From TMJ4 News – A community program hopes to inspire Milwaukee’s youth to make better decisions for their futures.

“They say it takes a village to raise a kid; it really does, and that’s how it is in VFZ,” said junior Jaylyn Henderson.

For high schoolers like Henderson, finding a positive outlet and support can be tough.

“If you keep forcing it, they’re not going to try to come to you. They’re not going to want to listen to you. They’re not going to want to do that. You have to let them guide themselves,” Henderson said.

Henderson credits the Violence Free Zone through the Milwaukee Christian Center with changing his life.

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From WISN News – Milwaukee police records show 13 children have died in firearm-related homicides this year. Ten years ago, there were six deaths. In response to the spike, DHHS started the Credible Messenger program in 2021, which focuses on high-risk people ages 12 to 22.

Milwaukee Christian Center, 414 Life, Youth Advocate Program, WestCare and Running Rebels are partners in the program. In the first two years, more than three-quarters of the young people involved did not re-offend.

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From Milwaukee Courier –

The continued success of the Credible Messengers Program was expanded in 2023 with a team focused on girls, a housing navigator for youth and families in crisis, the Milwaukee County Trauma Response Team to provide mental health support, and additional behavioral health resources. 

The program’s focus on transformative mentorship has been notably effective, with 66% of the youth receiving at least 26 weeks of mentoring—essential for positive outcomes according to research, delivering more than 2,000 combined hours of mentoring in 2023.  The collaborative effort includes the Milwaukee Christian Center, Youth Advocate Program, GLOW414, Running Rebels, Westcare Wisconsin, and 414Life.  

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From TMJ4 News –

Milwaukee residents are looking to make their community shine a bit brighter this Earth Day.

Elizabeth Ramirez is part of the community group Muskego Way Forward which organized a three hour community cleanup Monday morning.

“It’s a good way to come together,” said Ramirez. “Everyone knows each other around here, we have great communication.”

The event brought together friends and business owners in the area like Dulce Sierra who says it’s important to keep the city clean.

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From Spectrum News 1 – A program in Milwaukee is working to help resolve two major challenges the city faces: a shortage of affordable housing for low-income families and a lack of opportunities for at-risk young adults.

It’s called YouthBuild and is run by Milwaukee Christian Center. The program is for those ages 18–24 who have not finished high school and who may face challenges finding work due to various life experiences.

Participants in the program get hands-on experience in construction, while building new homes for low-income families.

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From FOX6 News – In Milwaukee, people laced up their sneakers to “Race for the Hungry” on Wednesday.

Organized by North Shore Bank, the dash through El Rey FoodMart near 13th and Burnham. Two teams scrambled through the aisles to collect food for Milwaukee Christian Center.

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From Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service – Over the past three summers, Milwaukee teens have revitalized a South Side community garden as part of Growing Connections, a paid summer internship and community-building program.

The community garden on South and West Becher Street, buzzed with activity as visitors and bees alike explored its flowers and plants during a harvest and garden reveal event on Sept. 30.

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From FOX6 News – Seniors in Milwaukee County now have the option to dine out at several delicious, culturally-diverse restaurants. Gayln Reske and Song Xiong-Buck join FOX6 WakeUp to tell us more about the “Dine Out” program.  

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From WTMJ News – After four long weeks of hard work and dedication, nine Milwaukee teens can officially call themselves muralists. “​It makes me feel very happy. I’m very proud of everything that we’ve accomplished,” said ​Elayna Thompson.

With the help of local mural artist Tia Richardson, nine aspiring artists who were accepted into the community art leaders program worked on designing a mural that best reflected the Kosciuszko Community Center.

“I led them on a guided visualization and out of there different feelings came up on what they would like to see if they saw a big painting on the wall – this is how they would want to feel – this is what they would like to see,” said Richardson.

Two of those aspiring artists included Elayna Thompson and Dana McFarlane, who, after getting feedback from neighbors on what the Kozi center means to them were able to bring those responses to life.

“​We see mentorship, we see teamwork and basketball players. It represents a whole community as a whole. The key opens the door to the community telling you that it’s okay, it’s okay to be yourself and it represents you unlocking who you are,” said Thompson.

“It’s like uplifting. We worked on it so long and we just wanted to see how the community takes it. And I saw a lot of smiles on their faces so It was really good,” said McFarlane.

But it’s what Richardson says her students gained along the way while creating this mural that means the most to her.

“​Their confidence is growing, they are speaking up more, they are talking to the public,” said Richardson. “I’m watching them grow and it’s just been a real honor to have that opportunity.”

​The mural will be moved and hung in the front of the Kosciuszko Community Center for everyone to enjoy.

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