About Us
We support young people to take action for justice in their personal lives and communities.
Founded in 2007, CFS mission is to cultivate and amplify the leadership of Black and Brown youth as they envision and organize for collective healing and liberation.
About Us
Equipping young people and adult allies with the tools to develop actionable strategies for social change.
Inspired by the Mississippi Freedom Schools of the Civil Rights Era, CFS takes an innovative approach to youth activism, leadership development, and movement building.
We do this primarily through youth programs, youth organizing, and workshops + trainings, and more.
Our Goals
This is what we’re all about.
Nurturing Leadership
among young people, ages 14-24, across Chicago
Creating Space
where young people and adult allies can build knowledge, skills, and agency;
Elevating Movement History
to support thoughtful action and strategy in the present
Building Capacity
of adult allies to understand and support youth-led social change;
Coordinating Public Events
on youth activism, movement history, and organizing
Our Approach
Supporting New Generations of Young People to Create a Just World
CFS takes an innovative approach to civic engagement, leadership development, and movement building. Our programs, resources and trainings invite Black and Brown youth and adult allies to study the work of past movements, deepen their understanding of current social problems, build new coalitions and develop strategies for change.
History of Freedom Schools
Freedom schools are part of a long history of liberatory education spaces that worked to liberate people from oppression using popular education.
The freedom schools established by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during Freedom Summer in Mississippi in 1964 sought to prepare Black residents to pass the poll tests in order to vote and countered systemic undereducation of Black youth in Mississippi. The curriculum included black history, the philosophy of the Civil Rights Movement, leadership development in addition to instruction in reading and math.
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The goal was to not only teach academics but to prepare young people to actively counter the racist power structure in Mississippi. The freedom schools had hoped to draw at least 1000 students that summer and ended up with close to 2,500. The Chicago Freedom School builds on the freedom school model by seeking to enhance Chicago youth’s connection to their histories and serving as a catalyst for youth-led social change today.
Popular Education Model
Practicing Freedom
Popular education incorporates past history alongside current history and experiences creating an intergenerational dialogue and open space that uses critical learning and reflection as tool to analyze power and change issues in our communities for the better.
Healing Practices
CFS uses healing and wellness practices to holistically respond to and intervene on generational trauma and violence as an integral part of our movement work, bringing collective practices that can impact and transform the consequences of oppression on our bodies, hearts and minds. (Adopted from Cara Page.)
Our Values
We are a community of practice that seeks to align values in all aspects of our work.
Co-Empowerment with Young People
Young people have the right to be treated with respect, for their opinions to be taken seriously, and to have space to grow and enact change. Co-empowerment is a collective power-building process in which young people and adults can empower one another as a practice of liberation.
Anti-Oppression Practices
We believe that white supremacy, capitalism and heteropatriarchy are root causes of oppression. Our work is grounded in practices that not only recognize how these systems play out in large and small ways, but also act to change them.
Transformative Justice
When harm or conflict occurs, we practice and advocate for the use of transformative justice which seeks safety and accountability without relying on alienation, punishment, the State or systemic violence while working to repair the harm that was caused. (Informed by Generation Five)
Healing Justice
CFS uses healing and wellness practices to holistically respond to and intervene on generational trauma and violence as an integral part of our movement work, bringing collective practices that can impact and transform the consequences of oppression on our bodies and hearts.
Popular Education
Popular education incorporates past history alongside current history and experiences creating an intergenerational dialogue and open space that uses critical learning and reflection as tool to analyze power and change issues in our communities for the better.
Our People
Our staff are deeply committed to creating liberatory spaces for youth-led and intergenerational social movement work.
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Tony Alvarado-Rivera (all pronouns)
Executive Director
With over 20 years of youth work experience, Tony creates a unique and radical educational space in Chicago dedicated to youth leadership, organizing, and movement building. Tony became executive director in 2020 after eight years in the roles of CFS Youth Program Coordinator and Director of Youth Programs.
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Stefán Cuevas-Caizaguano (all pronouns)
Youth Leadership Coordinator
Stefán is a Queer Trans Latinx organizer born and raised in Chicago and a 2011 alumni of the Chicago Freedom School. They have been an organizer since 2017 and organized with the Little Village community to combat police brutality. They attend the University of Illinois at Chicago where they are working toward their bachelor's in sociology.
stefan@chicagofreedomschool.org
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Essence-Jade Gatheright (she/they)
Youth Organizer
Essence-Jade was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago in the Roseland neighborhood. She is a CFS alum of the 2019 Fellowship and has held various roles at CFS since. Essence-Jade works from an anti-oppression, transformative justice, and healing justice framework. She is an abolitionist and a visionary with hopes of creating a safer and more sustainable world.
essencejade@chicagofreedomschool.org
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Jacqulyn Hamilton (she/they)
Director of Wellness, Culture & Action
Educator, organizer, artist, and healing justice practitioner focused on how we live our politics in practice, policy, and beyond.
jacqulyn@chicagofreedomschool.org
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DeeDee Pacheco (she/they)
Operations Coordinator
Chicane. Educator. Racial Healing Circle Practitioner. Facilitates healing spaces through the arts and transformative justice rooted in cultural practices.
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imi rashid
Accountant
Youth Leadership Board
The Youth Leadership Board is a youth-led decision-making team of program alumni who collaborate with staff to design and evaluate programs, participate in organizational strategic planning, hire staff, facilitate workshops, and lead community outreach.
More info coming soon.
Board of Directors
Ailiana Denis
ángela munguía - Co-chair
Artie Surratt
David Chavez
Fausto A. Lopez - Secretary
Gervais Marsh
Jane Palmer - Treasurer
Steven Rosado - Co-chair
Maral Zonooz
Join Our Team!
As a small, youth-centered organization, CFS is a relaxed, hands-on environment where youth are encouraged to come to our space to engage, study, and be in community with CFS staff, volunteers and other youth.
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There are no opportunities open at this time.
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CFS frequently hosts students who need to complete an internship for course credit. We seek individuals with a high level of commitment to young people and youth-led social change. We have one internship opening available for the school year and one internship available for the summer (early June through early August). Occasionally we have semester internships available as well.
Internship candidates can apply via their school or program’s internship coordinator or contact us directly. Please provide a cover letter explaining your interest in and your availability, your resume, two references, and any relevant paperwork from your home institution pertaining to your internship (if applicable) by emailing us at info@chicagofreedomschool.org
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We do not have any open volunteer positions at this time, but please check back with us in the future!
Are you interested in volunteering with the Chicago Freedom School? We often seek volunteers to help with behind the scenes office administration or special project work.
Celebrating 15 Years Of Radical Youth Work
