Southwest Organizing Project Outreach Worker Yulissa Olvera: ‘We’re Trying to Overcome Harm’

Yulissa Olvera started her career in community violence intervention (CVI) like many others have: protesting the unjust loss of family and friends to gun violence.

“I did have a few family members that passed away due to gun violence. The first time I ever experienced that trauma was about 11 years old. […] Experiencing that trauma, losing them at a young age, it was too much. As a family, we started protesting, trying to get justice for them.”

Olvera was a key part of organizing those protests in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, which instilled in her the grace and patience required to endure tense, mournful, and potentially volatile situations. “Sometimes it’s hard to do a protest when people are angry, upset that their loved ones aren’t here anymore. The biggest thing is trying to keep peace and try to stay strong because a lot of people forget what the purpose of us protesting is.”

It was at those protests that Olvera was approached by outreach workers and case managers from violence intervention programs, and those introductions led her to applying for a full-time role as an outreach worker. She joined the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) last year, where she helps high-risk individuals in Southwest Chicago (Chicago Lawn and Gage Park) access the specific resources they need to heal from or stop engaging in community violence.

Olvera also completed her training with the Metropolitan Peace Academy (MPA) in Case Management and Outreach. “Having both of those trainings helped me work with the community out here.”

Olvera also says her training at the MPA gave her a larger network of essential services for clients and participants, such as employment and housing.

It was a simple observation that led Olvera to create one of SWOP’s vital programs. She noticed that families needed help getting diapers and sprung into action, creating the SWOP/CP4P Diaper Program. (Communities Partnering 4 Peace, or CP4P, is a coalition of community-based organizations convened by Metropolitan Peace Initiatives.) The program is spearheaded by Olvera and fellow SWOP Outreach Worker Jose Barajas, who connect participants with essential resources like diapers, books, baby formula, and more.

 “It makes me happy […] being able to provide that to families. I know I’m doing the right thing.”

Olvera says the program has helped mothers in her community have a little extra money for school supplies, or gas payments. It has also helped Olvera build more relationships with community members, helping her connect them to even more essential resources like workforce development, housing, and more.

Helping mothers and families in her community has brought Olvera a great deal of pride, and she says mothers – and women, in general –  inform her approach to street outreach work. To participants, she often says, “Don’t forget where you guys came from. Don’t forget you guys are raised by a woman. I feel like [in street outreach] we need that role.”

Olvera demonstrates a clear passion for street outreach and community advocacy that emanates through her work. “I love it. I love being able to change anybody’s perspective on how they see the communities and how they see each other. A lot of people want to be against each other. […] They want to be better than someone else. But that’s not the key here. We’re trying to overcome harm. We’re trying to be there for each other. For me, it’s basically breaking that norm, sharing that we do care.”

To other outreach workers, especially women, she says, “Don’t give up and don’t lose hope. Take care of yourself so you can take care of others.”