NIA DISPATCHES

“Understanding the Illinois Juvenile Justice System 101” is an introductory workshop that will provide basic information about the points of contact for youth with the juvenile justice system.

The workshop is appropriate for community members, parents, educators, young people, and organizers who have minimal knowledge about the juvenile justice system; At the end of the workshop, participants will:

1. Know the points of contact for youth in the juvenile justice system.
2. Better understand some of the issues that young people in conflict with the law experience.
3. Be able to identify some of the existing resources that can support young people in conflict with the law in Chicago.

The workshop is youth-friendly. Workshops are offered at no cost to participants however PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Sign up HERE to register. However, once again, we ask that you please only register is you are SURE TO ATTEND. Space is limited so don’t take someone else’s spot, please. Also, please feel free to BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH AND SNACKS.

When: Saturday June 29th
Time: 1 to 5 p.m.
Location: Chicago Freedom School, 719 S. State Street, Suite 3N
Info: You must pre-register here but only do so if you are SURE TO ATTEND. The workshop is being offered at no cost to participants; feel free to bring your own lunch and snacks.

THIS WORKSHOP IS CANCELED. WE WILL RESCHEDULE IN THE FALL. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.

We are excited to announce the next in our series of workshops for the first half of 2013.  We are partnering with the Chicago Freedom School as part of their “Communiversity” series for these workshops.  All workshops are inter-generational (they are accessible to people ages 14 and up).

All workshops are from 1 to 4:30 p.m. (unless otherwise specified); and will be held at CFS, 719 S. State Street, Suite 3N.  CFS is accessible and there’s an elevator at the back of the building.

We invite you to BRING YOUR LUNCH with you.

IMPORTANT: We thank those who are interested in our workshops and trainings. In order to prepare for these interactive workshops, we must have an accurate count of people who will attend. We strive to make our workshops accessible and therefore we sometimes offer these at no cost to participants. However, we as an organization to incur costs in organizing and delivering these opportunities. We ask that those who plan to attend PRE-REGISTER but ONLY IF YOU ARE CERTAIN THAT YOU WILL ATTEND. We really mean this. Space is limited in our workshops and we ask that you PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP IF YOU ARE NOT ACTUALLY PLANNING TO ATTEND. Please be considerate of us and others. We have adopted a new policy as of May 1st. If you pre-register for one of our (free to you) workshops and do not attend, we will no longer register you for future (free to you) opportunities.

Policing, Violence, Resistance, and Alternatives:
This workshop will introduce participants to the work of Chain Reaction, a participatory research and popular education project with the goal of supporting conversations about alternatives to calling police on young people. Driven by our political goal of ending youth incarceration, Chain Reaction volunteers held workshops and recorded audio and video at youth centers and other spaces around the city, including a center for LGBTQ youth and youth experiencing homelessness. Youth told stories about being targeted by police because of their race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and age. Their experiences with police often set off a chain reaction that funnels youth into the prison industrial complex, a system that targets people of color, transgender women, and other folks from marginalized groups.

The workshop will provide an overview of a history of policing and police violence. Participants will then learn about the work of Chain Reaction and listen to some of the stories we collected. Through interactive activities and personal storytelling, we will explore what alternatives to calling police exist for those considering relying on police interventions within our communities, and imagine the ideal chain reaction we could set off in response to fear, violence, or harm in our communities. We will also ask what role can adult allies can play in promoting alternatives to calling the police on young people and diverting young people from the prison industrial complex.

Finally, Project NIA and the Chicago PIC Teaching Collective have developed several resources (including zines, curricula, and pamphlets) that can be used to foster conversations with youth about policing. We will share these resources with workshop participants.

Pre-registration is REQUIRED. Please register HERE (only if you are certain to attend).

Register HERE by May 20th only if you are CERTAIN that you will be able to attend. Space is LIMITED. We ask that you be considerate of others.

This is the next in a series of workshops that we are offering in partnership with the Chicago Freedom School as part of their “Communiversity” series. All workshops are inter-generational (they are accessible to people ages 14 and up).

All workshops are from 1 to 4:30 p.m. (unless otherwise specified); and will be held at CFS, 719 S. State Street, Suite 3N. CFS is accessible and there is an elevator at the back of the building.

We invite you to BRING YOUR LUNCH with you.

April 27 — Understanding the Criminalization of Youth 101 – 1 to 4:30 p.m.
The goal of this workshop is to increase awareness of the systematic criminalization of young people, specifically youth of color in Chicago, and to address the myths of “criminal youth” to prevent young people from being victimized by it.

Workshop participants will leave with a better understanding of the individual and social forces that lead to the hypercriminalization of youth of color in Chicago.

In his book “Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys,” sociologist Victor Rios’s suggests that “criminalization was a central, pervasive and ubiquitous phenomenon that impacted the everyday lives of the young people [he] studied in Oakland.” He added:

“By the time they formally entered the penal system, many of these young men were already caught up in a spiral of hypercriminalization and punishment. The cycle began before their first arrest — it began as they were harassed, profiled, watched, and disciplined at young ages, before they had committed any crimes. Eventually, that kind of attention led many of them to fulfill the destiny expected of them.”

Rios defines hypercriminalization as “the process by which an individual’s everyday behaviors and styles become ubiquitously treated as deviant, risky, threatening, or criminal, across social contexts.”

This workshop will explore the real life consequences of “hypercriminalization” for young people in Chicago.

Facilitated by Mariame Kaba.
Mariame is an organizer, educator, and writer who lives in Chicago. Her work focuses on ending violence, dismantling the prison industrial complex, and supporting youth leadership development. She is the founder and director of Project NIA, a grassroots organization with a mission to end youth incarceration. Mariame has also co-founded several other organizations including the Chicago Freedom School. She is a published author and runs the blog “Prison Culture.” Mariame is a teacher and has served on numerous nonprofit boards.

We thank those who are interested in our workshops and trainings. In order to prepare for these interactive workshops, we must have an accurate count of people who will attend. We strive to make our workshops accessible and therefore we sometimes offer these at no cost to participants. However, we as an organization to incur costs in organizing and delivering these opportunities. We ask that those who plan to attend PRE-REGISTER but ONLY IF YOU ARE CERTAIN THAT YOU WILL ATTEND. Space is limited in our workshops and we ask that you PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP IF YOU ARE NOT ACTUALLY PLANNING TO ATTEND. Please be considerate of us and others.

We are excited to present the first of our series of workshops for the first half of 2013.  We are partnering with the Chicago Freedom School as part of their “Communiversity” series for these workshops.  All workshops are inter-generational (they are accessible to people ages 14 and up).

The following workshop will be held at CFS, 719 S. State Street, Suite 3N.  CFS is accessible and there is an elevator at the back of the building.

We invite you to BRING YOUR LUNCH with you.

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR EACH WORKSHOP. REGISTER FOR THIS WORKSHOP HERE.

March 16 –The Prison Industrial Complex 101 – This runs from 1 to 5 p.m. —

This workshop provides participants with an introductory understanding about the role and impact of prisons in the U.S. Participants will engage in interactive activities that focus on understanding the history and economic underpinnings of the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC).

Facilitated by Members of the Chicago PIC Teaching Collective.