Chicago Austin Youth Travel Adventures (CAYTA) is proud to announce they are the recipient of a $100,000 special appropriations grant secured by Representative LaShawn K. Ford. The grant will cover up to 400 youth to expand their knowledge of heritages around the globe and connections to career apprenticeship programs.  Getting youth out of the neighborhoods and connecting them to personal experiences will enhance their self-esteem, decreasing self-doubt which increases mental stress and can lead to violent outbursts and the use of guns. Founded in 2015, Crystal Dyer launched CAYTA in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood where her grandson Devin, was violently killed. Today, the organization is thriving, reaching at-risk children, youth, and young adults through a variety of programs aimed at showing them a world outside their neighborhood, a world many have never seen.  In addition to CAYTA’s World Citizen Program, they offer both a Teen Reach Afterschool Program and a job training program in partnership with Choose Chicago. The nonprofit was also recently awarded a $200,000 grant for gun violence prevention in partnership with the Chicago Park District and a $30,000 grant for Austin fresh to promote healthy eating, healthy lifestyle tours, and menu planning.