I am running because every day that I work at NCO, I am inspired by the power of young people, of relationships, and of how our communities can respond to the injustices impacting our city, country, and world. As a circle keeper with New Community Outreach, I have seen strangers walk into a circle and walk out with connections that last beyond the conversation from the day. Across the course of a school year, I see how circle communities with intentional relationship-building and meaningful conversation can deepen people's relationships with each other and their understanding of their own identities. I also experience the transformative power of relationships that draw on shared experiences in circle to become additional spaces for healing and flourishing. In a world that can feel like it constructs disconnection, community is a restorative antidote that cultivates a shared understanding of our common humanity and the ability to engage with the harm that we have experienced.

New Community Outreach creates restorative spaces for healing, reconciliation, and flourishing.

• Healing needs space, time, and intention, so we prioritize diverse opportunities for our young people and adult neighbors to engage as deeply and sustainably as they are able to. We welcome community members to join us once--for a garden distribution, a teen after-school circle, or an adult community circle--and encourage them to come back and dig in further.
• Reconciliation requires us to reflect back, personally and collectively, in order to look forward and imagine a world more liberated than the one we live in today. For our youth in the KEY (Knowledge Empowers Youth) Program, this involves thoughtfully planned curricular experiences within the Bronzeville community, both during the school year and during our Summer Leadership Program. Our staff and volunteers commit to learning together  in order to center the strengths and needs of our youth. This year, for example, our staff engaged in months of learning around how we can continue to uncolonize our personal and collective practices.
• Flourishing thrives in community and empowered spaces. I have seen the ways young people in KEY have stepped into their role as leaders, within their circle communities and beyond. Last summer, I was blown away by the energy of our summer leaders' Trash Pickup Race, which brought together community members across generations to engage joyfully with each other while addressing issues facing the Bronzeville community. Everyone flourishes when young people flourish.

More About NCO

We are a community-based, non-profit organization committed to Bronzeville’s youth and community. We collaborate with residents and organizations on the South Side of Chicago to provide programs, host events, and respond to community-identified opportunities.

We envision a Bronzeville where youth and other community members meet trauma with restorative justice to renew the relationships (with ourselves, our neighbors, and our environments) that lead to our individual and collective flourishing.

Our commitment to restorative justice drives the work of our organization. Born out of the ministry of New Community Covenant Church, we lead restorative justice programming utilizing the circle process for high school students at Bronzeville high schools, maintain a community garden to provide fresh produce to our neighbors, and host a community-wide back-to-school fair, among other neighborhood initiatives.

Our work depends on trusted partnerships with neighborhood residents, community organizations, and schools in the greater Bronzeville community; we intentionally allow space to be responsive to the needs of our community as they arise.

What Your Support Means

• $150 - Funds school supplies (including backpack, supplies, and culturally relevant books) for three students at our Annual Back to School Fun Fair
• $300 - Funds a monthly stipend for a student intern to work as a circle keeper during the school year
• $600 - Funds 50 non-perishable care packages for the Garden to Table distribution (our average weekly giveaway)
• $975 - Funds one student stipend for participating in our 7-week KEY Summer Leadership Program
• $1300 - Monthly food & materials expense for our KEY Program in order to provide meals, snacks, and activities for our circle sessions (serves almost 200 students)