ACT-Thrive_112917

November 29, 2017

AUSTIN COMING TOGETHER THRIVE 2025: 2017 QUARTER 4

INTRODUCTION PAGE 3 | QUALITY OF LIFE PLAN WORKING GROUP RESULTS PAGES 4,5 | EARLY DEVELOPMENT INSTRUMENT EDI PAGE 7

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Austin Weekly News, November 29, 2017

THRIVE 2025: 2017 QUARTER 4

ACT BOARD OF DIRECTORS Officers

Directors

Larry Williams, Chair Broker State Farm Insurance

Mildred Wiley Community Organizer Institute for Nonviolence Chicago

Ruth Kimble, Vice-Chair Executive Director, Austin Childcare Provider’s Network

Sharon Morgan Director, Graduate Support & Community Outreach Catalyst Schools, Circle Rock Charter

Angela Waller, Secretary Community Relations Manager Loretto Hospital Deborah Williams, Treasurer Principal D. W. Provision Consulting Services

Reverend Reginald E. Bachus Pastor, Friendship Baptist Church Tenisha Jones Director of Education Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corp

ACT Member Organizations Academy of Scholastic Achievement American Red Cross ABC Bank Austin Childcare Providers’ Network Austin Weekly News Banner Schools Be Strong Families Because I Care Bethel New Life BUILD, Inc. By the Hand Club Cara Channing’s Child Care Chicago Community Loan Fund Central Austin Neighborhood Association Chicago Children’s Choir Chicago Jesuit Academy ChildServ Church on the Block Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest Christ the King Jesuit College Prep Dominican University Erikson Institute

First Institute Training and Management Friendship Baptist Church Friendship Community Development Corporation First United Church of Oak Park Gone Again Travel Housing Forward I.C. Stars Inspiration Corporation Institute for Nonviolence Chicago Jane Addams Resource Corporation Jumpstart Chicago Kids First Chicago KIPP Create Literacy Works Loretto Hospital Manufacturing Renaissance Mary Shyrese Daycare Mead Communications Mercy Housing Lakefront Moving Everest Charter School New Moms OAI, Inc. Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry

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Bradly Johnson Director, Community Engagement & Strategic Partnerships, BUILD Reginald Little Consumer Loan Officer ABC Bank Dawn Ferencak Associate Publisher Austin Weekly News Jack Macnamara Visiting Scholar, Center For Urban Research And Learning, Loyola University Robin Pratts Manager, Health Promotions & Community Engagement,Rush University Medical Center Oak Park Regional Housing Center Positive Attitudes, Inc. Prevention Partnership Project Exploration Rape Victim Advocates Safer Foundation Salvation Army Sarah’s Inn St. Anthony’s Hospital St. Joseph Services St. Leonard’s Ministries South Austin Neighborhood Association Teach for America The Catalyst Schools The McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership The Peace Corner Youth Center UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work Valerie Leonard Inc. VOCEL Westside Health Authority Worldvision Youth Guidance

Austin Weekly News, November 29, 2017

THRIVE 2025: 2017 QUARTER 4

O

IN T ROD UCTION

n July 29th, over 200 Austin residents came together to begin creating a comprehensive Quality of Life Plan for Austin. We focused our discussion on one central question: What actions can we take over the next 5 years to build a thriving Austin community?

These are the seven answers we all agreed upon:

1. Create a youth centered empowerment and inclusion plan 2. Development Austin community homeowners initiatives 3. Create an “Amazing Austin!” narrative about our communty 4. Sustain collaborative community involvement 5. Commit to life long learning by developing a pathway to prosperity 6. Economic revitalization in and by Austin 7. Collaborate and Advocate for a Safe and Thriving Austin In August, we mobilized working groups to a further develop each of the ideas above. Between August and November, all seven of these working groups each met 3 times. They have done research into there action areas, they have come up with outcomes they’d like to see over the next 5 years, and they’ve brainstormed specific actions that we can take as a community to get where we want to go in the next 5 years.

On the following two pages, you will find a summary of what the Quality of Life Plan working groups have produced over the past 4 months. Some of it you may agree with. Some of it you may object to.

And maybe you’ll notice that some ideas are missing entirely from their work.

I want to encourage all Austin community members to review what the Quality of LIfe working groups have produced thus far and attend our next community summit on December 16th. At this summit, you can provide constructive feedback and advice on how to improve these initial ideas.

The more community members we have contributing to the plan, the stronger it becomes. Together we can transform our community for the better. It begins with us! We hope you can join us at 9am on December 16th at Michele Clark High School (5101 W. Harrison).

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Austin Weekly News, November 29, 2017

THRIVE 2025: 2017 QUARTER 4

Quality of Life Plan Working Group Results August-November 2017

ACTION IDEAS ON WHERE WE WANT TO BE IN 5 YEARS: Create a youth centered empowerment and inclusion plan Increase social and cultural capital

• Better student counseling • More resources for freshman in high school • Positive interactions • Access to tutors • GED courses offered for community in schools • Speech/vocabulary courses • Breaking negative stereotypes • Professional exposure • Exposure to programs such as nursing and robotics • Financial literacy courses • Facebook page for Austin • STEM learning centers • Community conversations • Creating career pathways • ReConnection Hub (Thrive) • Westside Health Authority- Mentoring & job readiness • Aligning data metrics from CBO programming to student performance in CPS to measure impact • Creating a hub/one stop shop for CBOs to provide services to Austin residents • One Summer Chicago providing year-round youth employment opportunities • Apple creating, scaffolding skills toward career paths • Necessary service for parents/guardians that will aid in supporting youth

Increase youth investment in self-awareness and career focused programs • Westside drop-in center for disengaged youth • STEM coding programs • Exposure to professionals Austin youth can relate to • Increase in youth employment • Decrease in gang involvement • Increase positive peer interactions and adults • Build social/emotional and learning resilience • Increase self-love/self-worth • Strengthen parental involvement and support networks • Connect to supportive programs in college • Engage probation officers • Reach out to college organizations to connect with Austin youth • Stipend supported program trainings • Financial literacy taught in schools • GED programs for adults

Increase physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing of youth

• Programs/resources like Buildon • Year-round job opportunities for youth • Quality daycare options • Food shelters • More mentors/role models • Youth development training for adults • Supportive networks building confidence throughout life • More community outreach from orgs to increase awareness of services • Centralized database of Austin resources • More trauma training & resources for education • Debunk cultural myths • Effective sex education (Tap Roots) • Health/Personal hygiene education • Consistency in services provided in schools • More healthy food options in Austin

Decrease in building violations and increase in housing education participation • Tenant-landlord communication • Disclose building code violations upon signing lease • Enforce Chicago tenant rights • Address mechanism of building violations

Develop Austin community homeowners initiatives

Create an “Amazing Austin!” narrative about our community

Increasing housing stock owned

by Austin stakeholders

Investment in the arts and cultural spaces

• Connect employment with housing • Community first look (exclusive opportunity to purchase homes for Austin community members) • Increase home ownership retention • Community resource days • Establish housing cooperatives • Establish a community land trust

Austin will be affordable and accessible to low-income residents

• Raise awareness of barriers to accessing housing in order to push for policy/program/development change • Allocating TIF funding in Austin for rental subsidies/affordable housing • Rent control • Voucher holders meeting requirements are eligible to purchase housing with vouchers • Rent-to-own programs

Access to a variety of housing choices

• Senior housing development • Quality transitional housing with aim towards permanent housing

Decrease vacancy rate of buildings

• Preserve and invest in vacant buildings • Get banks/organizations to assist residents in facilitating purchases of homes

• Utilize school spaces for arts shows, arts pro gramming and cultural activities • Yelp review campaign to build up support for local restaurants • Build a public/private partnerships to support the work • Organize public art project contest • Promote Austin libraries as learning centers.

• Turn Laramie State Bank (5200 W. Chicago Ave.) into a large scale community arts and cultural center • Partner with tours to establish an easy link to architectural landmarks in Austin

Increase in authentic images and stories

• Bridge gap between residents and their stories and local newspapers • Provide professional journalist coaching work shops • Create Austin webpage along the lines of Humans of New York run by ordinary people • Youth-led Social media campaign • Rent billboard promoting Austin

Increase in health and wellness

• Petition schools to be trauma-informed • Inventory community gardens • Invest in and obtain community buy-in for food co-op • Invest in healthier food choices

Restore Austin community pride

• Form business block clubs • Promote Retail Thrive Zone • Research and utilize funding available in Oak Park • Revive Taste of Austin • Map assets in relation to public transportation to create visual continuity for Austin • Create Austin marketing material • Develop Austin web portal similar to Little Village Portal

Sustain collaborative community involvement Empowered Voters and Elected Officials

• Create enthusiasm around elections • Hold local candidate debates • Recruit and train political candidate • Educate voters • Bring more people to community meetings • Encourage candidates to “run for something” • Require CPS to provide Civics class • Establish more issue based organizing • Tell our stories about why we vote

Youth Led Involvement

• Create outreach and recruiting strategy • Connect young people with social justice organizations • Encourage young people to run for office • Identify young leaders and groom them to be better at what they do • Mentor young people • Provide paid internships • Train youth organizers

Stronger Community Relations and Connections

• Create more block clubs • Hold civic engagement information sessions • Hold a civic engagement resource fair • Engage police/police engage community

THRIVE 2025: 2017 QUARTER 4 • Information sharing of public events • Encourage more residents to apply for Police Department jobs • Advocate for changing the Police Department employment screening requirements • Build “minihomes” to make homeownership easier • Support city worker/police department home ownership program • Have local media spread information about political, social, civic involvement

Cultivated Leadership

• Catalyze community-led protests • Create community organizing campaigns • Train community organizers • Foster leadership with non-profit interns and entry level employees • Mentor more community members • Educate people in positions of power • Build relationships with bigger media outlets • Train and empower citizen journalists • Encourage youth to get back into school • Train parent leaders • Strengthen and train local school councils

Commit to life long learning by developing a pathway to prosperity Increased Access to Quality Early Childhood Programs

• Increase education of staff and salaries • Teach parents how to cook healthy meals.

• Increase childhood spots for infants and toddlers • Increase special needs services for children • Increase star levels and accreditations for centers • Survey how many children are being served in Austin • Partner with CPS to align curriculum for seam less transition to kindergarten

Increased parent involvement

• Better communication about services • Identify which schools offer which services and determine effectiveness • Raise the self-esteem of parents • Help parents make sure kids are staying on level/ teach benchmarks to parents • Provide convenient programs for parents • Provide transportation and other services to make programs accessible • Survey parents to assess home environment and parent educational background • Greater pediatrician involvement • Create a community of trust

Increased access to wrap around services

• Inventory and assess services and agencies • Connect the comprehensive services and the schools with the people who need them • Implement the Community School Model • Cultivate Buy-in and tailor programs to individual school needs

Increased preparation for dual credit classes

• Collect current data and create profiles of all schools • Build pool of quality instructors / teachers • Find funding sources for tutoring, busing, trips etc.

• Review curriculum program needs

• Build relationships with schools/colleges.

• Share CCC Programs.

• Expand programs into the CPS schools.

• Strengthen marketing with greater touch.

Increased access to vocational options in Austin

• Improve communication • Research programs youth are accessing from schools outside of Austin • Demand capital investment and balance with programming dollars • Elect a new pro-public school mayor • Build foundation at the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade level for success in high school and beyond • Create partnerships with unions • Exposure /mentorship/internships. Seek community involvement. Expand existing programs and internships and add more to Austin schools.

• Nursing/ Healthcare. Partner with Malcolm X College’s new programs.

• Michelle Clark, expand on existing vocational programs.

• Expand on Young Manufacturing Association (YMA) concept that provides support for students after graduation.

• Better Marketing.

• Make ACCA a CTE school

Increase retention in Austin schools

• Improve Marketing • Conduct Focus groups • Collaboration between schools rather than competition • Increase safety around schools • Provide high quality high school IB program • Create meaningful corporate partnerships

Restorative justice philosophy integrated into educational environment • Expand on Becoming A Man (B.A.M.) • Expand on Working on Womanhood (W.O.W.) • Implement restorative practices • Mentoring programs • Testimonial programs with young adults who share story of resilience in the face of adversity to teens.

• Trauma Informed teacher and staff. Resiliency in Communities after Stress and Trauma (Recast) training already in place at ACCA. • Embed SEL standards in classrooms

Economic revitalization in and by Austin

Austin Weekly News, November 29, 2017

ship among young Austin residents via educational programs • Invest in entrepreneurship development programs • Bring back career days and otherr opportunities for young people to see role models who look like them • Look into finance/workforce curricula to implement in schools, as well as extracurricular/nonprofit programs • Gather existing (workforce development, entrepreneurship trainings, etc.) to attract funding and recruit participants • Strategize how to overcome social justice barriers • Gather funding opportunities available for youth • Hold maker fairs, boot camps, apprenticeship prenticeship programs

Increased community wealthy and self-sufficiency

Attract: • Full-line grocery stores • Restaurants (especially sit-down types) • Car Max or other car dealership near Eisenhower • Office Max/Staples type of stores Improve: • Existing neighborhood stores by lobbying alderman for intensive inspection and incentives for development for development and local hiring Co-op Model: • Restaurants, food grocery store, housing

More beautiful blooming businesses

• Zoning/Land Use • Expand retail thrive zone • Learning from other newly successful economically thriving neighborhoods • Pressure mayor for new grocery store • Community engagement & outreach • Create anchors/public investment (i.e. Fire/police academy, Emmett)

Collaborate and Advocate for a Safe and Thriving Austin Decreased rates of violent crime

• Focus on mental health/domestic violence

• Address protocol of police response to mental health and domestic violence (have a social worker/ team on call to provide resources) • Healthy relationships education • Website/door-to-door engagement to keep each other aware and connected • Positive loitering

Decreased rates of quality of life crimes

• Youth/peer support groups within school/curriculum • Reconnection hub with financial literacy component • Stabilized housing • Rebuild police-community relations • Austin restorative justice community court • Police trainings (community engagement, cultural humility, mental health)

Increased displays, activities, and events of culture and peace

• Schools promoting community engagement opportunities • Art/design showcase opportunities • Artistic markers to welcome people to Austin • Social clubs

Increased access to safe spaces for community

• More places where people can aggregate • Parks for youth • Other diversions for youth • Avoid gated communities phenomenon

Good roads leading to Austin

• Cataloguing current resources, entities, people, working on infrastructure projects in Austin to partner/collaborate • Educating business owners on infrastructure, codes, etc.

• Surveying agencies and residents to identify needed repairs • Bringing on an infrastructure consultant • Repairing/reopening Central Blue line station • Survey all potential revenue streams • Beatification projects • Signage for neighborhood assets and areas

Learning and earning in Austin

• Work with local schools to nurture entrepreneur-

WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK AND INVOLVEMENT! This project isn’t just about making a plan. It’s about building relationships with one another and establishing the collective power we need to successfully take action in Austin. Please join us at our 2nd Community Summit on December 16th from 9am to 12pm at 5101 W. Harrison (Michele Clark High School) by giving your feedback on these ideas and get involved with our planning process.

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Austin Weekly News, November 29, 2017

THRIVE 2025: 2017 QUARTER 4

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Austin Quality of Life Plan Steering Committee In order to ensure that community residents will be engaged in creating a plan for Austin, Austin Coming Together has formed a Steering Committee for the plan.

Our Working Vision

An empowered and thriving Austin community.

Our Mission

To engage community stakeholders in the creation and implementation of a “Quality of Life Plan” for Austin.

Our Values

Unity, Commitment, Transparency, Collaboration, Action

Austin Coming Together Interested in joining the Steering Committee?

Contact ACT’s Community Organizer, Jose Abonce, at 773-417-8615 for more information.

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS NAME Annette Wilkerson Cassandra Norman Crystal Bell Deborah Williams George Green Maretta Brown-Miller Mildred Wiley Natasha Smith Walker Ruth Kimble Sharif Walker Terry Redmond Sharon Hartshorn Vanessa Stokes Tom Drebenstedt Athena Williams Allen Van Note Crystal Dyer Dollie Sherman Marvin Austin Stephanie Bell Danielle Dixon Jacquelyn Conard

AFFILIATIONS 1300 N Long Block Club South Austin Neighborhood Association Ella Flagg Young Elementary Austin Coming Together, D. W. Provision Consulting Services Power of Peace Block Club Chicago Park District, Friendship Baptist Church ACT, Institute for Nonviolence, Austin Community Action Council Project Exploration Austin Coming Together, Austin Childcare Providers Network Austin Coming Together, After School Matters South Austin Neighborhood Association South Austin Neighborhood Association Austin Coming Together, 600 N Lockwood Block Club North Ave District Austin Ascending Program Austin Community Action Council, GADA Gone Again Travel Austin Coming Together, 600 N Lorel Block Club Bethel New Life Hope Community Church Westside Health Authority, Good Neighbor Campaign Austin Coming Together, Americorps

THRIVE 2025: 2017 QUARTER 4

Austin Weekly News, November 29, 2017

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Armed with Assessment: Early Childhood Well-Being in Austin

By Lacey Sikora

emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, and s Austin Coming Together communication skills and gen(ACT) continues to work on eral knowledge. Vasquez says that a comprehensive quality within these five developmental of life plan for the Austin domains, there are sixteen subcommunity, a key piece in domains that are examined. that process is education. ACT is “The process is meant to show collaborating with the Erikson In- trends and patterns and help us stitute on the Early Development learn how to better support chilInstrument (EDI,) to help focus dren as they come into school and these efforts. in the years to come.”

Jose Abonce, Community OrgaIn Illinois, the Erikson Instinizer with ACT notes that EDI will tute is taking a different spin on be a tool to help the community the approach to EDI and working determine how to best move forthrough communiward in addressing ty collaborations. child well-being.

After beginning “We have been colin East St. Louis laborating with the and Kankakee, the Erikson Institute, second phase of and this is the first the pilot program time they have conis currently being ducted EDI in the rolled out in Auscity of Chicago, tin through ACT and they’re doing and in Oak Park it in Austin. We’re through the Colreally excited about laboration for Earthat. As we work on ly Childhood.

JACLYN VASQUEZ our quality of life The three phase plan, education is a pilot program is huge part of that.” comprised of ErThe Erikson Inikson supporting stitute’s Associate Director, EDI community partners in the form Jaclyn Vasquez notes that EDI of coaching, technical assistance, was created in Canada seventeen and resources to implement EDI; years ago and has spread to over analyze the results; and add to extwelve other countries. “We frame isting strategic action plans to imit as a kindergarten census. Teach- prove the holistic development of ers capture where kindergarten young children, including school students are across the commu- readiness. nity in public, private and charter Vasquez says that Austin is alschools.” ready involved in a quality of The EDI provides a holistic life plan and that Erikson’s ensnapshot of young children in try point is into the early childfive key domains: physical health hood voice within the community. and well-being, social competence, “Precise data can often validate

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“This is a way for the community to support and make sure that children are coming into schools stronger in the coming years.”

PROVIDED

what communities already know but can also guide communities if their assumptions are off. In a community collaboration, ideally you want to see parents having that voice and all schools will also be engaging in the process.”

The program kicks off in January 2018, when EDI will be rolled out in Chicago Public Schools Network 3 as well as other area schools.

Vasquez clears up some common misconceptions about the

program regarding cost and scope.

“One misconception is people wondering where the money is going to come from to engage in this plan.

The answer is that through a generous donation of the McCormick Foundation and an anonymous donor, the Erikson Institute is providing this three year pilot. The other misconception is that this is a performance measure for teachers or specific schools, but that is not the case. This is not meant to reflect the quality of an individual

teacher or school. It is designed to provide data in aggregate to the entire community. We support the community in coming to its own conclusion.”

At the end of the day the Erikson Institute will help facilitate community action. Vasquez sums it up, “Really, the strategic plan comes from the community. This is a way for the community to support and make sure that children are coming into schools stronger in the coming years.”

COURTESTY OF ERIKSON INSTITUTE

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Austin Weekly News, November 29, 2017

THRIVE 2025: 2017 QUARTER 4

Austin Community Summit Saturday December 16, 2017 9:00am to 12:00pm 5101 W. Harrison Michele Clark High School Light breakfast will be served

Open to all Austin community members!

Join us for the second of three community summits that will result in a plan for the Austin community, by the Austin community.

The purpose of the second community summit is for community members to provide feedback to the Quality of Life Plan working groups To RSVP call 773-417-8615 or visit austinsummit2.eventbrite.com Hosted By: The Austin Quality of Life Plan Steering Committee