Each year, all too many Chicago youth and their families are struck with traumatic incidents stemming from exposure to gun violence, domestic abuse, substance abuse, and other forms of violence and loss. Urban Gateways often engages the same youth and families who have been exposed to trauma; arts intervention can provide a tool for recovery and mitigate the impact of trauma on our city’s youth.

This is why we are partnering with Artists 4 Israel and Chicago Survivors to pilot the distribution of A4I’s Healing Arts Kits throughout the city. Developed by Artists 4 Israel as a first response tool to bombing victims in Israel, the Healing Arts Kits are emergency psychological first aid kits, designed to be administered immediately after an incident of trauma. The purpose of the Kits is to slow or prevent the onset of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder by providing the young person with activities that interrupt the trauma, stimulate self-soothing, inspire creative thinking, and otherwise use the elements of art therapy.

Please join us on February 12 as we pack the first 200 kits and prepare them for use by Chicago Survivors during crisis intervention. The evening will include refreshments, plus a short program offering an overview of the partnership between Artists 4 Israel, Chicago Survivors, and Urban Gateways. Help us leverage the power of the arts to alleviate the impact of trauma on our city’s youth. You can read more about this initiative here.

Join us on February 12!
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