Healing, Leading, Changing 2023-24 Impact Report
Healing, Leading, Changing 2023-24 Impact Report
Through the Healing, Leading Changing initiative, Bright Promises Foundation establishes partnerships and provides innovative support (e.g., identifying, funding, and sharing solutions) to existing youth serving organizations that utilize a trauma lens to address children’s and youth’s urgent, unrecognized needs.
Last year, Bright Promises invested over $250,000 in partnerships with 12 community-based organizations to support programs that help to reverse the mental, emotional, and physical toll of racial trauma on Chicagoland youth. Below is an executive summary of the 2023-24 Impact Report.
Read the full report here.
COMMUNITIES SERVED
In the 2023-24 program year, Bright Promises provided funding and capacity building support to 12 youth organizations who collectively served a total of 1,969 youth. This number is up from 880 youth served in 2022 -23. Four additional organizations were added in 2023 -24 and those organizations accounted for 516 youth served. Nearly every organization had an increase in youth served in 2023-24.
Of the 1,969 youth served, 53% identified as female, 41% identified as male and 6% identified as gender non-conforming, non-binary or gender fluid. Bright Promises community partners served a variety of racial-ethnic groups. Over half of the youth served identified as Black and/or African-American (53%), over a quarter of the youth identified as Hispanic and/or Latinx (26%), and the remaining youth identified as Asian and/or Pacific Islander (10%), Arab-American (7%), White (7%), Bi-racial (3%), Other and/or Undisclosed (2%), and American Indian and/or Alaskan Native (1%).
*Note: Total percentage will exceed 100% due to reports of both ethnicity and race.
IMPACT
Every partner observed benefits among youth who participated in programs during the 2023-24 program year. Some of the specific ways youth are benefiting (and organizations are changing) include enhancing their leadership skills, participating in advocacy, and leading peace circles. Allowing youth to develop their voice and advocacy skills has deepened their understanding of racism and other forms of oppression. Grantees had the opportunity to expand on their self-reported impact ratings (see Table 1 below).
Below is a summary of responses when our grantee partners were asked to share more information about youth benefits, organizational changes, and any updates and/or challenges they experienced.
- All grantees responded that they agree or strongly agree that they improved, enhanced, or expanded youth programs specifically focused on racism-based trauma over the past year.
- Ten grantees reported an increase in opportunities for youth to enhance their leadership when addressing racial trauma and healing. Specifically, grantees reported that opportunities for youth to facilitate workshops, lead actions, participate in advocacy, present to adult partners, and lead peace circles promoted youth leadership.
- Grantees shared successes related to youth participants developing their voice and advocacy skills that deepened their understanding of racism and other forms of oppression including sexism, LGBTQ+ rights and women’s rights. All grantees responded that they agree or strongly agree that they improved, enhanced, or expanded youth programs specifically focused on racism-based trauma over the past year.
- Grantees provided spaces for youth participants to explore and discuss racial trauma and healing through youth driven programming, peace/dialogue circles, and youth led activities. Grantees stated that their racial trauma focused programming and discussions created a space for youth to explore their identities and share their lived experience related to race and other forms of oppression.
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
Grantees used a variety of strategies to address and recognize trauma. Nearly all (11/12) organizations utilized existing strategies but all organizations who used previous strategies enhanced, improved, or expanded those strategies during this grant cycle. One grantee utilized all new strategies for recognizing and addressing trauma.
- There were sixteen strategies identified by grantees that addressed trauma (7 new), eleven strategies identified by grantees that recognized trauma (3 new), and twenty strategies identified by grantees that both addressed and recognized trauma (2 new).
- Grantees reported various activities and strategies that were implemented to provide opportunities for youth to increase their understanding and knowledge about racial trauma. Activities and strategies include zine making, anti-violence campaign, youth-led meetings with elected officials, healing retreats, storytelling workshops, and intergenerational connections.
- There were several strategies that were utilized across grantees including the following: one-on-ones, relationship building, trauma-informed care, youth-led groups and workshops, civic engagement and activism, the arts, access to resources and tools (education and mental health services) and restorative practices.
Healing, Leading, Changing 2023-24 Impact Report
Through the Healing, Leading Changing initiative, Bright Promises Foundation establishes partnerships and provides innovative support (e.g., identifying, funding, and sharing solutions) to existing youth serving organizations that utilize a trauma lens to address children’s and youth’s urgent, unrecognized needs.
Last year, Bright Promises invested over $250,000 in partnerships with 12 community-based organizations to support programs that help to reverse the mental, emotional, and physical toll of racial trauma on Chicagoland youth. Below is an executive summary of the 2023-24 Impact Report.
Read the full report here.
COMMUNITIES SERVED
In the 2023-24 program year, Bright Promises provided funding and capacity building support to 12 youth organizations who collectively served a total of 1,969 youth. This number is up from 880 youth served in 2022 -23. Four additional organizations were added in 2023 -24 and those organizations accounted for 516 youth served. Nearly every organization had an increase in youth served in 2023-24.
Of the 1,969 youth served, 53% identified as female, 41% identified as male and 6% identified as gender non-conforming, non-binary or gender fluid. Bright Promises community partners served a variety of racial-ethnic groups. Over half of the youth served identified as Black and/or African-American (53%), over a quarter of the youth identified as Hispanic and/or Latinx (26%), and the remaining youth identified as Asian and/or Pacific Islander (10%), Arab-American (7%), White (7%), Bi-racial (3%), Other and/or Undisclosed (2%), and American Indian and/or Alaskan Native (1%).
*Note: Total percentage will exceed 100% due to reports of both ethnicity and race.
IMPACT
Every partner observed benefits among youth who participated in programs during the 2023-24 program year. Some of the specific ways youth are benefiting (and organizations are changing) include enhancing their leadership skills, participating in advocacy, and leading peace circles. Allowing youth to develop their voice and advocacy skills has deepened their understanding of racism and other forms of oppression. Grantees had the opportunity to expand on their self-reported impact ratings (see Table 1 below).
Below is a summary of responses when our grantee partners were asked to share more information about youth benefits, organizational changes, and any updates and/or challenges they experienced.
- All grantees responded that they agree or strongly agree that they improved, enhanced, or expanded youth programs specifically focused on racism-based trauma over the past year.
- Ten grantees reported an increase in opportunities for youth to enhance their leadership when addressing racial trauma and healing. Specifically, grantees reported that opportunities for youth to facilitate workshops, lead actions, participate in advocacy, present to adult partners, and lead peace circles promoted youth leadership.
- Grantees shared successes related to youth participants developing their voice and advocacy skills that deepened their understanding of racism and other forms of oppression including sexism, LGBTQ+ rights and women’s rights. All grantees responded that they agree or strongly agree that they improved, enhanced, or expanded youth programs specifically focused on racism-based trauma over the past year.
- Grantees provided spaces for youth participants to explore and discuss racial trauma and healing through youth driven programming, peace/dialogue circles, and youth led activities. Grantees stated that their racial trauma focused programming and discussions created a space for youth to explore their identities and share their lived experience related to race and other forms of oppression.
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
Grantees used a variety of strategies to address and recognize trauma. Nearly all (11/12) organizations utilized existing strategies but all organizations who used previous strategies enhanced, improved, or expanded those strategies during this grant cycle. One grantee utilized all new strategies for recognizing and addressing trauma.
- There were sixteen strategies identified by grantees that addressed trauma (7 new), eleven strategies identified by grantees that recognized trauma (3 new), and twenty strategies identified by grantees that both addressed and recognized trauma (2 new).
- Grantees reported various activities and strategies that were implemented to provide opportunities for youth to increase their understanding and knowledge about racial trauma. Activities and strategies include zine making, anti-violence campaign, youth-led meetings with elected officials, healing retreats, storytelling workshops, and intergenerational connections.
- There were several strategies that were utilized across grantees including the following: one-on-ones, relationship building, trauma-informed care, youth-led groups and workshops, civic engagement and activism, the arts, access to resources and tools (education and mental health services) and restorative practices.
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