Crossroads Fund moved $260,000 to 31 organizations through the Youth Fund for Social Change! These groups, and all the other youth organizing groups, are a testament to the powerful youth organizing across the Chicagoland area. Our grantees create brave, third spaces for youth to learn and share, uplifting their voices and supporting them as they build models of collective care and generative economies that seize power from the systems that divest from their communities.
This year’s grantees organize around arts, culture and media, economic justice and community development, workers’ rights, government accountability and criminal justice, housing, and human rights and international policy.
Thank you to the organizers of the Youth Fund for Social Change grantmaking committee members – Alicia Brown (The Final 5 Campaign), Aliyah Young (A Long Walk Home), Destiny Harris (Dissenters), Devonta Boston (TGi Movement), Keyarye Watson (Chicago Freedom School), Maru Pintu (Cannabis Equity Coalition of IL), Nikia Watkins (Liberation Library), and Tichike Tumulan (Trans Chicago Empowerment Center)!
OUR FY25 YOUTH FUND FOR SOCIAL CHANGE GRANTEES
A Long Walk Home (ALWH) uses art to advocate for Black girls, gender-expansive youth, and young women in Chicago. Through innovative programs like the Girl/Friends Leadership Institute, they lead an artist activist movement to end racial violence and gender inequality.
About Face Theatre (AFT) creates theater productions and educational programming to foster awareness, understanding, and celebration of all sexual and gender expressions. A Youth Fund for Social Change grant would support their educational programming, including the post COVID19 quarantine re-launch of an intergenerational tour.
American Friends Service Committee* hosts the Chicago Peacebuilding program to educate youth on imperialism that disproportionately targets and criminalizes communities of color. Through political education, and direct action, they work with other abolitionist organizations to address policing and state violence.
The Arab American Action Network (AAAN) strengthens the Arab community in the Chicago area by building agents for positive change. Their youth organizing program combines organizing, education and advocacy for the Campaign to End Racial Profiling – a call to end state surveillance and the harassment of Arab communities.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago (AAAJC) strengthens the voice and power of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community through collective action, advocacy, and organizing to achieve racial equity. Their KINETIC youth program advances civic leadership and activism for Chicago high school youth.
The Cannabis Equity IL Coalition (CEIC) offers holistic wraparound re-entry services, know-your-rights education, political education, policy research, advocacy, and more. CEIC offers space for the community to learn about the cannabis industry and legalization. A Critical Response grant supported mutual aid efforts.
Circles & Ciphers is a youth-led restorative justice organization led by and for young people impacted by violence and their criminalization by the Chicago police. Through the arts, peace circles, education, and direct action they heal collectively and work to bring about abolition of the prison-industrial complex. A Solidarity Fund grant supported mutual aid support and workshops for houseless youth
The Coalition for Liberated Ethnic Studies (CLES)* is a national coalition reclaiming, defending, and organizing to build liberatory Ethnic Studies across the country. They are committed to establishing an intergenerational model of midwest organizing that centers youth participation, activism, and leadership to build power.
DePaul University Labor Education Center builds the capacity of unions, worker centers, and organizations through labor education, training, programs and more. They lead a youth program aimed at developing pipelines for activism and an intergenerational labor movement. A Technical Assistance grant supported professional development, technology upgrades, and attendance to the Labor Research & Action Network conference.
East Lake Tenants Union is a tenant-member organization improving the quality of life in all East Lake buildings. By unionizing from building to building, increasing confidence for direct actions, and broadcasting poor housing experiences, they mobilized to take cooperative ownership of buildings. A Youth Fund grant helped create a youth advocacy training program in their buildings.
Florecer (formerly Chi Student Pandemic Response) is a Queer grassroots organization, providing youth and families on the Southwest side the opportunity to reimagine their communities through the arts, mutual aid, and direct action. Through mutual aid redistributions, they cultivate political education and resistance to spark change.
Free Root Operation (FRO) intercepts poverty-induced gun violence and combats economic injustice by investing in the healing and power of Black and Brown communities with programming, dialogues, and mutual aid. A Youth Fund grant supported their BLOOM program, to equip Black women and mothers to radically imagine possibilities in communities and shift public safety advocacy.
Free Street Theater creates original, joyful, and thought-provoking theater by, for, about, with, and in Chicago’s diverse communities. A Youth Fund for Social Change grant supported the revival of Parched, a piece engaging with water justice, focusing on lead poisoning and a history of water in Chicago.
HANA Center organizes and supports youth of color who are immigrants or children of immigrants from low-income, underserved households to develop a strong generation of leaders building toward racial, economic, and social justice. A Youth Fund grant supported their Youth Empowerment and Organizing Program.
Illinois Workers in Action (IWA) organizes factory and temporary workers to ensure Chicago workers, regardless of employment, have safe and dignified working conditions. Urgent action helped eligible workers apply for the DALE program. A Youth Fund grant supported Youth in Action, offering workshops and an educational summit to empower young DACA recipients as advocates and leaders.
Mothers Opposed to Violence Everywhere (MOVE) builds power in the North Lawndale community to combat racism and generational disinvestment. A Youth Fund grant supported their youth activist program, participation in community forums and community safety campaigns.
New Community Outreach (NCO) cultivates restorative spaces for youth and the Greater Bronzeville community for healing, reconciliation, and flourishing. Their KEY Program is an invitation for young people to engage in restorative justice practices and social justice issues to renew relationships that lead to collective flourishing and civic engagement.
Not Me, We (NMW) is a Black-led organizing group in South Shore Chicago fighting racism, housing and education injustice. They organize working-class community members for mutual aid and collective power. A Youth Fund grant aids youth organizing and campaign development for safe and accessible recreational spaces.
ONE Northside is a mixed-income, multi-ethnic, intergenerational organization building collective power to eliminate injustice through organizing. A Youth Fund grant supported Youth Organizing roles that maintain momentum from the passing of the Peace Book Ordinance and ensure youth are leading voices in public safety and violence prevention conversations.
People Matter (PM) uplifts, unearths, and untethers people through direct services, political education, and multiple-issue advocacy to preserve affordable housing, improve language access, and tackle anti-Blackness in Chinatown. A Youth Fund grant supported youth organizers in a campaign to bolster critical race theory and racial literacy programs within Chicago Public Schools.
Planet Chambo (PC) is an artist collective that eliminates barriers to green spaces across Chicago through transformative artistic performance. PC promotes the preservation of the environment, community autonomy and collective health. A Technical Assistance Fund grant will support capacity building, organization infrastructure and development training.
Solidarity Studios connects youth in Chicago, Palestine, and South Africa through art and activism. They strengthen bonds between global communities by weaving racial and political histories in cross-cultural programs to inspire solidarity and spark change through original music, creative expression, and action. A Youth Fund grant expanded the expansion of their cultural preservation work with the Ghana Music Project.
Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP) is a multi-issue community organization addressing housing, cuts to mental health services, and the criminalization of youth through organizing, action research, education, and alliance-building. A Youth Fund grant supported the success and investment in restorative justice alternatives in Chicago Public Schools.
Taking Back Our Lives (TBOL) works to end domestic and sexual violence through community leadership, educatio, awareness campaigns and institutional school change. Take Back the Halls empower teens to be leaders and active participants in the movement to end violence. A Youth Fund grant supported their work at Latino Youth High School.
Territory NFP is a youth-led design studio building better futures through architectural design, city planning, and advocacy to revitalize Chicago’s West Side. A Youth Fund grant transformed sidewalks and city owned property by designing and building third spaces where communities can connect and engage.
TGi Movement aims to end dream deserts and build creative and civic programming for Chicago youth in the face of enforced austerity and governmental negligence. Their Reclaiming the Hood campaign revitalizes Black businesses in the Chicago Lawn community to tackle disinvestment and racial inequities.
Ujimaa Medics is a Black health collective addressing racial health disparities and the long-term wellness for all Black lives through self-determined community care workshops, first response, de-escalation tactics and protester safety.
The Warehouse Project & Gallery explore issues of poverty, consent, reproductive justice, and racism to create art and drive change for young people in Summit, IL. Youth use spoken word, theatre, visual art, and music to address issues and raise concerns with community and school audiences.
whatever spectrum media collective creates honest and collective films with and for Chicago’s youth. They highlight stories often mistold or erased from mainstream media and involve young people in all aspects of production – fostering leadership while challenging traditional filmmaking narratives and hierarchies.
Youth Empowerment Performance Project (YEPP) provides safe spaces for LGBTQI+ youth facing homelessness to share their struggles and celebrate their strengths through theater productions, restorative justice, and education for Liberation. A Critical Response grant bolstered rapid mutual aid efforts.
Youth Outlook engages youth, families, and communities to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ youth and build welcoming environments through direct services, community advocacy and education. They offer tools for families, educators, organizations, and institutions to counteract harassment, bullying, and violence.
MEET OUR YOUTH FUND FOR SOCIAL CHANGE COMMITTEE
Alicia Brown (she/her) is a community leader and currently co director of Final 5 Campaign. She is a restorative justice practitioner, circle keeper, and abolitionist. She enjoys writing and was recently published in the “Envisioning Justice Curricular Concepts Resource Guide, Incarcerated Mothers: Illinois Humanities” (2019). Additionally, she performs pieces that she has written. Alicia is a proud mother of four beautiful children, and she strives to make the world a better place for them.
Aliyah Young is a Chicago-based activist dedicated to dismantling systemic violence against Black women and girls. Affiliated with A Long Walk Home and I Am Why, she combines her passion for social justice with her academic expertise. Aliyah holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a master’s in History, leveraging her experience to inform and strengthen her advocacy work. Currently pursuing a master’s in Library and Information Science with a focus on cultural heritage management, she continues to bridge grassroots activism and academic spaces. Aliyah remains deeply connected to grassroots organizations, where she engages in both research and hands-on activism.
Destiny Harris is a Black, queer, artist abolitionist and anti-militarism organizer from the west side of Chicago. Who believes in the power of art and grassroots organizing as a vehicle to building collective movement and achieving liberation throughout the diaspora.
Devonta Boston is a Southwest side Chicago native. An activist, A spoken word artist, a community organizer, an entrepreneur, and so many more hats I wear. I am Devonta Boston, the founder and CEO of TGi. I have been doing community organizing for over a decade, and one thing I have seen time and time again is that the change has to start with us. I am passionate about increasing pathways and opportunities for youth in black and brown communities to follow their passion.
Keyarye (she/her) is 18 years old and recently graduated. She has been working with Chicago Freedom School since she was 15. She is passionate about making a change in communities and lives.
Maru Pauta (maru/they/elle) is a trans, Andean, multimedia artist, author, and organizer, born and raised in the Midwest. Their creative toolbox includes music, poetry, photography, digital art, community organizing, and an ongoing exploration of new skills and mediums. Maru’s work is deeply committed to uplifting historically colonized communities and nurturing a vision of a liberated, loving world.
Nikia Watkins (she/her) is a dreamer, plant lover, aspiring tattoo artist, community organizer and creative. Born in Chicago and raised both in the Southside of Chicago and Southwest Suburbs. Her work in Chicago has included fighting for the liberation of all Black folxs. In 2020, Nikia was hired by Circles & Circles to help coordinate material mutual aid support to young people incarcerated in Cook County Jail and support with reentry. In 2021, Nikia started working at Liberation Library. She works directly with the young people in IDJJ to create political educational magazines that uplifts the voices and demands made by young people incarcerated in IL. She is currently enrolled in the Acupuncture Doctoral (DAc) Program at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.
Tichike Tumalan (he/they) is a trans and queer Latine artist and community organizer whose work explores the intersections of identity, culture, and social justice. With a deep commitment to amplifying marginalized voices, Tichike creates art that challenges societal norms and fosters healing within the LGBTQIA+ and Latine communities. Tichike aims to create safe spaces for BIPOC trans and queer community members by organizing Queer Markets and workshops. Tichike currently works for Trans Chicago in the Humboldt Park Area as a Health Navigator.
