How GEM started
How GEM Started:
GEM was created in the Summer of 2024 out of a need to empower the next generation of young people as leaders on Chicago’s Northwest Side. GEM was created to fill a void of community organizing on the Northwest Side of Chicago. While there is amazing programmatic work going on that is creating safe space and providing essential services and filling basic needs there exists a gap in empowering people to create change in their community.
Current programs are not working to empower people to create change and find their voice. As a result, there is a gap in organizing grassroots community members to build their power to act for community change.
How GEM works
Systems Change Approach
GEM helps disrupt current systems that have historically disenfranchised low-income communities of color that are shaping their community and world through helping them shape their own community and worldview.
Political Education
GEM’s flagship program provides civics education for youth, that includes a deep understanding of the legislative process, intentionality around connecting youth to political and policy processes ensuring youth voice is at the decision making table. Our political education also focuses on speaking truth to power.
Next GEM Leaders
GEM’s additional program, Next GEM Leaders, provides on the ground community organizing experience through a fellowship that focuses on placing fellows as part of a community organizing campaign.
Intentionality
GEM’s work ensures that residents are active in public life and hold relationships with community stakeholders and people in power to develop and lead grassroots community-led issue based campaigns based on the needs of their communities.
Relationship Building
GEM’s work centers relationships through one-on-one conversations with people, happening by meeting people where they are at and asking community members questions, deeply listening to what they say to inform GEM’s work.
GEM’s Community Organizing Model
Step 1: Bringing people, specifically young people, into public life
Step 2: Through public life, build community power through relational organizing
Step 3: Through organizing empower residents to create systems change in their community
Step 4: This leads to empowering the community to create their own systems.