The Cities Project

The Cities Project has been supporting children in Chicago's low-income communities for 12 years using a combination of mentorship and therapy. We rely on charitable gifts to do this vital work. Now, more than ever, we need your support as the COVID-19 pandemic has added an unparalleled level of stress and hardship to the communities we serve.

How COVID-19 is Affecting Children in Chicago

The pandemic is worsening long-standing economic and health disparities and adding to the outsized proportion of children relative to adults in low-income communities of color. Seventy percent of deaths from COVID-19 in Chicago have come from the African American community. And, children are isolated from school supports amidst growing economic and family pressure. Meanwhile, community violence is up 10% in Chicago over last spring.

What Cities Project is Doing

Cities Project provides treatment for the traumas of urban poverty while helping youth escape the cycle of poverty through education and civic engagement. Cities Project connects Chicago Public School Students in low-income neighborhoods with University Mentors and Therapists to support healing, learning, and activism and to build community across our divided and unequal city.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Cities Project continues to serve our children by providing: 1) zoom sessions with mentors, mentees and therapists, 2) phone calls, texts, old fashioned letters and packages, 3) videos from therapists summarizing coping and wellness strategies, 4) needs assessments and sharing of resources with families by phone, 5) individual or family teletherapy, and 6) provision of gift cards to families in need.

If you are in a position to give any amount to Cities Project at this time, your contribution will be used to address immediate, critical need. We would be so grateful for your support!