About Alternatives
Alternatives is a comprehensive, multi-cultural youth development organization that operates as a support system for more than 5,000 of Chicago’s young people and their families each year. We support and work with Chicago youth to build safer and more vibrant communities through a combination of Restorative Justice and Behavioral Health services offered from a trauma-informed, equity lens.
Our mission is to inspire young people to create a just future through practices that heal individuals, restore communities, and transform systems. Alternatives’ programs and services use an asset-based model that focuses on enriching young people’s lives by building upon individual strengths within the context of their family and community. We cultivate restorative frameworks on individual and institutional levels to encourage conflict resolution, repairing harm, and healthy coping skills. Our comprehensive and accessible programs increase young people’s opportunities to succeed and grow as individuals and community members.
Alternatives serves youth between the ages of 10 and 24 and their families citywide through various Chicago public schools and through virtual and in-person services at our office in Washington Park. Our participants reflect the city’s rich diversity: 64% identify as Black, 24% as Latinx, 7% as white, 3% as Asian, and 2% as Multi-Racial. The majority of our participants live on the South and West sides of Chicago, representing 73 of 77 community areas. Recently, we began offering Behavioral Health services in Waukegan.
Our Mission
We inspire young people to create a just future through practices that heal individuals, restore communities, and transform systems.
Our Vision
Young people, free. Free from oppression, free in their identities, and free to pursue their wildest ambitions.
Our Values
Accountability
We root our decisions and our actions in evidence and facts. We are honest about what we know and what we don’t know. We are open with our successes and our challenges. As humans we don’t always get it right, but we acknowledge our mistakes and strive for better everyday.
Agility
As people, we are creative and innovative. M an organization, we are nimble, responsive, and adaptable. We know that change is constant and we move swiftly to address challenges and embrace opportunities.
Liberation
We believe in liberation and freedom for all people. Our work transforming institutions and systems that harm the communities we serve is as important as direct service with our young people. We stand up and speak up for the systemic changes young people need in order to thrive.
Equity
We believe in equity for all people regardless of their social identities or circumstances. We are an anti-racist, anti-oppression organization, approaching our work through the specific lens of racial equity. For us this means rejecting methods and practices that originate from, promote, or uphold harmful and unfair systems and embrace those that are culturally responsive.
Social Responsibility
We are part of a complex ecosystem of youth-centered service providers, doing our best to ensure wraparound support for young people to thrive. We share resources and our organizational privileges with others, fostering inclusivity and collaboration. We envision a world where collective action, rooted in empathy and guided by anti-racist principles, paves the way for a brighter and more equitable future for all.
Environmental Justice
We are caretakers of the Earth and commit to safeguarding its resources for present and future generations. We aim to eliminate the unfair harm caused by environmental dangers on communities of color. Our dedication to sustainability touches every facet of our organization and we encourage others – through education and advocacy – to be proactive protectors of the environment.