Broader Urban Involvement and Leadership Development Program (BUILD)

Chicago, Ill.'s BUILD (Broader Urban Involvement and Leadership Development) program combines gang prevention/intervention strategies with leadership development approaches in an attempt to curb gang violence in some of the city's most crime-ridden neighborhoods. Founded on the principle that youth join gangs because they lack other, more constructive opportunities and outlets, BUILD tries to reach out to young people and provide alternatives to increasing violence. The program deploys trained intervention specialists who seek to establish a rapport with gang-involved youth and serve as positive role models. BUILD designs and delivers a violence prevention curriculum at local schools and at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, along with follow-up case management. The program also organizes afterschool sports programs and other recreational, educational, and artistic activities for at-risk and gang-involved youth. To equip youth with tools and opportunities to access the "mainstream dream" of college and career, the program provides career training, college counseling, and financial aid information to students from low-income schools. BUILD works with corporate sponsors, community leaders, parents, and activists to coordinate local anti-violence initiatives and coalitions.

Established in 1969 to address gang violence in Chicago's West Town community, BUILD has since expanded its activities to seven other low-income, high-crime areas for a total of eight communities served (Near North/Cabrini-Green, Humboldt Park, Logan Square, East Garfield Park, Belmont Cragin, Hermosa, West Town and Uptown). The program's violence prevention curriculum at the local Detention Center reaches both male and female youth from throughout Cook County. BUILD estimates its various activities to date have involved more than 85,000 youths from around the Chicago area.

BUILD's mission is to engage at-risk youth in the schools and on the streets, so they can realize their educational and career potential and contribute to the stability, safely and well being of your communities.

A Loyola University of Chicago study of BUILD's program based in the local detention center-based program found that BUILD youth had significantly lower recidivism rates than their counterparts from the control group. According to the study, only 33 percent of BUILD youths recidivated within 1 year, versus 57 percent of non-BUILD participants. BUILD participants who did recidivate also had a longer average time to recidivism than youths from the control group (9.6 months versus 7.6 months). Finally, the study found that BUILD students who recidivated spent significantly fewer days in the BUILD classroom (an average of 6.17) than non-recidivates (an average of 9.35 days).

The Center for Latino Research's process evaluation of BUILD found that the program was extremely well implemented. Overall, the team reported, "the program's objectives were accomplished and in many instances exceeded, [owing] to the efforts of BUILD's dedicated staff." BUILD's policy of hiring staff with strong connections to the local community (including former gang members) and its strong emphasis on staff development were repeatedly identified as critical factors in the program's success.