Between Two Worlds
Chicago, IL, 2002
Chicago's Humbolt Park/West Town is a neighborhood where peace of mind is understandably elusive. Neighborhood residents endure weekly gang-related shootings, underemployment, lack of health insurance, scarce affordable housing and the conflict between the culture of one's home country and American culture. The neighborhood's most resilient residents survive and even thrive despite the fragility of their lives. But many others suffer.
Daniel J. was a successful 17-year-old student attending a top-notch high school when his world began to unravel. His mother, suffering from mental health problems, began abusing him verbally and eventually forced him to leave their home. Daniel became homeless. Through intervention from Casa Central, he found a transitional shelter and got some counseling, but the repercussions of the crisis had a lasting effect: Daniel never completed his education.
Daniel is not alone in his struggle to deal with depression and anxiety. A study by the National Hispanic Health Alliance states, “Hispanics have the highest rate of depression, compared to non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks.” Yet those most in need of help often don't receive it. There is a cultural stigma attached to mental illness, and there is a lack of knowledge of where to find support.
Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ-FM) and Casa Central teamed up to raise awareness of the mental health issues facing the Latino community, within both the community itself and the broader Chicago area. A series of reports and documentaries aired during March and April, 2003 on Chicago Public Radio in conjunction with a series of youth theater performances titled Bouncing Back, held in Chicago Latino neighborhoods. Following each performance, a panel of community health professionals and Casa Central's youth coordinator led audiences in a discussion. The documentary producer distributed copies of the documentary at these events and conducted audience surveys following the discussions. The project website provides information on mental health issues, points users to mental health resources within the Latino community, and provides a listener comment area to exchange information.
Contact Information
WBEZ-FM
Julia McEvoy, Executive Producer
Tel: 312-832-3423
Casa Central
Stanley Ramos, Youth and Family Services Director
Tel: 773-645-2404
Awards:
WBEZ Round Three
2004 Peter Lisagor Award for Public Service to the Between Two Worlds series
—Chicago Headline Club chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists
Reporter Jay Fields for Between Two Worlds
—2003 Finalist, Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize
Local Radio Award for News, Educational or Public Service Programming
Un Crisis de Nervios
—National Mental Health Association
Casa Central
$1,000 in support of "Teatro Juvenil" component of the Youth Services Program
—Marshall Field's Project Imagine