Anti-Domestic Violence Program for Teenage Boys Set Up in Evanston

A new anti-domestic violence program focusing on teenage boys is underway in Evanston thanks to a grant from the Department of Justice, MyFox Chicago reports.

The program is a collaboration between Y.O.U. and the YWCA Evanston/ North Shore

Nearly 40 teenage boys in Evanston signed up for the program, Jacob Hostetter, Y.O.U. Director of the Allied Against Violence Project, said.

According to the YWCA Evanston/North Shore website, the organization “provides the only comprehensive residential domestic violence program in the northeastern Chicago metropolitan area.”

“I’ve learned about being an upstander rather than a bystander, being an upstander is someone who stands up to violence and doesn’t just sit around and watch what happens, and I think I used to do that a lot,” Ezra Averyhart of Junior Evanston Township High School told My Fox Chicago.

The program is comprised of six primary elements: 24-hour domestic violence hotline, emergency shelter (Mary Lou’s Place), community-based services, legal advocacy, relationship violence prevention and community outreach and education.

About Y.O.U.

Since 1971, Y.O.U. has provided services and leadership to meet the emerging needs of young people and their families in Evanston. Y.O.U. serves more than 1,200 youth and reaches more than 4,000 family members with a holistic set of services that includes after-school enrichment, emotional support, and mentorship.