Cook County Southland Juvenile Justice Council Anti-Violence Youth Program

The Cook County Southland Juvenile Justice Council (SJJC) is a nonprofit organization established in 2016. The mission of the organization is to decrease juvenile delinquency in South Suburban Cook County, a historically disinvested and majority-minority community. Through STOP, SJJC will offer a program that will assist in reducing school violence and its related impacts on our community’s youth and families. High rates of violence and delinquency exist within Cook County's South Suburban communities. These issues are linked to poverty, lack of mental health resources, and historical trauma. Through STOP, SJJC will serve Elementary School District 159 students and Bremen District 228 high school students.  Program goals are to reduce school violence and delinquency, improve school climate, and address the root causes of violence, including trauma and mental health challenges. Program Activities will include training students, staff, and families to recognize and intervene in potentially violent situations using the evidence-based "Bringing in the Bystander" program, implementing the Positive Actions social-emotional learning program to teach students how to manage their emotions and building positive relationships, training staff and students in restorative practices to resolve conflicts peacefully and rebuild relationships, training school officers and probation officers in Mental Health First Aid, and providing outreach to youth who are chronically absent and truant. Pre- and post-assessments will measure changes in student social-emotional skills, law enforcement officers' knowledge, and school engagement (attendance, discipline, academic performance).