This Amazing Charity Helps Kids Explore Their Cities [VIDEO]

Chicago charity My Block, My Hood, My City takes teenagers on tours of the city and shows them their home in a light they’ve never seen before. Founder Jahmal Cole said he was tired of witnessing crimes and wanted to help. “You get tired of hearing gunshots,” he said. “Somebody’s got to step up and do something. This was my way of doing something.” Cole created the movement to help teens coming from poverty to change their narrative and help them dream bigger than their surroundings.

The program, which has been around for two years, shows participants areas of Chicago they’ve never been before, such as North Chicago or downtown. Cole first began his efforts by contacting local schools and asking if he could rent a bus and take 50 kids to the top of the Willis Tower or other popular cultural sites.

The program stresses the importance of awareness and how it can lead to open mindedness and broadening their horizon. Because he can’t take students to China or India, Cole brings the teens to Chinatown, or to a meal on Devon Avenue, where Indian restaurants line the blocks. “If you show people better, they’ll do better” he said.