Who We Are
Michael’s Refuge is a Christ-based non-profit with the goal of reaching at-risk youth in the greater Chicagoland area. We are committed to model faith, hope, and love for a community in meaningful ways. Refuge will be a center for at-risk youth that are faced with traumatic circumstances, whether past or present. We will open our doors during key hours, such as after school when parents are working. At-risk youth face a number of hardships: family discord, grief, poverty, abuse, neglect, exposure to drugs, addiction, bullying, recruitment into gangs, and more. We desire to be a second family to our youth- to know their names, their stories, and be a place of Refuge.
Our Mission
At Michael’s Refuge, we seek to awaken hope in at-risk youth who have faced trauma, by mentoring and empowering them to rise up and pursue their dreams. Our mission is to connect with at-risk youth and provide a secure place to encourage resiliency, perseverance, and healing despite deep pain. We aim to raise them up as future leaders of our world by encouraging their identity and unique gifts.
Our Action Plan
Michael’s Refuge will be planted in a Chicagoland community. Our team will connect with at-risk youth, as well as their families, and establish trust. As a center, Refuge will provide diverse activities for youth- including music, art, dance, sports, media, reading, and writing. The goal is to engage youth with their passions and talents, while capitalizing on everyday teaching moments. We will reinforce resiliency qualities to deter involvement in harmful activities. Our youth will be mentored to live powerfully- to take responsibility for their actions, manage their emotions & relationships, and persevere through difficulty.
Refuge will provide leadership development opportunities by empowering our youth to lead activities with their peers and branch out in their creative pursuits. We hope to engage our youth in planning community events as well as developing advocacy media. We are committed to raising awareness in the community about prevention topics and advocating on behalf of vulnerable youth. Our program will be run by trained volunteers until we can employ a fully staffed team. Through partnerships, we will offer tutoring support and meals. We will develop our work through consultation with community experts, such as local police, DCFS, and youth outreach.
Michael's Refuge 