Elev8 Helps to Provide a Safety Net Works
The need for improved supportive services and safety for youth and their families, was a repeated theme in Auburn Gresham during the New Communities Program Quality of Life planning process led by the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation (GADC).
In partnership with Elev8 team members, GADC and Perspectives Charter Schools-Calumet Campus, the Safety Net Works Coalition of Auburn Gresham hosted a violence prevention youth summit called, “The Take Back, Part 2”.
Elev8 (formerly known as Integrated Services in Schools (ISS), is designed to ensure that middle school students succeed in school and their communities by providing them with multiple supports, including: comprehensive on-site school-based health services; before and after-school, and summer learning opportunities; and effective mentoring by caring adults. In addition, the initiative will ensure that middle school students and their families benefit from available public programs, including tax credits and health care coverage.
The Safety Net Works (SNW) is an initiative sponsored by the Governor Pat Quinn’s Office designed to stop the tragic and unacceptable loss youth in Illinois by leveraging both state and local community resources to enhance a young person’s positive and healthy development.
Lisa Ramsey (top right) and Sharon Stokes (bottom right) of St. Sabina Employment Resource distribute employment and financial information to youth at the Take Back 2.
Tonka Maljevic
As part of its strategy and successful outcome of The Take Back, Part 2, the SNW Coalition engaged several youth from the Auburn Gresham community to include Perspectives-Calumet students. Each young person participated in the planning and implementation activities that built upon main objectives of the SNW Coalition.
Following from the success of the first Take Back youth summit, nearly 400 participants, volunteers, and supporters attended the event.
The youth obtained valuable information about employment and health from St. Sabina Employment Resource Center and Access Community Health Networks (also partners with GADC and Perspectives Middle School in the Elev8 initiative), and foreclosure prevention from GADC’s partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services. Grocery Store chain, Food 4 Less also contributed to the success of this youth summit by providing bottled water, assorted potato chips and popcorn for the youth.
GADC display posters for foreclosure prevention and their Litter Free Zone Initiative at The Take Back 2.
Tonka Maljevic
Both youth and adults were fortunate to participate in several workshops from healthy dating and dealing with your family, to ways to prevent domestic violence and teen pregnancy. Participants also listened to many influential speakers and musical performers about the importance of a violence-free community.
Those youth who attended were also encouraged to join an ancillary movement against violence, titled the “Do You Care?” Campaign.
The SNW Coalition is a viable resource for youth because of its genuine intent to focus on a young person’s assets & capacity building within their community. Youth are often reminded of negative aspects and not necessarily the beneficial skill sets they possess and how they could help revitalize and enhance a community's quality of life. Through the SNW and programming as Elev8, youth are part of the solution and not look upon as the problem. Every community stakeholder can put forth efforts to sustain the larger community and reduce violence.