By: Anthony Boatman

(Youth participating in Ceasefire basketball programs at Senn High School and Willie Whyte Park)

In a city many of the youth are left to fend for themselves and resources are becoming non-existent; the Organization of the Northeast and CeaseFire make the difference.
To help curve the violence in our communities Ceasefire has initiated programs that provide mentorship, recreational activities, as well as weekend and after-school programming to help keep youth in the community from engaging in negative activities.

Currently, Ceasefire is thankful to be working with Senn High School, as it is a strategic location that encompasses Uptown, Edgewater, and Rogers Park. Principal Norman and Assistant Principal Carey of Senn have been very helpful in allowing Ceasefire the time and space to advertise the opportunities to students and providing space for activities. On any given day Ceasefire is able to engage between 35-45 students through various programs.

At the moment, Ceasefire is providing youth with teambuilding skills as well as building community awareness through a basketball tournament that has 80 to 115 youth every Saturday for two hours. Youth leaders are identified at these tournaments and assigned responsibilities to ensure positive outcomes. It is our hope that over the course of time we will be able to build some great youth leadership among our participants.
If you have any questions about ceasefire please contact Anthony Boatman at anthonyboatman@ymail.com.