Veterans Mentor Chicago's At-Risk Youth, Help Them Cope With Trauma

Veterans in Chicago are connecting with teens who have been exposed to violence to help them work toward bright futures.

Through the mentorship program Urban Warriors ― part of YMCA of Metro Chicago’s Youth Safety and Violence Prevention initiative ― veterans are paired up with at-risk teens to foster valuable relationships.

The program aims to help the teens deal with trauma by bonding with others who have been through challenges of their own.

“These young people have experienced violence every day,” Joel Taboada, a veteran involved in the program, told People.com. “We help them focus on channeling that into becoming part of the solution and learning that their experiences don’t define them. What defines them is what they do with those experiences.”

Chicago has seen a jump in violence, with a 50 percent increase in murders just compared to last year. And many of the teens who participate in the program are more than aware of the crime that occurs in their city.

“Every time you look up somebody else is getting killed, and I never know if it’s me or somebody I am really close to,” Jim Courtney-Clarks, a teen who’s participated in the program, told NPR about his neighborhood, East Garfield Park.

Urban Warriors strives to end the cycle of violence through its 16-week curriculum. According to the website, the program touches on different areas of growth including belonging, positive identity development, cognitive restructuring, coping and community engagement. The veterans who facilitate these sessions are trained by YSVP staff. Often, the groups draw similarities between the various things they’ve been through.

“Together they discuss and process their experiences with violence, develop and share coping skills and identify the strengths they have developed and how they can channel them to benefit their communities,” the website explains.

After the program, the teens can choose to further their involvement with YSVP, and participate in Story Squad, where both the youth and veterans share their stories through audio storytelling.

While some of the teens involved do drop out, many participants have expressed the positive effect the program’s had on their lives.

“I see myself changing somebody’s life,” participant Jaime DeLuna said, according to CBS News. “I don’t see myself going to prison; I see myself going to college.”