Enlace Chicago

VIOLENCE PREVENTION: Enlace takes a comprehensive and trauma-informed approach to building safety and promoting peace in Little Village. Street outreach workers focus on reducing and preventing gun violence by working closely with program participants, parnters and other community members who are most impacted. master's level social workers provide clinical mentail health services, including conseling and workshops, for students, families and staff in local schools. Social workers provide mental health services in other accessible community locations for community members who are high need. A safe passage team works to improve safety along the routes that students and families travel to and from school. The violence prevention collaborative and the little village youth safety network convene stakeholders to plan and implement coordinated strategies that promote peace.

EDUCATION: Enlace promotes a strong culture of education in little village by partnering with local public schools and supporting successful transition to high school, post-secondary and beyond. Community schools are safe, accessible community centers that provide wrap-around family programming that promotes academic achievment, skill building, social emotional learning and leadership development. Post-secondary coordinators provide tailored support to high school students who face barriers in getting to college, including those who are undocumented. Parents are engaged as classroom aides, peer mentors and community leaders, and receive training related to topics such as post-secondary attainment, social emotional learning, and organizing and advocacy. Through system alignment, research and policy advocacy the little village education collaborative works with stakeholders to improve the education system in little village and enhance educational attainment from birth to old age.