Two years ago, Leah was in a bad situation.
“I was really out of control. My behavior was really bad. I had tantrums and was angry all the time. I had just been kicked out of another school I was going to,” said Leah, whose last name WBEZ decided not to publish.
But then, Leah joined a mentoring program at her new high school on Chicago's South Side, called Choosing Change. The program provides a safe space for students with similar behavioral issues to talk about their feelings and what they are going through.
“It's like a therapy session. We talk about family issues, health issues, mental issues. We sit there and listen to each other and give each other feedback or tips that they can use to help themselves,” Leah said. “Being around them has made me a better person.”
A study released today by the University of Chicago Crime Lab suggests that the program, which focuses on students at risk of disengagement from school, has a positive impact on many of the youth who participate, including reducing the likelihood of being arrested.
The University of Chicago developed the program, along with Brightpoint and Youth Advocate programs, with the goal of reducing gun violence among youth. According to Crime Lab, program participants are 39 percent less likely to be arrested for a violent crime within 24 months after completion, compared to youth who did not receive the program.
“The most interesting thing we are seeing is the short- and long-term decrease in the probability of arrest, as well as the decrease in the probability of being arrested for a violent crime,” said Dr. Noor Abdul Razzaq, director of research. from the Macroeconomics Laboratory at the University of Chicago and lead author of the study.
Youth in the program receive intensive mentoring from champions, who are professionally trained mentors who come largely from the same backgrounds and communities as the youth they mentor.
“I think what we were surprised to see was the long-term and lasting effects of the program,” Abdul Razzaq said. “Even three years after the program began, we are still seeing a sustained and ongoing impact.”
Choose Change Routing Group Session.
David R. said: Williams, senior program officer at Youth Advocacy Programs, said the study shows a “comprehensive, community-based” approach, along with cognitive behavioral therapy, is needed to help children most at risk of involvement in gun violence. .
William said the program improves school enrollment and engagement with families.
“One of the things we found in the youth we serve is that they have been exposed to at least seven traumatic events. Trauma has an impact. You can see the effects of trauma,” Williams said. “They have been through a lot. They need that clinical support, and they also need the relationships in the community to help them get through those experiences.
The program has served more than 5,000 youth so far, said Jaden Chu, chief of safety and security at CPS. She said mentoring sessions take place within high schools, often during lunch.
“They meet with their group, have lunch, do their sessions, and then go back to school. “It's a really good way to break things up, and it gives the students something to look forward to,” Cho said. “They make new friends and build relationships with their mentor. It's another adult in the building they can reach out to and they have someone they can go to if they have problems.
Chu said she saw first-hand the way the program can change the way young people think and perceive things.
“It helps them make better decisions, it helps them slow down their thinking. It gives them skills they can apply if they find themselves in situations where they are in conflict,” Chu said.
WBEZ's Michael Puente is an anchor and reporter on the Criminal Justice staff. Follow him on X at @MikePuenteNews.
