription Drugs Lead To Spike In Crime Rates."90.9wbur. N.p., 9 May 2011. Web.

[3] Office Of Juvenile Justice And Delinquency Prevention (Ojjdp). "PTSD, Trauma, and Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders in Detained Youth."OJJDP Juvenile Justice Bulletin (2013): n. pag. U.S. Department of Justice, 2013. Web.

[4] "Incarcerated Youth & Childhood Trauma." Thejha.org. John Howard Association of Illinois, n.d. Web.

[5] Karnik, Niranjan S., Marie Soller, Allison Redlich, Melissa Silverman, Helena C. Kraemer, Rudy Haapanen, and Hans Steiner. "CME Activity." Psychiatric Services. PsychiatryOnline, 1 June 2001. Web.

[6] Odgers, Candice L., Mandi L. Burnette, Preeti Chauhan, Marlene M. Moretti, and N. Dickon Reppucci. "Abstract." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 26 July 0005. Web. 15 Aug. 2014.

[7] "Hope for Mentally Ill Youth in Alameda County." National Center for Youth Law. National Center for Youth Law, 2014.Web.

[8] "Chicago's Mental Health Clinic Closings: 20 Months Later | Al Jazeera America." Chicago's Mental Health Clinic Closings: 20 Months Later | Al Jazeera America. Aljazeera America, 26 Dec. 2013. Web.

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[9] Joravsky, Ben. "Before the Schools, Mayor Emanuel Closed the Clinics."News & Politics. Chicago Reader, 26 Mar. 2013. Web.

[10] Fisher, Alexandria. "For Sale: $1 Vacant Lots in Englewood." Ward Room. NBC Chicago, 20 Mar. 2013. Web.

[11] "Injury Prevention & Control: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 May 2014. Web.

[12] "Drugs and Crime-New Study." Crime In America.net. Crime In America.net, n.d. Web.

[13] Chicago's Mental Health Clinic Closings: 20 Months Later | Al Jazeera America. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2014.

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Community Summary

Along with mental wellness and a healthy education system, at risk youth need a positive community with high

involvement from youth and spaces to grow. Some risk factors within a community are too many vacant lots, low

involvement within the community, and unemployment. The Cook County Juvenile Justice System is filled with

youth that come from communities that deal with poverty, drugs, violence, and broken homes. As a result

communities make a big impact on youth.

STATS:

As of October 2013 only 5,158 vacant buildings are registered in the city, less than one-third of the estimated total that are vacant. [1]

“…Blocks with unsecured [vacant] buildings had 3.2 times as many drug calls to police, 1.8 times as many theft calls, and twice the number of violent calls “ as block without vacant buildings.[2]

THE SOLUTION: We want opportunities for youth to make a big impact in their community. Youth can be a reflection of their environment, and if that environment is negative they will pick up similar habits, but with a voice and the ability to make change their community would be impacted in a positive way. The following recommendations provide ideas to keep youth in community’s safe and out of jail. Thus, addressing the three issues can help prevent contact with the Cook County juvenile justice system.

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“Many youth don’t have many opportunities/activities to get involved with afterschool.” - Youth Outreach Services (YOS) interviews

Recommendation

• Our recommendation is to require all park districts to have a group of youth who run service teams that help clean up and beautify neighborhoods, run events like block parties, small concerts, and mentor other youth. By having youth clean up their communities and organize events, they will have more pride in their neighborhood and will feel better about where they live. If youth organize events they want, more youth would participate. The more youth that participate, the less youth will be committing crimes that could land them in the JTDC.

Why does this matter?

• This recommendation should be implemented because it would give youth an opportunity to participate in activities that will keep them out of the streets and busy. It would offer them benefits such as working on communication and collaboration skills, offer service hours for their school and help preteens stay on the right path.

Additional Research

• According to Big Brothers Big Sisters,[3] youth that come in contact with a mentor are:

• 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs

• 33% less likely to hit someone

• 27% less likely to begin using alcohol

• 52% less likely to skip school

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“But [my neighborhood] just changed maybe like after the third year.... It just got even worser, you know, like no activities...I liked those activities, something to do for the kids…And I ended up started selling drugs at the age of 12 or 13 years old, so…”

[4]- Chicago teenager

Recommendation

• Our recommendation is to create youth block clubs to give youth a sense of leadership in their communities.

Why does this matter?

• This recommendation matters because this will prevent youth from engaging in gangs and become positively involved to change their neighborhoods. Youth need to have a safe place to live in order to succeed. Youth need a voice in their community to create a safer environment. High positive involvement in one's community is a protective factor against the many risk factors in certain communities.

Additional research

• Many teenagers isolated themselves or engaged in delinquent behavior such as using drugs, fighting and joining or assisting local gangs to survive their neighborhood’s violence. Living in perpetual fear and isolation has had devastating consequences on these kids.(4)

• Block Clubs create a safe state of mind due to the fact that there is a group of people who are trying to keep the block secured.[5]

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Recommendation

•Our recommendation is to create a policy that ensures each neighborhood receives funding to turn vacant lots into community gardens full of flowers and vegetables. Specifically, funding will be sent to the alderman who gives it to community organizations to convert vacant lots into gardens.

Why does this matter?

•It matters because many of the teens that live in low income communities have a higher chance of engaging in delinquent activities. The gardens don’t just make the neighborhoods beautiful, but help teens learn new skills such as gardening and collaboration to create something positive. It has been proven that gardening helps relieve stress and anger which is a fundamental problem youth face.

Additional research

•Programs such as GRuB Youth pays teens and keeps them on track to graduate with gardening.

•From 2001-2011, only 39% of youth who entered GRuB’s youth programs were on track to graduate. Today, 90% have either graduated from high school, are on-track to graduate, and/or have earned their GED and 66% have gone on to college.[7]

“Community gardens teach

younger generations the importance of sustainability and

being sovereign.[6]

”

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A participant of the Peace Corner, Lavonte, 18, says he primarily goes to play basketball

and learn job skills. Parks in his neighborhood were dangerous, so he played basketball

safely here.[11]

Recommendation

• Our reccomendation is to create a partnership that allows community centers and youth programs/organizations to expand their work into recently closed schools around Chicago. The recommendation is addressing the fact that recently closed schools in Chicago can provide key spaces in communities where learning opportunities and helpful resources can be accessed by residents. If not used positively, closed schools can result in creating more risk factors for youth such as abandoned buildings, poor community conditions, and unstructured free time.

Why does this matter?

• This recommendation matters because there would be greater access to educational programs, job training, and other options in the community. There is existing programs/organizations that are successful, and spaces in communities that can be utilized.

• Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation (PBMR), located in the New City community, shares a space in Second Chance Alternative High School providing programs. The youth participants are involved with gangs and other negative behavior. PBMR provides support and counseling to youth and families.[9]

Additional research:

•Some established community centers create learning spaces while combating mentioned risk factors. For example, Peace Corner Youth Center in Austin provides academic enrichment, recreational activities, conflict resolution support, legal services, and many

other opportunities to keep youth on a positive track all in one center that is designated to be a safe-haven.

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Full time minimum wage workers in Illinois make $17,160 per year before taxes.[15]

Recommendation

• Our recommendation is to create a policy that uses vacant houses/buildings to teach youth trades by fixing them. The city and county should provide a minimum of twenty buildings every year for the youth apprenticeship program. The apprenticeships will be facilitated by different unions. Some of the buildings would be used as community centers for safe recreational spaces, opportunities for counseling, and community meetings. The remaining buildings should be used for affordable housing for low income residents.

Why does this matter?

•This recommendation matters because youth will now have job skills and be able to make money without resorting to alternative means. For instance in the past 2 years 75% of graduates [Greencorps Chicago] have gone on to employment or advanced positions within Greencorps as trainers and crew managers.[14]

Additional research:

•As of October 2013 only 5,158 vacant buildings are registered in the city, less than one-third of the estimated total that are vacant. And even registered buildings often aren't in full compliance with requirements.[1]

•“...blocks with unsecured [vacant] buildings had 3.2 times as many drug calls to police, 1.8 times as many theft calls, and twice the number of violent calls” as blocks without vacant buildings.[2]

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CDC: Risk and Protective factors for youth violence Risk Factor: low levels of community participation, socially disorganized neighborhoods Protective Factor: Involvement in social activities, positive social orientations[16]

“Sports keep me out of trouble. Instead of going out with my friends to do bad things, I just go play ball instead. It keeps me busy.” -Kenneth 15, Saura Center

Recommendation

•Our recommendation is to create an app for youth to find and/or create local gatherings such as pick up games, sports tournaments, fairs, concerts, and other activities. This app is an addition or modification of meetup.com but is focused on youth and would work alongside the park districts to provide space for these activities.

What is this recommendation

addressing?

•This recommendation would address the lack of activities available to youth as well as the accessibility of those activities. Through our research we learned that a lack of positive social activities and organization within one's community is a risk factor for delinquency. Therefore, we have focused on the creation and facilitation of positive social activities that will also serve as an outlet for youth, which will lead to greater social and mental development.

Why does this recommendation

matter?

•This app will keep kids active in their community and provide them with an alternative to illegal activities and gang involvement. With the app, youth would be able to search for events in their community that will leave a positive impact. This app will range from sporting events to art galleries to small festivals. The app would alert you of nearby events that match your interests by using your current location and the interests you list in the “about me” section. Users would get ratings for their events and events would get reviewed as well, allowing everyone to have an input in their communities events.

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Citations

[1] Podmolik, Mary E. "Chicago's Vacant Building Epidemic Isn't an Open-and-shut Matter." Chicago Tribune. N.p., 08 Oct. 2013. Web. 15 Aug. 2014.

[2] Wright, Jerome. "Rotten Spots: 'Problem Properties' That Can Begin Neighborhood Decay

Get Attention." MCA. The Commercial Appeal, 8 June 2008. Web. [3] "Your Donation Will Make a Difference." Our Programs. Big Brothers Big Sisters, n.d. Web. [4] Hailey, Chantal. "Persistent Crime in Low-income Communities Can Have Devastating

Effects on Teens." MetroTrends Blog RSS. Urban Institute, 14 Mar. 2013. Web. [5] "What Is A Block Club." WhatIs. Chicago's Alternative Policing Strategy, 2008. Web. [6] Sarich, Christina. "Community Gardening: The Plot Against Hunger - Waking Times

“Waking Times." Waking Times. Waking Times, 13 May 2013. Web. [7] "GRuB in the Schools." GRuB, 2014. Web. [8] "Welcome to the Community Gardens of Dallas." Gardeners In Community Development, 26

June 2014. Web. [9] "Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation." Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation.

N.p., n.d. Web. July. 2014. [10] "B.A.M. - Becoming A Man." Youth Guidance. N.p., n.d. Web. July. 2014. [11] "The Prevention Institute: What Factors Increase the Risk of Being Involved in Violence?"

What Factors Increase the Risk of Being Involved in Violence? The Prevention Institute, n.d. Web. 4 Aug. 2014. [12] Cholke, Sam. "Unemployed Chicago Youth Plead For Jobs, Tell Stories of Hardship -

Bronzeville - DNAinfo.com Chicago." DNAinfo Chicago. DNAinfo Chicago, 24 Jan. 2014. Web.

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[13] Rezin, Ashlee. "Progress Illinois." Youth Unemployment Summit Highlights Illinois Teens'

Urgent Need For Jobs. Progressive Illinois, 24 Jan. 2014. Web. [14] "Greencorps Chicago: Program to Reintegrate Ex-Offenders Into the Workforce." Case

Study: Chicago, IL (n.d.): n. pag. Institute for Sustainable Communities. Web. Aug. 2014. <http://sustainablecommunitiesleadershipacademy.org/resource_files/documents/Chicago,%20IL_1.pdf>.

[15] "2014 Minimum Wage, State by State." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, n.d. Web.

[16]"Youth Violence: Risk and Protective Factors." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 Dec. 2013. Web.

[17] "Preventing Gang Involvement | FindYouthInfo." Preventing Gang Involvement.

FindYouthInfo.org, n.d. Web. [18] Clawson, Heather J., and Kathleen Coolbaugh. The YouthARTS Development Project.

Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2001. N. pag. Web. Aug. 2014.

[19] "The YouthARTS Development Project." Juvenile Justice Bulletin. N.p., May 2001. Web.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to all those people and groups who have made this report possible. This project is truly the sum of collective

knowledge, insight and perspectives shared with us over the course of our summer and would not be possible without the support of the following:

Ameenah Muhammad, Youth Outreach Services

Andrew Means, University of Chicago

Dr. Elena Quintana, Adler School of Psychology

Joshua Prudowsky, Mikva Challenge

Juliana Stratton, Cook County Justice Advisory Council

Karima Douglas, Illinois Coalition On Youth

Kelly Mitchell, Youth Outreach Services

Officer King, Chicago Police Department

Stephanie Boho-Rodriguez, Saura Center

Saura Center youth

Youth Outreach Service youth