Coming Back Together: 5 Key Takeaways from the Summer of Healing, Love & Celebration “When covid and all happened, I thought it was over for daily activities. It was a major struggle and depression hit me hard. However, thankfully when I came to this program my mind opened-up like never before. For the first time I found working at a job site exciting and…

Lessons from Youth, Art and Healing in Chicago “Every beginning has an end and every end has a new beginning.” -Santosh Kalwar Week 6 21 Fellows, ranging from 15 to 24 years old across 9 Chicago neighborhoods have completed 6 weeks of SEARCH. Fellows had the opportunity to explore their individual and…

“The world would be a paradise of peace and justice if global citizens shared a common definition of love which would guide our thoughts and action.” - Bell Hooks Week 5 Understanding & Magnifying Others We are going through some strange and dark times. Every day our phones are flooded with notifications filled with…

When we share our stories, we are reminded of the humanity in each other. And when we take the time to understand each other’s stories, we become more forgiving, more empathetic and more inclusive.” - Michelle Obama Testimonios: Creating our Own Narratives Overview of Week 4 There is no greater…

Testimonios: The Power of Our Experiences (Week 3) “When you stand and share your story in an empowering way, your story will heal you and your story will heal somebody else.” - Iyanla Vanzant Overview of Week 3 This week at SEARCH marks the halfway point of our summer program. The Fellows are continuing to find commonalities in their experiences, situations and…

“It is a collective and individual responsibility to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live.” (Dalai Lama) Social & Collective Awareness- Unifying Self with Community Overview of Week 2 For Week 2 of SEARCH, our fellows became more comfortable with the space, continued to deepen relationships and build group cohesion. Week 2: Social and…

Self Awareness — Uncovering, Understanding & Magnifying Self “When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.” Ralph Ellison Overview of Week 1 The Social-Emotional Arts and Radical Community Healing (SEARCH)Youth Insitute brings together our love and passion for the arts, restorative practices, racial justice, and positive youth development. This week 30 participants, ages 15 to 19, representing…

“Art is the heart’s explosion on the world. Music. Dance. Poetry. Art on cars, on walls, on our skins. There is probably no more powerful force for change in this uncertain and crisis-ridden world than young people and their art. It is the consciousness of the world breaking away from…

5 Lessons Learned from Chicago’s First Racial Healing Youth Institute “We’re going to fight racism not with racism, but we’re going to fight with solidarity.” — Fred Hampton “Radical empathy, on the other hand, means putting in the work to educate oneself and to listen with a humble heart to…