Chicago’s young people aren’t a problem to solve

Earlier this month, 16-yearold Seandell Holliday lost his life to a fellow teenager at Millennium Park, prompting an earlier citywide curfew for minors.

As we mourn this young Chicagoan, we must see this tragedy for what it is: a systemic failure to protect our youth.

When addressing youth violence, adults often point fingers. Questions about personal and parental responsibility assign blame while ignoring neighborhood disinvestment, structural racism and intergenerational trauma.

The citywide curfew likewise scapegoats young people and their families. The curfew’s enforcement will disproportionately affect Black and Brown kids due to racial bias in policing. Rather than criminalizing teenagers, leaders should encourage them — and provide them with the necessary resources — to be community change agents.

Curfews are ineffective at reducing violence. Data from 2021 shows curfew citations among teens have decreased, while incidents stemming from mental health issues have increased. Forcing teenagers to isolate at home, away from peers — after missing two years of healthy social connections — exacerbates the problem.

The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago’s Youth Safety and Violence Prevention (YSVP) initiative embraces a simple principle: Healing is prevention. By taking a trauma-informed approach that connects youth with peers, trusted grownups, mental health resources and constructive outlets, the Y has empowered hundreds of teens to become leaders.

Recently, YSVP teens attended Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s community safety town hall, asking thoughtful questions about neighborhood safety rooted in their lived experiences. The teens also met commissioners for the city’s parks, libraries and schools and signed up for summer job opportunities.

By engaging in dialogue with officials and learning from mentors who understand them, teens can feel championed. In turn, they bring perspectives, ingenuity and energy toward creating a better future.

The Y is one of many organizations doing this work, hand in hand with teens. The foremost thing adults can do is connect youth and families to these resources, providing options rather than stripping them away.

Chicago’s young people aren’t a problem to solve. They are active agents in furthering community safety. Once our adult leaders begin treating them as such, our city can begin to heal. Jaunita Pye, executive director, Youth Safety and Violence

Prevention, YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago