Chicago
Chicago
North Lawndale, in a firehouse.
The program in Chicago is run by the Firehouse Community Arts Center, a twenty year anchor institution on the West Side, under agreement with We The Revolt. Same twenty three weeks, delivered by people who have been in that neighborhood since 2006.
17%
of Firehouse participants were rearrested within twelve months
52%
of youth detained at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center over the same period
3,000+
young people served since 2006, including more than 300 justice-involved youth since 2022
The rearrest comparison is from an independent evaluation by North Park University. We did not run it and we do not present it as our own outcome.
The week
Tuesday · 3:00 PM
DAPP mentoring and CBI, Chicago
Trauma-informed group mentoring, one to one check-ins, Cognitive Behavioral Interventions, life planning and emotional regulation work.
Zerrick Keyes, with Jordan Carr on oversight
Tuesday · 5:30 PM
SPARK Arts, Chicago
Music, dance, visual arts and media. Youth move straight here from the mentoring block. Photography, DJing and production, and Community Curator sessions where young people organise their own showcases.
Jordan Carr and the teaching artists
Thursday · 3:00 PM
DAPP mentoring and CBI, Chicago
The same structure as Tuesday. Youth are picked up from school and brought to the building, so transport is not the reason somebody misses a week.
Zerrick Keyes, with Jordan Carr on oversight
Thursday · 5:30 PM
SPARK Arts, Chicago
Arts session following the Thursday mentoring block.
Jordan Carr and the teaching artists
During the school day
Firehouse mentors also run the Juvenile Peace Program inside Dvorak Elementary, William Penn Elementary and both North Lawndale College Prep campuses, Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 to 1:00. Conflict resolution, restorative circles, life planning and real-time support when something is escalating.
Those sessions are not booked here. A young person is in them because their school placed them, and referrals come from principals, security teams and attendance offices.
Getting there
Youth in the community program are picked up from school and driven to the building, so transport is not the reason somebody misses a week. Sessions run at five youth to one member of staff.
Firehouse Community Arts Center
2111 S Hamlin Ave, Chicago, IL 60623
Start in Chicago → Refer a young person
Referrals come through Cook County probation, the State's Attorney's Office, partner schools, or a parent who brings their own child. Firehouse is a certified Cook County detention alternative, so a court can place a young person here instead of the JTDC.