Building a Brighter Future for Chicago’s Youth with BUILD, Inc.

In many communities across the US, youth violence and gang recruitment are an epidemic — driving young people toward aggressive behavior and participation in risky, violent and often illegal activities.

BUILD, Inc. — or Broader Urban Involvement and Leadership Development — is working to change this. Founded in 1969, the nationally respected gang intervention, violence prevention and youth development organization supports nearly 6,500 young people and families facing the greatest systemic challenges on Chicago’s West Side.

BUILD organizes its programming across six areas: intervention, prevention, education, enrichment, clinical and community wellness and community engagement. From conflict resolution and violence interruption to after school programs and clinical treatments for mental health and trauma, the organization takes a holistic approach to providing integrated services that inspire hope and offer opportunities for youth facing systemic obstacles — 79% of whom have experienced community violence, and 48% of whom have witnessed a shooting.

Empowering young women impacted by trauma

For the 2021-2022 school year, TransUnion provided a contribution in support of BUILDing Girls 2 Women (BG2W), BUILD’s wellness program for female-identifying youth who’ve been impacted by violence or trauma. First launched in 2017, the one-year intensive program is for middle and high schoolers, and combines mentoring, mental health care, gang interventions and other general life support to engage highly at-risk teens in the path to a more positive future.

Read the full article to learn more about the BG2W program and TransUnion’s support at https://bit.ly/3neKnWq