Our Story

Since the early 90’s Mack McGhee has worked with a number of community-based, not-for-profit organizations in the most dynamic and difficult neighborhoods in the Chicagoland area. Over the course of these past 3 decades, he has envisioned, been exposed to, and implemented pioneering community-based and residential programs designed to help young people develop more positive relationships with themselves and their communities. In these innovative and emergent models of care provision, young people were empowered to discover their gifts and purpose and through strong youth-adult partnerships creatively determined how to contribute effectively and impactfully to their communities. Out of these experiences blossomed a belief that when young people are given the proper chance and equitable exposure, they can all be productive members of and even visionary leaders in society.

The programmatic formula— Expose, Inspire, Connect— increased future orientation for young people who were considered to be at-risk, particularly in urban areas with heightened poverty rates and limited access to resources.

Over the next 28 years Mack McGhee worked at various levels in the fields of Human Services, Education, and Juvenile Justice, helping to guide struggling institutions back on course and to reinvigorate new conversations and implement visionary projects to shape what youth justice looks like in settings of care, support, and love. Building on this history, he push himself and partners to think critically, scientifically, compassionately, and fearlessly to actively ReImagine the current system and our concepts of justice by which we serve young people who come in contact with the justice system, shifting a paradigm from one focused on punishment to one devoted to transformation and restoration in and to our communities.