Grandparents Circle
As the first Chicago-based partner of The Grandmother Project, JPA works with community volunteers, “Grands,” who are family matriarchs and/or community leaders who see the vision of creating social change through bridging intergenerational gaps. The “Grands” are trained in social-emotional skills, improving their communication with youth, and enhancing their knowledge of adolescence to foster increased self-esteem and self-efficacy.
The Grands will hold weekly, in-school or afterschool sessions with middle schoolers. During their time together, they share structured, but unscripted, group discussion and activities that create a safe space for young people to talk about their experiences, be heard, and express themselves
The Grandparents Circle partners with local elementary schools to offer weekly, one-hour group sessions focusing on female identifying students in grades 6th-8th. The purpose is to offer relationship building to bridge intergenerational gaps, offering a unique intersection where wisdom, youth, experience, and trust converge.
Through song, crafts, activities, and focused listening, the Grands support the social-emotional skills and well-being of students to help them address community issues with violence, gang activity, bullying, and neglect.
