My Block, My Hood, My City
NicknameM3
Founded atChicago, Illinois
TypeNonprofit
Location
  • USA
Websitehttps://www.formyblock.org/

My Block, My Hood, My City, also known as M3,[1] is a non-profit organization in Chicago that mentors underprivileged youth through educational programs and field trips.[2] The organization focuses on providing opportunities in STEM, arts & culture, citizenry & volunteerism, health, community development, culinary arts, and entrepreneurship.[3]

Background

My Block, My Hood, My City was founded in 2013 by Jahmal Cole.[3] The idea to create the organization stemmed from Cole's memory of taking a bus from North Chicago to Texas, in which he realized the diversity of the country.[2] While volunteering at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, Cole noticed the lack of exposure detainees from the South and West sides of Chicago had of other neighborhoods, which also motivated him to start the organization.[4]

In addition to founding M3, Cole has received several awards and recognition including the Chicago Ideas Award by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2011, a certificate by the Illinois Office of Volunteerism and Community Service in 2012, and the Chicago Urban League Award in 2016.[3] He has also written several books about disparities in Chicago neighborhoods, with his most recent one titled It's Not Regular.[5] He currently resides in the Chatham neighborhood of Chicago with his wife and daughter.[2]

Demographics

My Block, My Hood, My City caters mainly to teens from the South and West sides of Chicago, although a version of the Explorers' Program has been offered to adults in the past.[4] The nonprofit aims to serve students from neighborhoods with high rates of crime and poverty, such as Englewood.[2] Many of the organization's fundraising efforts benefit the larger Chicago community, including micro-grants given to community leaders[6] and donations to Black-owned businesses.[7]

Programs

Explorers' Program

Children from underprivileged neighborhoods are given tours of different parts of the city to explore Chicago's culture. Field trips include sailing, cooking, or attending art museums.[8] Most field trips, however, are focused on entrepreneurship, and cost about $1,500 each.[4] When the Explorer's Program first launched in 2016, 75 teens participated in field trips across the city.[2] Currently, the program serves 150 teens per year for a total of 10 explorations.[4] Students are selected to join the Explorers' program based on recommendations from school officials, especially those with low attendance rates.[4]

Additionally, the youth-led scooter tour program was created in 2018 to provide summer jobs for young people as tour guides of the west side Chicago neighborhoods.[9] During these tours, attendees are led around North Lawndale to visit historical sites and local spots.[10] The program is run by Nathaniel Viets-VanLear, the program manager of My Block, My Hood, My City.[9]

Youth-Senior Connect

The Youth-Senior Connect program was created in 2020 to help teens and young adults who are aiming to work in the medical field.[11] The program connects them with the city's elderly as a summer job to serve as care-takers and deliver groceries.[11] My Block, My Hood, My City received 2,500 requests from seniors for help.[11]

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, My Block, My Hood, My City hosted drives to collect PPE for the city's elderly.[12] Each of the 1,000 safety kits that were assembled and delivered included two masks, hand sanitizer, and five pairs of latex gloves.[12]

Fundraisers and grants

M3 is funded primarily through online sales of merchandise such as hoodies and t-shirts.[2] These merchandise sales contribute about $50,000 to M3 each year.[4]

Hit the Hood Grant

In 2020, My Block, My Hood, My City fundraised $80,000 through their Hit the Hood Grant to help combat violence in Chicago.[6] The grants were distributed in $2,500 micro-grants to community leaders across the city.[6] During the summer of 2020, M3 started the My Community Table fundraiser in which they teamed up with restaurants across the city, with money from takeout meals donated to the grant.[13]

Small Business Relief Fund

The Small Business Relief Fund started in July 2020 in response to small businesses damaged by COVID-19, looting, or vandalism.[7] More than 230 businesses reached out to M3 for assistance and $1,000,000 was raised in two days for the fund.[7] Donations are submitted online through the My Block, My Hood, My City website[7] and businesses can apply for up to a $7,500 grant.[14] While funds are given to a variety of businesses, this fund primarily focuses on black-owned businesses[7] in the south and west sides of Chicago.[15] With this relief fund, Cole also hopes to train small businesses across Chicago in online commerce and digital marketing.[7]

Annual 5K Run

In 2019, My Block, My Hood, My City hosted its first 5K run at Marquette Park.[16] Proceeds help fund the Explorers' program.[16] In 2020, the race was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] In the virtual race, participants chose a run group and were randomly assigned a neighborhood to run in at their own pace.[17]

Partnerships

My Block, My Hood, My City has partnered with black-owned small businesses in the Chicago metropolitan area, including Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery.[18] The Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks also partnered with My Block, My Hood, My City to help clean up Chicago's West Side.[1] Celebrities like Usher have also been seen wearing the organization's merchandise.[4]

The nonprofit group joined forces with My Community Table to raise money for local businesses as well as the organization's #HitTheHood program.[13] My Block, My Hood, My City has also been active in the Black Lives Matter movement. The group organized a rally in Chicago in remembrance of victims of police brutality including Breonna Taylor.[19]

In June 2017, My Block, My Hood, My City helped create virtual tours of Chicago neighborhoods with the help of Google as an extension of the Explorers' Program. My Block, My Hood, My City teens received technological mentorship from Google, and the tech company received virtual reality footage from the teens who lived in Chicago neighborhoods.[20]

Volunteering

My Block, My Hood, My City has been involved in various volunteering opportunities throughout Chicago neighborhoods. They have branched out beyond civic missions and have gathered volunteers to clean up surrounding neighborhoods, including areas like Chatham, Chicago.[8] They have organized volunteers to aid in snow removal in underserved communities.[21] In addition, My Block, My Hood, My City gathered volunteers to help clean up retail stores that were damaged during the George Floyd protests in Chicago[22] and has assembled volunteers to help at the Chicago Farmworks in East Garfield Park to plant and mulch crops in the community garden, in order to someday feed hundreds of people.[23]

References

  1. 1 2 "Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks Partner with My Block My Hood My City (M3) to Launch "Supporting Westhaven Park: Block by Block" Program". Chicago Bulls. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Jahmal Cole is Challenging Perceptions One Block at a Time". WTTW News. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Jahmal Cole's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jackson, Cheryl V. "My Block, My Hood, My City uses hoodies to expand teens' horizons". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  5. ↑ "It's Not Regular: In New Book, Organizer Jahmal Cole Shows Inequities Hiding In Plain Sight On South, West Sides". Block Club Chicago. January 13, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 "My Block, My Hood, My City Giving Out Micro-Grants To Encourage Community, Prevent Violence". July 2, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "My Block, My Hood, My City Raises $1 Million In Just 2 Days For Small Businesses Hurt By Looting, Vandalism". Block Club Chicago. June 10, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Lacey, Catherine. "The Youth Mentor". Chicago magazine. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  9. 1 2 "My Block, My Hood, My City Teens Give Outsiders A New Perspective On West Side Neighborhood With Scooter Tour". Block Club Chicago. July 15, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Teen-Led Tours Of North Lawndale Still Have Spots Open For This Weekend". Block Club Chicago. July 27, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 "My Block, My Hood, My City Summer Job Program Will Connect Teens With Seniors In Need During Pandemic". Block Club Chicago. May 7, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  12. 1 2 "My Block, My Hood, My City Needs Volunteers To Deliver Masks And Gloves To Seniors This Weekend". Block Club Chicago. July 8, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  13. 1 2 Cauguiran, Cate (July 14, 2020). "My Block, My Hood, My City and My Community Table team up to raise funds to prevent Chicago violence". ABC7 Chicago. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  14. ↑ Esposito, Stefano (June 24, 2020). "Local organization offering grants to small businesses hurt by the pandemic, looting". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  15. ↑ "South Side Businesses Devastated By Coronavirus And Looting Get Lifeline Thanks To My Block, My Hood, My City Grants". Block Club Chicago. August 24, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  16. 1 2 "My Block, My Hood, My City Hosting 5K With 400 Runners And Walkers Expected". Block Club Chicago. August 13, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  17. 1 2 "My Block, My Hood, My City 5k". CHICAGO RUN. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  18. ↑ Hope, Leah (September 22, 2020). "West Town's Semicolon bookstore thought COVID-19 would close it forever until Instagram followers stepped in". ABC7 Chicago. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Rally to remember Breonna Taylor, police shooting victims". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Chicago Teens To Help Google Make Virtual Expeditions Of City Neighborhoods". DNAinfo Chicago. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  21. ↑ WLS (January 19, 2019). "My Block, My Hood, My City to offer volunteer snow removal". ABC7 Chicago. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  22. ↑ Larson, James Fallon,Kristin; Fallon, James; Larson, Kristin (June 3, 2020). "Taking Care of His Block". WWD. Retrieved October 26, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ↑ "His mission: Build a better, more connected Chicago one block at a time". WGN-TV. May 2, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
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