WeBelieveinthe TransformativePower ofStories
"Stories become a pathway for developing self-awareness, empathy, and
connection."
Stories We Carry: Reflections on 2025
15 years ago, ConTextos began with a simple belief: that stories matter
Not only because they help us understand the past, but because they help us imagine what is possible. They help us make meaning of our experiences, strengthen our relationships, and connect us to something larger than ourselves
As I reflect on 2025, I find myself thinking less about individual programs and more about the communities, educators, families, young people, Authors, readers, and partners who have shaped this journey
Across El Salvador and Chicago, we witnessed the same truth expressed in different ways. In libraries and classrooms In community circles and creative spaces Through books, dialogue, writing, art, and collective reflection
People are searching for connection
They are looking for places where they can learn, belong, express themselves, and engage with others in meaningful ways.
For fifteen years, ConTextos has worked to help create those places
Sometimes that looks like a child discovering a book that sparks curiosity and wonder
Sometimes it looks like a teacher finding community among colleagues and renewing their commitment to the classroom
Sometimes it looks like a young person telling their story for the first time.
Sometimes it looks like a community gathering to listen, reflect, create, and imagine together
Though the places, people, and experiences may differ, the underlying work remains the same: cultivating the conditions through which individuals and communities can connect, learn, and thrive
This year also marked an important milestone for our organization. Fifteen years offer an opportunity not only to celebrate accomplishments, but to reflect on what we have learned.
We have learned that books can open doors
We have learned that stories can build bridges
We have learned that learning is deeply relational
We have learned that communities possess extraordinary wisdom and strength
And we have learned that meaningful change happens not only through programs, but through relationships sustained over time.
The impact reports we are sharing today offer a glimpse into that work They tell stories of readers and educators, Authors and families, community leaders and young people They reflect the efforts of countless individuals who continue to believe in the power of stories, education, creativity, and human connection
Most importantly, they remind us that our work has never belonged to ConTextos alone. It has always been shaped by the people and communities who have trusted us with their stories
To our participants, educators, families, community partners, supporters, board members, staff, volunteers, and friends: thank you
Thank you for helping build ConTextos. Thank you for helping shape the next chapter of this story.
We invite you to explore our 2025 Impact Reports and learn more about the communities, partnerships, and possibilities that continue to shape our work
Dr. Cecilia Cardesa Chief Executive Officer, ConTextos
Katie Hill, Esq Board Chair, ConTextos
Why This Work Matters Now
We do this work because it reconnects.
In a moment where many experience emotional disconnection from themselves, from others, from their communities spaces of reflection, pause, and expression are not optional. They are essential
Across many of the communities we work alongside, we are witnessing:
A need for emotional access and expression, especially among youth
A growing absence of safe spaces to process lived experience
A longing for belonging, care, and recognition
At the heart of our work is a simple truth:
People need to be seen, heard, and believed.
Storytelling becomes the bridge between isolation and connection, between silence and voice, between survival and healing.
Seen Heard Believed
Community Shapes the Work
“The community is the work—and what we show up to do is meet people where they are.”
Everything we build begins with listening Across Chicago, we have learned that impact is not linear it is relational. We do not deliver programming to communities; we build with them.
We create micro-communities within larger communities, where people from different identities, neighborhoods, and experiences come together in shared reflection. Circles create space for reflection, emotional honesty, and connection.
And in those spaces, the work evolves
How We Respond: Adapting to Community Needs
Our programs are not fixed—they are responsive, living systems shaped by the voice of our communities.
In 2025, we deepened this responsiveness through:
Expansion of Alumni Circles
Continued connection beyond incarceration.
Mother’s Healing Circle
Facilitated intentional space to process, heal, and convene with a group of mothers who suffered a loss of a child to violence. No matter how many years have passed, the grief remains fresh for many mothers One mother who lost her son shared in Circle, "I need to talk about my son, but it’s so hard to talk about him. I just started to write.”
Siblings Healing Circle
Facilitated intentional space to process the loss of a sibling (biological, best friend, close cousin, etc ) to violence
Youth Summer Internship (STEANS Family Foundation)
Focused on engaging youth from North Lawndale. and brought together young people from different Chicago neighborhoods and lived experiences,
creating opportunities for connection, collaboration, and relationship-building. The experience challenged assumptions about disconnection among youth across different communities in Chicago.
Light-touch healing models
Emerge, Elevate, and Empower (E3) is a new youth outreach initiative that leverages the power of storytelling in group workshops for youth ages 16-24! E3 Circles are led by mental health first aidtrained facilitators skilled in traumainformed and restorative practices. They serve as caring mentors who support Authors’ creative and emotional work in Circle and form deep, meaningful relationships with Authors that continue long after the conclusion of Circle.
Creative storytelling formats (animation, gallery work, documentary, performance)
Hybrid spaces like 2240 that merge digital and in-person community care
“I need to talk about my son, but it’s so hard… I just started to write.”
What We Do: Programs & Ecosystem
Inside & Beyond Walls (CCDOC Programs)
These spaces support Authors in strengthening their voice, reclaiming narrative, and transforming lived experience into reflection, connection, and agency.
Authors Circle (Cohort 13, Division 9)
Alumni Circles
Public Defender Learning Exchange (in partnership with Zealous)
Memoir Animations (e g , “April Fools”, “Stronger Than Pain”)
“When Authors return behind walls and come back to 2240 looking for us, it reminds us that the work continues beyond the Circle ”
Youth & Education Programs
Early access to voice, identity, and belonging
CICS Prairie Art Installation (Crochet
“You Shine” project)
Youth Summer Internship Program
Youth storytelling and writing circles
These programs challenge narratives of division and disconnection among youth
By the end of Circle, youth who once felt distant became connected often describing one another as family.
Community Healing Circles & Engagement
Spaces of grief, healing, identity, and intergenerational truth
Authors Circle:
Mothers Healing Circle:
Facilitated intentional space to process, heal, and convene with a group of mothers who suffered a loss of a child to violence
No matter how many years have passed, the grief remains fresh for many mothers.
One mother who lost her son shared in Circle, "I need to talk about my son, but it’s so hard to talk about him I just started to write ”
Sibling Circle:
Facilitated intentional healing space to process the loss of a sibling, cousin, and/or best friend to violence
What We Do: Programs & Ecosystem
Emerge, Elevate, Empower (E3 Youth Circles) is a youth storytelling initiative for young people ages 16-24 that combines reflective writing, dialogue, mentorship, and trauma-informed practices to strengthen connection, emotional expression, and community support
Sankofa Stories documentary (intergenerational documentary dialogue)
In continued partnership with the MAFAA Redemption Project, we expanded to connect Youth and Elders from Mt. Pilgrim Church to engage an intergenerational dialogue to connect communities and empower voices
Gave the opportunity and space for conversations between Young people and elders in West Garfield Park. Allowed Young people to get a better understanding of the history of their community, their culture, and gave the elders an opportunity to to share their experiences growing up during the Great Migration Within the Circle, Elders were able to share their own stories and this dialogue positioned elders, not only as holders of knowledge, but also as learners who asked questions and engaged
in reflection In conversation with one another, participants explored where the disconnect occurred.
Community Spaces & 2240 Creative Hub
Where people come to create, belong, and breathe
Open Mics
Carpentry workshops
Yoga & meditation
Paint & sip sessions
Photography (The Dark Room)
Film screenings
Crochet, printmaking, jam sessions, acting workshops
Art exhibitions and social circles
Roseland People’s Market
2240 is a space for expression, community, and stories of expansion
. “Attending the People’s Roseland Market makes me feel seen and heard I was raised in this community, and for this space, safe space, to be created absolutely feeds my
What We Do: Programs & Ecosystem
Storytelling as a tool for justice transformation
Justice & Freedom Defense Partnerships
Freedom Defense Centers (Roseland & Austin)
Memoirs used in legal mitigation
Attorney engagement with Authors’ narratives
Resource fairs and community basketball events
Here, stories move beyond reflection they influence systems, decisions, and outcomes.
Community Advocacy
Types of support provided:
General mentoring
Referral to employment opportunities to apprenticeship, or vocational training
Documentation (i e , ID, Birth Certificate, transcripts)
Referral to Housing services
Legal Support
Referral to mental health supports
77 Individuals supported through Advocacy and wraparound supports
These spaces hold grief and memory while building connections across generations.
Direct support with groceries
Emergency housing
“I think one of the most impactful forms of advocacy has been serving the youth last summer, getting them ready for adulthood and helping them develop professional skills in addition to helping them develop as people. We were able to unpack a lot in circle and use the workshops we did to help them figure out what they liked to do and saw a future in.”
From Ahnika, Facilitator & Community Advocate
“I
was having a hard time… but this space is where I can come and be free.” It is also a space of legacy— where printed family portraits become a memory for generations.
Moments That Stay With Us
Behind every Circle is time, care, and intention.
We are not just facilitators of stories—we are stewards of them.
What is often unseen
Years of trust-building before transformation are visible
The protection of stories as belonging to their authors
Staff with lived experience holding space for others
Relationships that continue long after programs end
What we hope you remember
If there is one thing to remember, it is this:
Access: To your voice. To your story. To yourself.
Family: The one you are born into—and the one you build along the way.
Reclamation of humanity, truth, and lived experience
Partnerships
Our partnerships are not transactional—they are relational.
These partnerships enable ConTextos to extend storytelling beyond individual reflection and into broader ecosystems of education, justice, healing-centered engagement, and community life
Community organizations
Legal partners
Schools and educators
Cultural institutions
Healing and advocacy networks
Partners describe ConTextos as:
A bridge between systems and communities
A space of trust and integrity
A model for human-centered engagement
Partners 2025
Cook County Department of Corrections (CCDOC)
CC Public Defenders Office
MAAFA Redemption Project
Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council
Public Allies
Chicago CRED
Brooks College Prep
UCAN
United African Organization
Freedom Defense Centers
The Dark Room Chicago
CICS Prairie
Partners for Justice
Burst into Books
Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (S.O.U.L)
Advocate Health
do not
Reimagining Roseland Community Collective (R2c2)
Partners for Justice (PFJ)
IL Humanities
ZealousCC Public Defenders Office
455 Authors Circle participants
23 Community Circles
30 youth engaged through schools and internships
18 workshops/events at 2240 6 public impact events
30 legal professionals engaged in memoirbased training
17 partnerships activated across Chicago
What Support Makes Possible
Support is not abstract.
Support also sustains our team, training, partnerships, spaces, and creative infrastructure that make our work possible.
It becomes:
Spaces where people slow down
Circles where grief is held
Workshops where creativity becomes healing
Communities where people are seen again
When supporters invest in ConTextos, they are investing in: relief, empathy, empowerment, and belonging.
Help us continue building spaces where people can be seen, heard, and human. We invite you to:
Support our programs
Partner in storytelling and justice work
Invest in community-centered healing spaces
Expand access to voice and narrative justice
We return to where we began: Stories connect us, Stories transform us, Stories bring us back to ourselves.
At ConTextos Chicago, we hold stories not as outputs, but as lifelines—threads of memory, dignity, and possibility.
And we will continue building spaces where those stories can live freely.