Youth and Family Empowerment Initiative

There was recently a Champaign City Council study session that included a presentation by community leaders on a Youth and Family Empowerment Initiative. Video of the presentation from that City Council meeting is available here from CGTV. The study session documents include an outline of the proposal, the Champaign Community Coalition and the collaboration between the City of Champaign and the Unit 4 school district. It summarized the proposal like this:

...a partnership between the City and Champaign Unit 4 School District to improve the lives of African American youth and their families who are in crisis and experiencing challenges in the areas of academic achievement, discipline, suspensions, community violence, mental health and trauma.

And explained the role of the Champaign County Community Coalition:

Community Coalition Works with Citizens to Address Community Needs. In addition, the Community Coalition - a collaborative initiative involving governmental partners, (including the City of Champaign and Champaign Unit #4 School District), community organizations, and citizens - works to address and solve community problems of mutual concern through the following pillars: Police and Community Relations; Community Engagement; Youth Development; Community Violence; and Mutual Advocacy (racial justice, homelessness, mental health). Community Coalition partners have analyzed data which demonstrates that African American youth and their families are more likely to be disconnected, disengaged and discouraged by the lack of access to support services. They are also disproportionately negatively impacted in areas which include health access, educational success, economic stability, police interaction and criminal justice involvement.

There was an array of local coverage of the presentation and I've excerpted some below. From the News-Gazette Wednesday:

Champaign council hears proposal for program to offer youth hope, help
Community members and Champaign school district staff filled the city council chambers Tuesday to hear about a proposal aimed at providing "wrap-around" social help for African-American youth and their families.
The result of more than 400 hours of meetings and work by city staff and school officials, the proposed Youth and Family Empowerment Initiative would be a partnership meant to support youth and their families by providing them with mentorship, therapy, career development and anything else they might need. It's meant as a direct response to increasing gun violence in the community...

As part of the proposal, the initiative would aim to hire a program manager with a mental-health background; four family intervention specialists to provide "direct intensive support, one on one"; a therapist and researcher; as well as immediate service through a 24/7 hotline. Their job would be to provide service to impacted students and their families.

If approved, it would mean $200,000 to $250,000 in recurring expenses for the city and a match by the school district. The total cost for the proposed program could be between $372,000 and $436,000.

More at the full article here, including more on the support and concerns raised at the meeting on everything from staffing to adequacy to address the community's need. WCIA had a video segment and article on the proposal at the City Council meeting here. Excerpts:

The Community Youth and Family Empowerment Initiative would be available to students starting in the 6th grade, but it wouldn't just focus on kids.

"These families are experiencing trauma that affects them every day, every hour, minute by minute. These families have challenges that affect them in their homes in the classroom and in the community. Challenges that affect their basic standards of living," Joan Walls says...

No decision was made as to what the council will do. The project team is asking for the city to contribute. It could be anywhere from $200,000 to $250,000.

Kids in the program would have access to a family support advocate and a mental health therapist. There would also be a 24-hour hotline for advice on how to deal with difficult situations. 

Full article with video segment here. WCCU's coverage included next steps and some of the previous collaborations between the community and the city:

The next steps include finalizing the program components based on feedback from the council and the Board of Education.

The City Council and school district have already worked together in the past with other programs like D.A.R.E., Risk Watch and Community Matters.

Their coverage along with a video segment here.