2024 Q2 DONOR UPDATE
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!
Our children need people they can identify with, connecto to, and see themselves in. That’s who the Rebels for Peace are. It’s not just a program that is done TO our students, it is done WITH our students, and that’s what our youth need.
4 highlights from Q2
- We completed our youth mentor-led Social Emotional Learning programs in 6 elementary schools on the south side of Chicago, with raving reviews from students, staff and principals.
- We started our 6-week summer leadership program, providing critical mental health resources, training, and employment for 10 new aspiring youth leaders ages 16-24.
- We were invited to speak at the Chicago Public Schools Healing Centered Conference, presenting in 5 sessions to over 100 school staff, teachers, and leadership.
- We completed a 5-minute minidocumentary about the Rebels for Peace, created by an African filmmaker, Gareth Kaatze. Please check it out at the top of this page.
Team In Action
The Rebels for Peace have been a godsend for our kids. They autentically connect, offering emotional support, empathy, boosting self esteem and consistency. The impact on the school culture is huge! The kids aren’t gung ho about fighting anymore.
What's next?
As we move into the 3rd quarter of 2024 – we are facing both big opportunities and big challenges.
Our biggest opportunity is that we have a HUGE need and demand from our current 6 schools, as well as requestsadditional schools in 3 of Chicago’s networks on the Southside – with access to over 100 schools combined.
However, in May we were informed that due to unforeseen budget cuts in Chicago Public School, we are in a crisis of sustainability with our current schools. Over 60% of our program budget got cut overnight, and we are now reaching out to our community to support us in ensuring that we can continue this important work. The most common feedback we have received is our power of consistency – we absolutely do not want to be one of those programs that comes and goes.
To ensure that we can provide mental health support to our 4th-8th graders we need your help to collectively raise $288,000 to continue offering our program in the same 6 schools.
To help you can:
– Sponsor a student for $450 (or $40 per month) for a FULL year
– Sponsor a class of 25 students for $11,250 for a FULL year
– Sponsor an entire school for $45,000 for a FULL year
And if you’re unable to reach these significant numbers, every dollar counts and gets us closer to our goal. We thank you for your support and your commitment to providing mental health eduction and mentorship for kids in Chicago’s most under-resourced communities!
