Blocks Together Chicago | Action Bettering Communities

Parent Leadership in ActioNMay 14, 2012

Job Announcement

BT’s PLAN program offers a full training program to support you as an effective, “go-to” community resource for other parents in your neighborhood. We provide you with leadership training, background on the project’s discussion (messages) areas, and training on violence prevention strategies and other protective factors. If you are interested in joining the PLAN team, attend the orientation on:

We now have several new openings for temporary, part-time PLAN Members (working evenings and weekends). These paid positions would be a great way for you to help parents struggling to raise children in challenging environments and times and contribute to a unique effort dedicated to making our community stronger and better connected to resources.

The Governor’s Neighborhood Recovery Initiative (NRI), is a comprehensive effort to reduce youth violence and increase adult engagement and leadership here in the Chicago area. Nearly 1,000 Chicago-area parents will soon be doing parent-to-parent education and community outreach as members of PLAN. They will be holding important dialogues about how we can “take back the village,” begin to recover from decades of violence and save our youth from the streets by surrounding them with caring adults.

For More Information:

Contact Lisa Andino 773-276-2194 or email btplanparents@gmail.com

High HOPES Resolution passes out of City Council CommitteeMay 3, 2012

Blocks Together Youth member, Edward Ward, testified yesterday in front of a City Council committee addressing discipline in CPS. He stood with other representatives of the High HOPES Coalition to demand that CPS invest in Restorative Justice, which helps hold students accountable without pushing them out of schools. After grilling CPS on its ineffective zero tolerance approaches to safety and discipline, the committee passed the resolution and it now goes to the full City Council for a vote. Here is an excerpt from Edwards speech:

I stand before you today because the disciplinary culture in CPS is repressive and overt. We are living in a day and time where the school has shut the voices of the students. I am here because I believe that Restorative Justice is the approach that CPS needs to make a standard in order to bring about proper reform. RJ brings about a change that every CPS student can truly believe in. It allows for relationships to be restored and to deescalate the situation before it gets out of hand. RJ is not just an approach that keeps violent situations under control, it is a tool that prepares you for college. As a student at Depaul university, I apply the critical thinking skills I learned through RJ training, to my college career.

Check us out in the news: Tribune report on High HOPES Resolution

Check out the High HOPES report: From Policy to Standard Practice

CPS Board Member Meets with BT Youth!April 24, 2012

Henry Bienen, CPS Board-member and President Emeritus of Northwestern University met with Blocks Together Youth for a full hour to discuss their campaign to lower suspension and expulsion rates through CPS fully supporting RJ programs that make schools safer. Though he did not yet endorse the campaign, he did commit to bringing the issue to the Board/staff briefing meeting this week! He said this group of boardmembers had never discussed discipline before. Congratulations to BT Youth (2.0) for holding their own in this important discussion to educate the educator!

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Blocks Together Calendar

The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman

Do you want a quality education for your child? Do you believe teachers deserve respect and good working conditions?

Join Parents 4 Teachers and the Talcott PTO for a film showing for educational justice:
The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman

Date: Tuesday, May 29

Time: 6:00 p.m.-refreshments
6:30 sharp-program

Where: Talcott Fine Arts and Museum Academy
1840 W. Ohio

Program following the film featuring:
Julie Woestehoff, Parents United for Responsible Education Chicago Teachers Union.
Jitu Brown, Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO).
Maria Dominguez, Casals Elementary School parent and BT member.
Film and program in English and Spanish-Childcare provided.
www.parents4teachers.net

BT Piccolo Parent peaking on Parent Activism

HOPES 101

Join us for a workshop facilitated by the Blocks Together Youth Council on everything you need to know about this citywide campaign pressuring CPS to significantly reduce suspensions and expulsions by fully implementing Restorative Justice. Through games, skits and discussion we will explore why the High HOPES (Healing Over the Punishment of Expulsions and Suspensions) Campaign came about, what has happened in the struggle so far and what your group can do to help in this next stage of the campaign.
Thurs April 19
Must RSVP bt.youthorg@gmail.com

Blocks Together - Action Bettering Communities