We are currently hiring and putting a team together who will be in-school mentors at different CPS schools in Little Village. Our goal is to have a total of 8 mentors. This effort comes in collaboration with CPS who expanded their Choose to Change program and will implement a new, hyperlocal pilot version of it with New Life Centers in Little Village, Lifeline to Hope in West Garfield Park, and BUILD Chicago in Humboldt Park. Together we will reach 300 students.
The program will serve a total of 1,000 students who may have school attendance challenges, involvement with the justice system, and/or have been exposed to violence and trauma. The program provides intensive youth and family support and weekly behavioral health sessions.
“The impressive results of the Choose to Change program demonstrate that it will be an important strategy to safeguard our students from the harmful effects of trauma,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “While we are overjoyed to have returned to in-person learning, we know that our students are coping with issues beyond the classroom and it is imperative that we look to programs like Choose to Change to help ensure that we are supporting all of our students, especially in the area of promoting their emotional well-being.”
