8/26/2023 0 Comments Awaken conference 2018 chicagoAll of our young people work with their case manager or mentor to create a work plan for the year. I hope that as we find and live in this new building we understand that there might be some other things that we missed that the community would like us to do. What’s important is what our young people want. What’s important is what the neighborhood wants. When we opened a teen center on site and started producing programming, that’s when it started to really change because now the community knew that we had services where young people could be safe.Īs BUILD continues to grow, what is something that you would like to change or improve about the organization? ![]() We went door to door and met our neighbors, we showed up at community meetings, we did events, and we started to show what we have available.īUILD’s new headquarters include a cafe, a performance studio, a maker space, and walls that display young participants’ artwork. We took that as an opportunity to be more visible. People weren’t sure who we were and the services we offered. When I arrived in 2015, there were some mixed reviews. How have residents in the Austin community responded to BUILD’s presence? When I started out in 1995, there was a gang war at the time, and I remember BUILD reached out to all of the youth-services organizations in the area to let them know to keep their kids inside or get them safely home while they’re trying to get the situation settled. The Trace: What inspired you to join BUILD and enter the field of violence prevention?Īdam Alonso: After college, my first job was working at an after school program in Humboldt Park, at an organization called Casa Central. (This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity). In a conversation with The Trace, Alonso reflected on his time at BUILD and shared his thoughts about the importance of funding violence prevention groups. There will also be workforce programs that allow them to explore different careers.Īdam Alonso, CEO of BUILD Eddie Quiñones for The Trace They will now have access to a gym, a fitness center, a recording studio, a performance space, a community garden, a cafe, and lounges. He said he hopes the building creates a space for young people to feel safe, explore their interests, and meet peers who are also facing difficult situations. The expansion, Alonso said, was a response to community demand for more services. BUILD’s 2022 survey indicates that 78 percent of the youth they work with have witnessed community violence. In 2022, for every 10,000 Austin residents, nearly 23 people were shot, according to the City of Chicago’s Violence Reduction Dashboard. In the next phase of the project, they plan to open up rental space for other small organizations that don’t have their own offices.Īustin, where the center is located, is a neighborhood that continues to face high rates of gun violence. The additional space, Alonso said, will enable the organization to expand its capacity: It expects to reach twice as many kids, teens, and young adults while it increases its staff by 30 percent. On February 25, BUILD officially opened its new 51,000-square-foot headquarters, the culmination of a $24 million fundraising campaign. The new headquarters for Chicago violence intervention nonprofit BUILD, located in the Austin neighborhood.īUILD works with about 2,500 people yearly, offering after-school programs, academic support, mental health services, mentorship, conflict mediation, and support for families affected by gun violence. For 54 years, the organization has served Chicago’s most vulnerable youth on the West Side, providing violence prevention, intervention, and educational support. It’s a story he often tells when explaining why he works to help young people in need.Īlonso has been the CEO of BUILD - short for Broader Urban Involvement & Leadership Development - for eight years. This chance encounter opened Alonso’s eyes to the reality of Chicago’s youth. ![]() Call or text 988, both toll-free, and find more resources here.) (If you are having thoughts of suicide, help is available 24 hours a day: The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a free, confidential service for those in distress. The boy was considering suicide, he told Alonso, and was looking for guidance. From their conversation, Alonso learned that he was a father of a 2-year-old, had a mother addicted to drugs, and a father who had been shot and killed. As the young man walked away, Alonso felt moved to call out and ask what he needed. The teen came looking for a pastor, but there wasn’t one available. In 1995, Adam Alonso met a 15-year-old who changed his life.Īlonso was working at Casa Central, an afterschool program operating out of a church basement.
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