Community Engagement with Justice Victim Advocates
On Friday, October 7, Justice Victim Advocate (JVA) Jarrel Young of the City’s Equity and Engagement Department (E&E) facilitated a hip hop workshop at Booker T. Washington STEM Academy’s Fab Friday program. Fab Fridays is a weekly program where students spend half the day with visitors from various outside entities that engage with the students to enhance their vocational careers. Jarrel is helping the students create a hip hop song version of the school’s pledge which includes songwriting, beat making, and video production.
Additionally on Friday, Young attended “The Chancellor’s Call to Action to Address Racism & Social Injustice Research Symposium” that was held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The program is a commitment by the university to put the need to address systemic racism and generationally embedded racial disparity into concrete action. This inaugural research symposium showcased the university-wide efforts to find new solutions, including the 22 projects funded during the first year of the program
JVA Jarrel Young poses with Director of Civic Engagement and Social Practice at Krannert Center, Sam Smith, and Dr. Michelle-Ann Rhoden-Neita, Assistant Professor at Jane Addams College of Social Work (University of Illinois Chicago).
JVA Jarrel Young engages with students at Booker T Washington STEAM Academy