For years, communities in Chicago have grappled with poverty, systemic racism and violence, and too few viable economic opportunities, particularly for men of color. For young people in Chicago, gun violence is nothing new.

But a program called Chicago CRED (Creating Real Economic Destiny) has been working to combat the ubiquity of gun violence with an unconventional approach. Run by former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the program tries to break the cycle of violence by finding the young people most likely to be involved in gun violence—young black men—and preparing them for the workforce.

There are a few things that make Chicago CRED appealing for its cohort of about 30 young men of color, all of them from the West and South Sides of Chicago. First, it pays participants minimum wage while they’re in the program and sets them up for a long-term career after

The young men also receive mental and social support services: cognitive behavioral therapy to help work through trauma and develop conflict resolution skills, personalized tutoring towards their education, substance abuse counseling, legal advice, and help securing stable housing.

And finally—and perhaps most importantly—Chicago CRED connects each young man to a life coach who encourages and challenges him to set goals and follow through on them. Flunder said that one of the most important parts of the program was finding a “role model” in his coach, Roger Jones.

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