OCTOBER 2023
Celebrating a Successful Launch of our Mentoring Empowerment Program
We are excited to welcome new and returning youth to our after school mentoring program at Julian and Brooks middle schools. Our first curricular unit of the SY2023-24 school year focused on social emotional learning. October’s theme, Being You, was designed to support youth as they discover, define, and navigate who they are in relation to others during a critical developmental period that takes place in middle school. Workshops this month assisted our youth in defining their purpose and values, strengthening their self image, building self awareness, and practicing self control. The October unit establishes a foundation for November’s unit theme: Healthy Relationships.
LemonAid Presents Check to YEMBA from September 11th Charity Fundraiser
The leadership team from LemonAid, comprised of local high school students who are passionate about giving back, joined us at Brooks Middle School to present YEMBA with a check for over $35,000, a donation that was crowdsourced by our community through an annual charity fundraiser in honor of the 9/11 attacks. On September 11th, YEMBA joined the Oak Park and River Forest community to turn lemons into lemonAID and raise money for our youth.
Civic Engagement Event with University of Chicago and Justice Advisory Council
YEMBA Executive Director Edward Redd recently participated in a event put on by the Office of Civic Engagement at the University of Chicago, representing YEMBA as a recipient of the Cook County Justice Advisory Council Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction grant. This event kicked off a series of small cohort workshops and activities focused on leadership development and strengthening relationships across organizations in this network united by a common goal in our community.
Laureus Sports for Good
The team recently attended the Laureus Sport for Good Chicago Town Hall, where they were updated on some of the foundation’s recent successes regarding newly-acquired state funding. While the overall mission still focuses on working toward the prevention of violence through sports, Laureus shared their expanded vision of the types of programs that will be pursued in light of the increased funds. Mayor Johnson attended, making it known that he thinks all children regardless of background should have access to quality sports programs as an avenue for strengthening community. In the spirit of community, time was also allocated for the representatives of each organization to network and discuss potential modes of inter-organizational support and collaboration.
