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BLOOM
a necessary force for gun violence prevention and its impacts.
BLACK GIRLS BLOOM
Our commitment to people is our leading priority.
As a result, we have pursued numerous initiatives supporting south and west-side Chicagoans to tackle our city’s gun violence epidemic. We hold true that gun violence in our communities directly results from divestment and disempowerment. In response, we work to invest in and empower our communities through programs like BLOOM.
BLOOM IS
THE EMBODIMENT OF
RADICAL affirmation.
IT STANDS FOR BELIEVING,
LOVING, AND OWNING THE
OPULENCE IN MYSELF.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
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The BLOOM Cohort is a 6-month program that picks up where many leave off by deepening Black and Brown women’s relationship to self-care, self-love, and nourishment so that they may be transformed. As these women are provided with new, leisurely, and luxury wellness experiences, they expand their capacity to confront and defeat the barriers that have held them back from being active agents and changemakers for themselves, their families, and their communities. During the program, the women engage in intimate educational wellness workshops, adopt new practices, build sisterhood, embark on excursions, and work with a social worker through counseling to set and attain goals. The culmination of this program is a graduation ceremony where participants are awarded with a certification of completion and celebrated by their families and friends. At the end of the program, the women become ambassadors to support the next class while also taking on leadership roles in their families and communities.
Some of our activities this year include...
01
SELF LOVE, SELF CARE, & NOURISHMENT WORKSHOPS W/ SISTA AFY COMMUNITY CARE
02
VEGETABLE GARDENING
03
OPENING NIGHT PERFORMANCE OF 'JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR' ON BROADWAY
04
EMBODYING VISION THROUGH IMPROV WORKSHOP
05
DAY TRIP TO APPLE HOLLER APPLE ORCHARD
AND MORE!
VEGAN CUPCAKE WORKSHOP W/ MAJANI
VISION BOARDING W/ THE SANCTUARY
PROGRAM PILLARS
SELF-LOVE
Caring for ourselves is an act of self-preservation. We lead with this pillar to instill a culture of critical care and innate worthiness for those impacted by the effects of gun violence. By giving them the tools and agency to practice self-care, we aim to also increase feelings of self-love and self-worth.
NOURISHMENT
In order to bloom, a flower must have enough nutrients in the environment it’s rooted in. By exposing women to new foods, expanding their understanding of nutrition, and building a connection to the natural world—we aim to create experiences that nourish them mentally, physically, and spiritually.
TRANSFORMATION
When existing in cycles of trauma and violence, it’s hard to remember that we have an unlimited source of power we can tap into to transform our lives. By helping women harness their transformative capacity—women of color leave the cohort having bloomed into the gifts that were always inside of them.
Why we're creating a culture of critical care
NEED IS ELASTIC.
WE STRETCH TO MEET IT.
Stemming directly from the expressed needs of the people we work with, BLOOM is a necessary force for gun violence prevention and its impacts. Through the Chicago Food Pairing Program, we served hundreds of families by providing customized grocery deliveries, including household supplies, alongside resource list creation. Over time we realized that of the hundreds of people we serviced, the vast majority of them were Black and Brown women. As we conducted these deliveries, they shared with us that they lacked investment, support, a sense of self-worth, a voice, and an ability to dream. We listened. We studied. And with the needs of the people at the forefront, we are taking action.
2022 BLOOM Cohort members
BLOOM acts to realize the empowerment of all women of color by focusing on those that are most vulnerable: low-income women, single mothers, women with disabilities, unemployed women, and more. These women, who are pillars in our communities and their families, are an untapped mine of budding leaders with the power and influence to help shift communities affected by poverty-induced gun violence from a state of scarcity to a thriving oasis. By prioritizing experiential learning, joy, conversation, and counseling—women of color leave the cohort having bloomed into more effective architects of their lives and communities.
JOIN OUR WAITING LIST
Does this program sound like a fit for you or a woman you know? Sign up for our waiting list to express interest in our next cohort being hosted in the Summer of 2023.
OUR DONORS & PARTNERS
