Conducted a community wide survey for development priorities that surveyed over 350 community members.

Established Trauma Responsive Service at Cameron Elementary School

Provided 500 families with Food, PPE, Clothes, and Immune boosting tea. (MOJO JUICE)

Won over $10 millions dollars in capital improvements for two schools in the community.

Trained 100 Village Keepers- BT Together Trauma Informed Services as part of the BT Village Keepers a Critical Response Team was formed to   support families who are dealing with impact of gun violence

Partnered with Darnell Smith of Do or Die to open a Music Studio supporting young artists. 

Established the Village Keepers Community Closet 

Launched the Peoples Media Center

In Partnership with Beyond Legal Clinic, BT provided free legal support and representation to 50 families.  Kicking off in January 2022 Participatory Defense Committee, will provide legal support for residents applying for executive clemency/pardons.

Blocks Together Youth Council

If you are a young person from the community or go to school in West Humboldt Park you can join the Blocks Together youth council. The Youth Council is all about making the community better for all the young people that live here. The Council learns about community organizing, and leadership. We have trip opportunities and youth can receive community service-learning hours for participating.

EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY

Through the proposed Executive Clemency Hub initiative, Blocks Together and Beyond Legal Aid aim to confront an unmet need for education, empowerment, and evolution around the onerous and protracted process of petitioning for executive clemency in Illinois, especially in predominantly BIPOC neighborhoods on Chicago’s West Side. Blocks Together community members seeking criminal expungements and record sealing discovered that they were ineligible for this relief. The only option to clear their records was executive clemency, the process through which the Governor may grant discretionary pardons and commutations. 

What is the Participatory Defense Committee Hub?

The Participatory Defense Committee HUB will offer Expungement Sealing and Clemency both Legal and community support for residents going through the process of clearing their record. 

HUB will also address systematic and community barriers in receiving the adequate support /resources necessary to successfully clear your record.

Executive Clemency Hub is innovative in that it will be

– the first time that the participatory defense model would be applied to executive clemency,

– the first participatory defense hub in Illinois, and

– the first hub in the country dedicated specifically to executive clemency.

Emcee Skool HipHop Community Program

Students learn the Science of Hip Hop and how it has, is, and will affect our community culturally from a socio-emotional perspective.  They will participate in various fun projects and complete exciting challenges that are vented in the most influential music in the world.  

ABOUT THE R3 PROGRAM

The Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) Program was created in 2019 for the following purposes:

(1)        to directly address the impact of economic disinvestment, violence, and the historical overuse of criminal justice responses to community and individual needs by providing resources to support local design and control of community-based responses to these impacts;

(2)        to substantially reduce both the total amount of gun violence and concentrated poverty in this State;

(3)        to protect communities from gun violence through targeted investments and intervention programs, including economic growth and improving family violence prevention, community trauma treatment rates, gun injury victim services, and public health prevention activities;

(4)        to promote employment infrastructure and capacity

R3 grants fund programs in Illinois communities that have been harmed by violence, excessive incarceration, and economic disinvestment. R3 grants fund programs in five areas:

•          Civil Legal Aid

•          Economic Development   

•          Reentry

•          Violence Prevention

•          Youth Development

The Village Keepers Project

The Village Keepers project is an initiative of Blocks Together that works to provide community members with tools to support others in their community in times of need and conflict. The tools shared can be used to help family members, community members, and other community aspects work through difficult times or reinforce positive personal growth and development. The series includes the following activities and practices.

West Humboldt Park Parent Network

The West Humboldt Park Parent Network is a support and advocacy group that meets and works together to improve local schools. Parents from schools in the community have been working together to address issues such as bullying in schools, fair funding for all schools, repaired a number of schools, and have more parent voice in children’s education.

Community Controlled Development

Blocks Together has been working with residents to bring affordable housing and better economic opportunities to the West Humboldt Park community. Joining this committee, you will work on reform for how development happens in the community, increasing jobs in the community, and housing that we can really afford!

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE TRAINING

Restorative Justice Training includes concepts and principles, peace circles and peer juries’ facilitators; for School staff, parents, and youth from ages 12 and up. Parent Peace Promoter is a sub-set training just for parents to learn about how to use RJ principles in their home. These trainings are done by youth and residents.

Training for a Wide Range of Environments:

Training for Parents can be used to help parents use this process in their homes and support them as volunteers inside schools.

Training for School Staff presents teachers and other staff on how to use RJ practices inside a classroom or around different school spaces.

Training for Security Guards shares BT’s experiences after piloting RJ practices with Security staff and five alternative high schools in Chicago.

Support for whole school change provides evaluation support and develops strategies with a school’s current programing and structure to support Restorative Justice throughout a school’s system.

3711 West Chicago Avenue

Chicago, Illinois 60651

773-940-2319

www.blockstogether.org 

blockstogether@gmail.com

Blocks Together & Youth Guidance partnered up with several local businesses and collected *NEW* coats and winter gear so that every student at Cameron Magnet School of the Arts had nice coat and were warm on their way to school this year. 

We are so thankful for the to the following donation stations that accepted donations and helped up spread the word across the city.

• Atmos Coffee Shop – 2415 W. North Ave – we recommend that you try the Abuelita’s Latte 
• Jerk Jamaican BBQ – 811 W. Chicago Ave – we recommend that you try the Jerk Yuca Fries & Smoked Jerk Chicken Quarters
• Phodega – 1547 N. Ashland Ave – we recommend shrimp egg rolls and Pho Bo (beef brisket soup)
• Soundz Good Chicago – 3449 N. Western Ave – great place to get a car stereo or remote starter
• Blocks Together – 3711 W. Chicago Ave – 
• Cameron Elementary School – 1234 N. Monticello 

We had over 40 direct purchases directly off the Amazon wishlist and the items will be shipped directly to the school.

We also had $2,000 in funds donate directly via PayPal!

Due to the generous donors we able to collect more than 200 coats in all sizes along with hats and gloves!

April 30, 2021, Chicago, IL – Staff from Blocks Together presented workshops on the community-based organizations trauma-responsive work at the Be The Healing conference. The keynote for both days was Dr. Joy Degruy, author of “Post Traumatic Slavery Syndrome.” BT staff was instrumental in the planning of the conference that was a collaboration of multiple organizations including: Organic Oneness, UCAN, the West Humboldt Park/Garfield Park Community Action Council, the University of Chicago’s Education Lab, and the Chicago Public Schools.

The Be the Healing Conference addressed topics of systemic racism derived from Anti-Blackness, inter-generational and historical trauma, structural violence, mental health and COVID-19, sexism and xenophobia. This conference provided improvement strategies through an inspirational and solution-oriented lens. This year’s conference convened online via Zoom.

The session shared the origins of this innovative project that provides students and community members with training and resources to address trauma and resolve conflicts within their homes, schools, and communities. The discussion with panelists: Carolina Gaete (Executive Dir.), Lolanda Mills (Office Manage), Keith Muhammad (SCS Resources Coordinator), and Troy Withers (Trauma Services Coordinator) was moderated by Keith Kelley (Restorative Practices Coordinator). Troy Withers also presented also workshop on the relationship between trauma and nutrition. Keith Muhammad and Keith Kelley co-facilitated one of the intergenerational “community conversations” for West Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, and North Lawndale with two youth from UCAN on the second day of the conference.

Unlike most conferences, Be The Healing intentionally built follow-up into its structure. The next “community conversation” around trauma and healing for West Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, and North Lawndale will be on (or around) May 30, 2021. For more information, visit the Organic Oneness site for more information on Be The Healing.

Blocks Together has been hard at work this month! We’d like to send a huge shout out to our friends and partners for pulling together and bringing in valuable resources for our community. With the second round of shut downs coming it is imperative now more than ever for us to cooperate with one another and take care of all our neighbors in the community. Here are some the highlights from November and upcoming events in December!