Get IN Chicago Announces Support for 11 Community-Based Organizations for Capacity Building and Program Training to Bring Mentoring and Therapy to Acutely High-Risk Youth

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On behalf of Get IN Chicago

Nov 17, 2016, 12:45 ET


Chicago, IL (PRWEB) November 17, 2016 -- Get IN Chicago, a private organization studying and funding violence prevention initiatives focused on acutely high-risk youth, announced today the 11 community-based organizations selected to receive support from Get IN Chicago to participate in capacity building sessions. Get IN Chicago is currently collaborating with more than 20 agencies to strengthen mentoring and CBT programs and create a rigorous, central intake and case management system for acutely high-risk youth in Austin, Englewood, Humboldt Park, North Lawndale, Roseland, South Shore, and West Englewood.

Since September, staff from the 11 community-based organizations have participated in a comprehensive curriculum designed to improve how they implement evidence-based interventions with fidelity and measure the results. The curriculum is designed to meet organizational challenges identified in assessments by Get IN Chicago, Chapin Hall, Illinois Mentoring Partnership, Lurie Children’s Hospital, and other researcher partners. Each session addresses and improves areas of greatest need, including data use, organizational leadership, financial management, fundraising, communications, technology, and more.

The following six mentoring programs were selected by Get IN Chicago for the program: BBF Family Services, Chicago Urban League, KLEO, UCAN, Westside Health Authority, Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. This group will also be trained to use The Eisenhower Foundation’s Quantum Opportunities Model, which was recently featured at the MBK What Works Showcase. The Showcase recognizes organizations and interventions from the across the country showing potential to have a positive impact on kids’ education, career and life paths.

The five CBT programs receiving Get IN Chicago support for capacity building include: Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Children’s Home + Aid, Healthcare Alternative Systems- H.A.S., One Hope United, Primo Center for Women and Children. This group will be trained to use SPARCS, a promising therapy intervention. SPARCS aims to reduce trauma and aggression in adolescents experiencing chronic stress, and it has shown demonstrated impacts on high-risk populations such as justice-involved and foster care youth.

“Working with these community-based organizations to further support their critical programs and make them even more effective with the youth they serve is an important step in improving youth outcomes,” Toni Irving, Executive Director, Get IN Chicago said. “From our work over the last three years, we know that these organizations are doing hard work and their resources are limited. By getting our mentoring and CBT cohorts aligned on the same kind of training, data collection, capacity building, recruitment system and so on, we can better reach acutely high risk youth, track metrics and strengthen community based organizations to have sustainable impact for years to come.”

Get IN Chicago will also work with the 11 community-based organizations to ensure they are addressing five key areas crucial for anti-violence efforts and creating sustainable impact. These include:

  • Confirming the program is serving the needs of acutely high-risk youth, who are at the greatest risk for violence.
  • Ensuring they have the capacity and capabilities to work with acutely high-risk youth and collect quality data related to their services
  • Reviewing dosage of treatment to determine if the program is delivering the correct quantity of intervention
  • Tracking programs from the start to improve outcomes and share success
  • Empowering their community to serve local youth in the effort against violence

About Get IN Chicago
Get IN Chicago (GIC) provides counsel to funder and community-based organizations working to reduce youth violence and address the underlying, systemic issues that lead to youth violence. Get IN Chicago also studies and funds antiviolence initiatives focused on acutely high-risk youth, those who are at heightened risk for becoming victims or perpetrators of violence. Get IN Chicago has awarded more than $33 million in grants to 62 community organizations serving more than 10,000 acutely high-risk youth and their families as of October 2016.

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Allie Pitcher, On behalf of Get IN Chicago, http://getinchicago.org/., +1 (312) 329-3981, [email protected]