Here is a new opportunity to help other parents in your neighborhood as part of the Parent Leadership in Action (PLAN) component of the Governor’s Neighborhood Recovery Initiative (NRI), a comprehensive effort to reduce youth violence and increase adult engagement and leadership here in the Chicago area. Nearly 1,000 Chicago-area parents will soon be doing parent-to-parent education and community outreach as members of PLAN. They will be holding important dialogues about how we can “take back the village,” begin to recover from decades of violence and save our youth from the streets by surrounding them with caring adults.

PLAN now has several new openings for temporary, part-time PLAN Members (working evenings and weekends). These paid positions would be a great way for you to help parents struggling to raise children in challenging environments and times and contribute to a unique effort dedicated to making our community stronger and better connected to resources. If you are interested in joining the PLAN team, you are first required to attend an orientation session. The sessions will take place on Thursday, May 19 at IPRAC, 3015 W. Division at 5pm; Monday, May 23 at Piccolo School, 1040 N. Keeler at 3pm; and Wednesday, May 25 at Orr High School, 730 N. Pulaski Rd., at 4:30pm. Space is limited. Participants interested may call Carmen Gutierrez at 773-227-2880 or carmensb@buildchicago.org.