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Middle schoolers to learn how young people have been a force for change.

CHICAGO, February 10, 2023 – This Monday, the Love, Unity & Values (LUV) Institute will kick off a six-week journey through civil rights for 80 Chicago middle school students attending Ariel Community Academy and the UChicago Charter School. Through videos, storytelling and a curriculum called “Choices in Little Rock,” students will view history through iconic stories and figures like The Little Rock Nine who famously integrated Central High School 65 years ago. The program culminates with a field trip to Little Rock, Arkansas, to tour historic sites, including Central and Little Rock National Park.

Forty students from each school will meet for four hours every week and use iPads to capture insights. They will be given assignments and read “Warriors Don’t Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock’s Central High,” written by Melba Pattillo Beals, one of the Little Rock Nine. It explores the oppressive force of racism and the ability of young people to change ideas about race and identity.

LUV Institute founder and Executive Director Cosette Nazon-Wilburn describes the curriculum as provocative and advanced. It was developed by Facing History & Ourselves, which empowers teachers and students to think critically about history and understand the impact of their choices.
“We’ve recently witnessed teachers, parents and elected officials around the country advocate for removal of African American studies and Critical Race Theory from secondary and post-secondary education,” she said. “A program like this one is replicable and a way to supplement outdated curricula and textbooks with material that’s accurate, more interesting and interactive.”

The architects of LUV’s initiative, Dr. Linda Upshaw and Dr. Yvette Curington, are sharing the curriculum with parents to help them prepare for any emotional response their children might have to seeing and reading about our nation’s troubling history of discrimination and violence against African Americans. Eight instructors and eight high school students will serve as mentors. Sessions at Ariel are on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and at U of C Charter School on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m.

Students are to travel to Little Rock on March 28 and return to Chicago on the 30th. A videographer will compile footage at the end of the program to create a short documentary of their experience.

Since 2012 the Love, Unity & Values (LUV) Institute has been working with underserved youth to inspire hope and empower them with economic opportunities while building resiliency and social-emotional competencies.

Media contact: Shawn Taylor | tshawntaylor@yahoo.com | 312-371-6260.

Funding will support career academy for rising youth and young adults.

CHICAGO – The Love Unity & Values Institute announces it has received a grant from the NBA
Foundation to support the participation of economically disadvantaged youth, parenting teens, and justice-involved youth in the nonprofit’s Journey to My Better Self Career Academy. This generous donation will enable the LUV Institute to serve 100 youth a year in the program.

The Journey to My Better Self Career Academy prepares youth and young adults ages 16 to 24 for college and/or careers by providing them with learning experiences that will make them more competitive in the labor market and prepare them for employment in high-growth industries. The LUV Institute leverages partnerships with local businesses, so students can gain work-based experience and earn a stipend of up to $1,250.

The Love, Unity & Values (LUV) Institute works with underserved youth to apply a restorative
and social-emotional approach to college and career readiness for young people of color who have experienced trauma. Since 2012, the LUV Institute has served more than 3,200 young people in Chicago aged 11 to 24, many of them in the foster care system. Seventy-eight percent have either gone on to attend college or been placed in a job, with a 72 percent retention rate.

“Words cannot express the depth of gratitude that we feel toward the NBA Foundation for enabling us to provide these services to even more youth from underserved communities,” said Cosette Nazon-Wilburn, executive director of the LUV Institute. “When our students do well, it inspires their peers to want to do better, too. It’s important that young people see others like them being successful.”

Created in August 2020, the NBA Foundation is the league’s first-ever charitable foundation dedicated to driving economic opportunity for Black youth. The Foundation invests in local and national organizations that promote school-to-career and workforce development opportunities.

Media contact: Shawn Taylor | tshawntaylor@yahoo.com | 312-371-6260.

February 10, 2023

Nonprofit to roll out three new career verticals, build eight neighborhood playscapes and train 450 youth-serving professionals over the next three years

CHICAGO – The Love Unity & Values Institute (LUV Institute) announces it has added three members to its board of directors, bringing the total number who serve to nine. The ramp up comes as the nonprofit prepares to execute a three-year strategic plan and add three new career verticals in solar energy, construction, and hospitality, build eight outdoor community healing spaces, or playscapes, for youth and families, and provide professional development for 450 youth-serving professionals.

The LUV Institute, with headquarters at 2907 S. Wabash Ave., mentors underserved youth in Chicago aged 11 to 24 who have experienced trauma and are at-risk of low academic performance. LUV Institute’s specialists use restorative practices, evidence-based strategies, and experiential programs to help youth build resiliency and access greater economic opportunities.

Youth and young adults can access four different “Journey to My Better Self” programs – Artistic
Expression, Career Academy, Entrepreneurship, and Media Empowerment – as well as a certified nurse’s assistant program and restorative practices (circle keeper) training and certification. Students also have opportunities to participate in special projects and field trips throughout the year. Since 2012, the LUV Institute has served more than 3,200 young people. Seventy-eight percent have either gone on to attend college or been placed in a job, with a 72 percent retention rate.

LUV Institute’s board members represent a cross-section of the business, education, and nonprofit sectors and are change-makers in their respective fields.

“Our board members are invested in young people, and they are concerned about their welfare and their future,” said Cosette Nazon-Wilburn, Executive Director of LUV Institute. “We recognize that we are models for the kids – what we model is what they pick up. So, it’s important that we show up and provide them with the tools to help them find their voice and pathways to future success.”

The new board members include:

Dr. Dan’iel Kendricks, Chief Program Officer for the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago, is a social impact and executive leader with over 20 years of experience developing and implementing person-centered programs and services. She is passionate about fighting social inequality and helping individuals and communities build resilience while overcoming adversity. Dr. Kendricks, whose graduate dissertation was on Chicago drill music, was featured in the Paramount + documentary “As We Speak” about Chicago’s drill music scene.

Todd Barnett is Director of Partnerships, Family and Community Engagement at the University of Chicago Charter School. Since 2015, Barnett has been a tremendous supporter and partner of
LUV Institute who understands the value of our work, especially professional development for his teachers. Barnett advocates for his team and fervently believes in the power of restorative justice practices and social-emotional support to help students realize their full potential.

Andrew Wells, Vice President of Workforce Development for the Chicago Urban League, has 15 years of experience working in employment and training. For the Urban League, he oversees all aspects of the Workforce Development Center and provides strategic leadership to the workforce staff, its contractors and interns, and coordinates the development and implementation of all employment and training initiatives.

Media contact: Shawn Taylor | tshawntaylor@yahoo.com | 312-371-6260

December 11, 2023