The Covid-19 pandemic has placed an inordinate strain on Black and Brown families throughout Chicago. Additionally, it’s not only youth and their families who face daunting challenges, it’s the front-line staff of Chicago’s youth-serving organizations as well. Like so many of us, these advocates for you are, themselves, grappling with exhaustion, personal loss, and mental health consequences.
These challenges are particularly pronounced for youth mentors and those serving in direct outreach roles in the immediate aftermath of violent incidents. That’s the case at New Life Centers, a community-based organization that provides mentorship and other services to more than 1,100 young people in Little Village and four other Southwest Side communities. New Life staff are often the first to provide emotional support and guidance to victims’ families in the wake of shootings.
New Life staff recently received an assist as a result of a grant provided by Thrive Chicago. The famed Harlem Children’s Zone partnered with the Audacious Project to invest $26 million toward Covid relief nationwide, including $2.6 million for Thrive to distribute to communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the public health crisis. Thrive then invested the funds in a range of initiatives including $1 million for mental health efforts.
“We understand the seriousness of vicarious trauma, and as an organization we want to support our team so they can be healthy to serve participants and their families,” said Vivian Bahena, Chief Program Officer for New Life. “We believe these supports were a great start to build an organizational culture of support.”
Harlem Children’s Zone chose Thrive for its close connections with community-based partners and its capacity to deliver funding, professional development, and technical assistance rapidly. The funding provided general operating support as well as the services of two licensed clinical psychologists. Three professional development workshops took place, with topics ranging from health and wellness to stress management. The goal is for New Life and 11 other mentorship organizations citywide to develop strategies to sustain employee wellness longer-term. By taking care of their mentors, these organizations will be better equipped to take care of the young people they serve as well.
New Life faces a unique set of challenges as an organization whose expansive set of services also includes a food pantry that serves as many as 83,000 families annually—a number that’s risen dramatically during the pandemic.
“These funds allowed us to provide staff the space to disconnect and recharge even for a few hours,” says Vivian. “We are super grateful for this partnership and for funders that see the importance in staff recovery efforts.”
