Programs – ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½Community Organization We are the leaders we've been waiting for. Fri, 13 Oct 2023 14:36:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 /wp-content/uploads/2023/08/cropped-KOCO-logo-favicon-32x32.png Programs – ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½Community Organization 32 32 Bronzeville Nia /initiatives/bronzeville-nia/ Fri, 13 Oct 2023 13:48:26 +0000 https://koco.local/?post_type=portfolio&p=2262 Preparing youth for careers in technology, the trades and entrepreneurship is the goal of our youth leaders who run Bronzeville Nia.

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KOCO guides our youth towards careers in trades, technology, and entrepreneurship. This initiative further exposes them to real-world job experiences, connects them with mentors, and equips them with resources to secure a promising economic future.

Bronzeville Nia also is collaborating on a research project with the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Great Cities Institute. This project aims to bring forth community-oriented positive changes.

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]]> Ujima Leadership Day Camp /initiatives/ujima-leadership-day-camp/ Fri, 13 Oct 2023 13:47:22 +0000 https://koco.local/?post_type=portfolio&p=2260 During the summer, campers have fun while learning how to develop and flex their newly acquired leadership muscles.

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A summer camp that intertwines fun activities with leadership training and academic enhancement.

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]]> Restorative Justice Hub /initiatives/restorative-justice-hub/ Fri, 13 Oct 2023 13:46:27 +0000 https://koco.local/?post_type=portfolio&p=2258 Through the lens of restorative justice, KOCO's youth leaders help Dyett and Drake students strengthen their community's sense of respect and togetherness.

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KOCO’s young leaders collaborate with students, parents, and staff from Dyett High School and Drake Elementary to foster a restorative justice environment. This method, often abbreviated as RJ, champions a community-driven approach that emphasizes healing, mitigates violence, and aims to decrease mass incarceration. RJ is rooted in the most recent research about addressing childhood trauma.

As one of 10 restorative justice hubs in Chicago, KOCO uses a proactive, community-driven approach to promote direct accountability for harm through conflict resolution and healing, rather than punishment and incarceration.

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]]> Boys 2 Men /initiatives/boys-2-men/ Fri, 13 Oct 2023 13:41:25 +0000 https://koco.local/?post_type=portfolio&p=2249 Youth mentors work with young Black men as they discover new facets of themselves, grow their skills and connect with their community.

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KOCO’s Boys 2 Men program brings together young Black peers in leadership development and community service activities.

The program is designed to assist young Black men in resisting the lure of risky behavior, provide college and career exploration, increase their sense of community/civic engagement and enhance their self-image.

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]]> Youth Development /initiatives/youth-development/ Fri, 13 Oct 2023 13:40:11 +0000 https://koco.local/?post_type=portfolio&p=2247 With a variety of educational, cultural and leadership-development programs, KOCO is supporting students as they become the leaders of tomorrow.

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KOCO’s Youth Development Programs cultivate the innate leadership capabilities of youth while providing academic enrichment, social development, and cultural awareness.

Since 1997, the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization’s Academic and Cultural Enrichment (A.C.E.) Program has taken a multi-faceted approach to youth development. A.C.E. addresses the academic, social, and leadership skill enhancement needs of youth through activities focused on positive self-image, organizational skills, community responsibility, and academic achievement.

ACE also allows KOCO to engage families and neighborhood institutions in creating viable social support networks necessary for the positive growth and development of our youth.

Through the ACE Program, KOCO seeks to create a commitment to learning and cultural competency by actively engaging participants in the following activities:

* Academic skill based workshops
* Exercises in creative expression
* Group decision making
* Peer-to-peer tutoring
* Homework assistance
* Community service projects
* KOCO’s after-school program operates

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]]> Circuit Court of Cook County Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program /initiatives/circuit-court-cook-county-mortgage-foreclosure-mediation-program/ Mon, 09 Oct 2023 16:48:52 +0000 https://koco.local/?post_type=portfolio&p=2234 KOCO is driven to help homeowners keep their homes. That is why we support this vital County Circuit Court program.

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Our organization’s staff has conducted outreach to thousands of homeowners who are in foreclosure about the Circuit Cook of Cook County’s Home Foreclosure Mediation Program as a resource to use in saving their home.

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]]> Emergency Food Assistance /initiatives/emergency-food-assistance/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:11:43 +0000 https://koco.local/?post_type=portfolio&p=1998 More than 500 working and low-income families have a place to turn to in our community as food insecurity persists.

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KOCO partners with the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) to provide emergency food assistance to the families of North Kenwood, Oakland, and its adjacent communities. Over 500 families receive food from our pantry on a monthly basis. We also host a Kids Café, which allows us to feed children a hot meal twice a week during the school year.

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]]> Employment Placement and Training /initiatives/employment-placement-and-training/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:11:10 +0000 https://koco.local/?post_type=portfolio&p=1996 In a changng world, community residents need new skills to shine. KOCO works with them to enhance their job skills.

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KOCO works with community residents to provide opportunities for employment training and placement. Residents are able to receive job readiness skills, such as: writing and reviewing their resume, job leads and referrals, and interviewing tutorial. Since 1984, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) has contracted KOCO to aid persons who receive food stamps get employment training and placement assistance through the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). Weekly sessions are held to assist participants with goal-setting, evaluating their progress, case management, and job readiness skills training. KOCO works with community residents to minimize existing barriers and increase their access to employment opportunities.

Towards this end, KOCO has also organized job and resource fairs, employment working groups, networking seminars, and employer breakfasts. Anyone who is interested in providing employment and/or training opportunities, or seeking employment should contact Mr. Adourthus McDowell, the job developer, at 773.548.7500.

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