641 youth ages 21 years and under have been killed in Chicago in the last 5 years. This is a staggering statistic that hits close to home as the majority of our GRIP youth come from neighborhoods where 90% of the homicides in Chicago have occurred. Imagine the fear and the trauma that comes from not only hearing gunshots in your neighborhood but also losing people close to you on a regular basis. 

And the list goes on:

• 200,000 youth under the age of 18 in Chicago live in poverty.
• 90% of teens in gangs come from fatherless homes.
• People who have experienced trauma are 15 times more likely to attempt suicide.