Focus Areas

Our strategy embodies a deep commitment to racial equity and serving under-resourced communities in Chicagoland. We seek to improve overall democratic outcomes and close the civic empowerment gap by providing resources, creating opportunities, and advocating for policies to address disparities for people of color.

Support local journalism

Local journalism is vigorous, independent, and effective at informing the public and holding institutions accountable

• Support news outlets to broaden and deepen their public affairs reporting
• Strengthen the supports available to news outlets to enhance entrepreneurship, collaboration, and community engagement in local reporting
• Invest in the human capital of the local news ecosystem to improve the capacity and diversity of reporters working locally
  • Advance press freedom to ensure independence and effective reporting
  • Support organizations advancing press freedom
  • Identify local opportunities to support journalists in their day-to-day work and defend them from censorship

Engage youth

Youth are informed, actively participate in their communities, and have healthy civic dispositions

• Youth develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be engaged citizens through equitable, high-quality, school-based civic learning opportunities connected to their lived experiences
  • Support teachers' use of proven civic learning practices, including media literacy, and implement the new high school civics course and revised K-12 social studies standards
  • Strengthen commitment among administrators to fulfill the civic mission of their schools
  • Elevate student voice through scholastic journalism and school governance
  • Build democratic school climates through community partnerships and successful implementation of Illinois' new school discipline law
  • Participate in national and statewide field-building efforts

Pursue institutional reform

Institutions are inclusive, transparent, and accountable to the communities they serve

• Develop high-capacity civic leaders, representative of the communities they serve, who invite constituent participation and advocate for and implement inclusive policies
• Ensure accountability, transparency, and effectiveness of public institutions
• Deepen participation and inclusion through:
  • Expanding Chicagoland residents' participation and representation in elections and Census 2020
  • Providing pathways to protected and citizenship status for local immigrant communities
  • Improving the accessibility of public institutions through inclusive policymaking processes