Build
(Broader Urban Involvement & Leadership Development) is a nationally respected gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development agency based on Chicago’s West Side.
Actively Stand Up
CACTA believes that we can help and contribute in many other ways in addition to financial help and we ask our beneficiaries to give us actions that we can all get involved with.
Build Chicago
Since 1969, BUILD has helped thousands of at-risk youth escape gangs and violence to become positive leaders of their communities. We focus on young people who face the steepest obstacles, and provide a broad range of mentoring, support services, and growth opportunities to help them reach their full potential. BUILD serves challenged but resilient communities on Chicago’s West and South Sides, including Austin, Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Hermosa, Belmont Cragin, and Fuller Park.
BUILD directly served 3,765 youth and family members in 2017-18, while organizing community-wide events that extended our reach to over 6,500. Programs are organized into five service areas:
Intervention: We intervene in gang conflict and provide intensive mentoring to help highly at-risk young people to make positive changes in their lives.
Prevention: We stop violence before it starts with school- and community-based programs that foster the attitudes, skills, and habits of healthy, successful people.
Education & Career: We build the future by helping youth graduate from high school and prepare for success in college and the world of work.
Enrichment: We nurture the talent and creativity that makes every young person unique—providing access to art, athletics, technology, and leadership development.
Clinical & Community Wellness: We provide a safe place and professional care to help youth build strength and heal from trauma, while fostering the health & wellness of our communities.
Youth describe BUILD as a ‘second family’ they can count on for support, no matter what. We hire from our neighborhoods—80% of our team reflects the youth and communities we serve, and includes former gang members, successfully reintegrated ex-offenders, and former BUILD participants. Our youth population is 71% African-American, 27% Latinx, 60% male, and 39% female. 100% are low income, and 71% witnessed or were directly impacted by violent crime within the last year. BUILD has a budget of $5.1 million and employs a diverse team of 81 caring adults.
Programs include Intensive Mentoring for highly at-risk youth, using research-based delivery models such as Bridges to Pathways and our BUILDing Girls 2 Women program for gang- and justice-involved young women. BUILD integrates mentoring, clinical care, Restorative Justice, and experiential learning to help youth make positive changes to their life trajectories.