Research suggests that violence is
learned behavior. Sadly, in com-
munities across Chicago, the possibility
of new lessons seem to present themselves each day.
Almost everyday, young people – many of them in their teens or younger – are injured and killed while walking with friends1, waiting on the sidewalk2, standing outside of school3, attending a party4, riding in a car5, or riding a bike6.
Between November 2008 and March 2009, the incidents listed above resulted in the injury or death of 23 young people across Chicago, all of them 19 or younger. One, the boy riding his bike, was nine.
That is the age group Rainbow House makes every effort to reach in the therapeutic setting as well as through outreach counselors, who visit high schools to talk to young men in an effort to "undo" the bitter lessons of violence and abuse.
At Rainbow House, we understand that in some homes violence is so common that fathers, sons and brothers take up weapons for protection or to add emphasis to the fight. There are fatal consequences sometimes, however, to such a choice.7
Since the start of 2009, there have been at least two incidents involving the death of one male family member at the hands of another. In January, a father on the City’s South Side allegedly stabbed his son to death during a fight. Two months later, a 19-year-old male allegedly stabbed a brother to death during an altercation.
It is a devastating reality and the “kind of story” that most people know only from newspapers or the television news. At Rainbow House, we understand that far too often and for far too many young men in Chicago, violence is part of every day life in actions as simple and otherwise innocent as walking down the street, going to school or coming home. Thus, they are taught by increment, and often without clear knowledge, that violence is “normal.” That abuse is “powerful,” and that being a man involves both.
At Rainbow House, we know that often this is how violence and domestic abuse begin; as habit or unconscious thought. To help young men across Chicago “un-learn” some of these troubling lessons, Rainbow House has created a platform for young men where they can discuss their experiences, concerns and their fears with someone who is trained to listen.
Through group counseling and an all-male children’s therapy group for little boys, in addition to assisting women, we reach out to an often overlooked segment of the population: young men. Our goal is to stop the cycle of violence before it starts. We are here to help, regardless of where you are located in the City of Chicago.
Our counselors visit high schools on a rotating basis. If you are interested in scheduling a visit by one of our counselors, please call Rainbow House at (773) 521-1815. In addition, if you have a child whom you believe may benefit from our young boy’s group, please call our Little Village office at (773) 521-1815. Our staff will address your concerns in a confidential manner and refer your call to the proper staff member.
Read More - Events
Almost everyday, young people – many of them in their teens or younger – are injured and killed while walking with friends1, waiting on the sidewalk2, standing outside of school3, attending a party4, riding in a car5, or riding a bike6.
Between November 2008 and March 2009, the incidents listed above resulted in the injury or death of 23 young people across Chicago, all of them 19 or younger. One, the boy riding his bike, was nine.
That is the age group Rainbow House makes every effort to reach in the therapeutic setting as well as through outreach counselors, who visit high schools to talk to young men in an effort to "undo" the bitter lessons of violence and abuse.
At Rainbow House, we understand that in some homes violence is so common that fathers, sons and brothers take up weapons for protection or to add emphasis to the fight. There are fatal consequences sometimes, however, to such a choice.7
Since the start of 2009, there have been at least two incidents involving the death of one male family member at the hands of another. In January, a father on the City’s South Side allegedly stabbed his son to death during a fight. Two months later, a 19-year-old male allegedly stabbed a brother to death during an altercation.
It is a devastating reality and the “kind of story” that most people know only from newspapers or the television news. At Rainbow House, we understand that far too often and for far too many young men in Chicago, violence is part of every day life in actions as simple and otherwise innocent as walking down the street, going to school or coming home. Thus, they are taught by increment, and often without clear knowledge, that violence is “normal.” That abuse is “powerful,” and that being a man involves both.
At Rainbow House, we know that often this is how violence and domestic abuse begin; as habit or unconscious thought. To help young men across Chicago “un-learn” some of these troubling lessons, Rainbow House has created a platform for young men where they can discuss their experiences, concerns and their fears with someone who is trained to listen.
Through group counseling and an all-male children’s therapy group for little boys, in addition to assisting women, we reach out to an often overlooked segment of the population: young men. Our goal is to stop the cycle of violence before it starts. We are here to help, regardless of where you are located in the City of Chicago.
Our counselors visit high schools on a rotating basis. If you are interested in scheduling a visit by one of our counselors, please call Rainbow House at (773) 521-1815. In addition, if you have a child whom you believe may benefit from our young boy’s group, please call our Little Village office at (773) 521-1815. Our staff will address your concerns in a confidential manner and refer your call to the proper staff member.
Read More - Events
During a group session for teen boys at an alternative high school in Little Village, I was struck by the vulnerability and introspection many of the boys displayed when reflecting on their experiences with violence.
I led an activity called ‘Men Stand Up’ in which I asked a series of questions about experiences of violence and had them stand up silently if their answer was ‘yes.’ The questions included: ‘Have you ever been hit [by] an older man?’; “Have you ever had to fight to prove your manhood?’; “Have you ever seen an older man you look up to and respect physically abuse a woman?”
As more and more of the boys stood up, I looked around the room and saw that for many of them it was probably the first time they had acknowledged some of the pain these questions brought up.
Upon debriefing with them, they told me that it struck them to see how many of their peers had had similar experience to them, and how they never would have imagined that they had these things in common. They expressed gratitude and relief at having a place where they could share these things and not have to appear tough all the time.
One young man reflected out loud to the group that when I was asking the question, it ‘brought him back’ to the time when those things happened, and he wondered if there was anything he could have done to make a better choice.
The boys have shown teachability and humility in talking about issues such as male stereotypes, machismo, violence against women and violence on the streets. Many of these young men have been in gangs, and in some ways all of them are affected by street gangs and violence on a daily basis. It is inspiring to see young men rise up and choose outside of the old cycles and patterns of thinking.
- Rainbow House Outreach Counselor
I led an activity called ‘Men Stand Up’ in which I asked a series of questions about experiences of violence and had them stand up silently if their answer was ‘yes.’ The questions included: ‘Have you ever been hit [by] an older man?’; “Have you ever had to fight to prove your manhood?’; “Have you ever seen an older man you look up to and respect physically abuse a woman?”
As more and more of the boys stood up, I looked around the room and saw that for many of them it was probably the first time they had acknowledged some of the pain these questions brought up.
Upon debriefing with them, they told me that it struck them to see how many of their peers had had similar experience to them, and how they never would have imagined that they had these things in common. They expressed gratitude and relief at having a place where they could share these things and not have to appear tough all the time.
One young man reflected out loud to the group that when I was asking the question, it ‘brought him back’ to the time when those things happened, and he wondered if there was anything he could have done to make a better choice.
The boys have shown teachability and humility in talking about issues such as male stereotypes, machismo, violence against women and violence on the streets. Many of these young men have been in gangs, and in some ways all of them are affected by street gangs and violence on a daily basis. It is inspiring to see young men rise up and choose outside of the old cycles and patterns of thinking.
- Rainbow House Outreach Counselor
1 On Nov. 30, 2008, an 18-year-old man was walking down the street with a 15-year-old when the two were shot from a car passing by in the 2000 block of N. Leclaire in Chicago, according to the Chicago Police Department. On Dec. 3, 2008, a 17-year-old male was killed when he was shot in the head and chest while walking along the street in the 6000 block of S. Sacramento. On Feb. 27, 2009, a 19-year-old was shot in the neck while walking with a friend in the 800 block of 76th Street in Chicago, according to police. On March 10, 2009, a 17-year-old male suffering from a gunshot wound to the torso was discovered by police in the 4900 block of N. Ridgeway Ave. in Chicago. On March 25, 2009, an 18-year-old male was discovered alongside a 23-year-old male in the 2600 block of W. 70th Street in Chicago. Both men had been shot during a “drive by” incident. The 18-year-old was shot twice in the upper torso.
2 On Jan. 18, 2009, a 16-year-old male was standing on the street in the 2400 block of S. Albany Ave. when he was shot several times in the back by an unknown offender. A 16-year-old and 17-year-old were later identified by police as the offenders. On Feb. 14, 2009, a “male teen” standing in the 1900 block of S. Loomis was shot and killed when an offender “exited the vehicle and opened fire striking him.”
3 On Jan. 2009, five students were shot outside of Dunbar High School by an 18-year-old man.
4 On March 6, 2009, in the 3200 block of 92nd street in Chicago, a 18-year-old male, who was attending a party, was shot in the back by an offender following an argument, Chicago police statistics show. On Jan. 17, 2009, six people were shot while attending a house party in the 11800 block of S. State Street.
5 On Jan. 9, 2009, two 18-year-old men were driving along the 3200 block of N. Kimball Avenue when one was shot in the left shoulder and the other was grazed in the neck. On Feb. 14, 2009, a 19-year-old man riding in a van was shot and killed in the 7500 block of S. Wabash by an offender, who fired into the van. On Feb. 19, 2009, a 16-year-old female was shot in the head while riding in a car along the 2500 block of W. 42nd Street.
6 On March 26, 2009, a 9-year-old boy was riding his bike in the 3000 block of S. Hamlin when he was shot in the arm. The shot came from a passing car., according to police.
7 On Jan. 17, 2009, a 19-year-old male was stabbed and killed by his brother during a physical altercation, according to the City of Chicago Police Department. On March 1, 2009, a 47 year-old man attacked his 78-year old father while he was sitting down. The father rose and responded by grabbing a kitchen knife. He fatally stabbed his son in the chest.