A Brilliant Vision for Chicago's Children and Families

For those who may not be familiar with Brilliant Cities, can you tell us about the organization's mission and what you're working to accomplish as you launch in Chicago?

Brilliant Cities is a neighborhood-powered model ensuring children 0-8 are school-ready, healthy, and supported. We do this by transforming houses into community hubs where children and families have what they need to thrive. Born in Detroit, we connect families with young children to high-quality, holistic programming that is coordinated and continuous through these hubs. Everything is done "with, for, and by" neighbors. Here is how it works:

● We are invited into neighborhoods by local community organizations and leaders and we conduct listening sessions to ensure buy-in.

● We buy and renovate a vacant house into a hub designed with the community.

● We hire from the community and we launch the hub to act as a gathering place for fellowship and programming.

Over the first 10 years of our model, we have served more than 30,000 children and caregivers across 26 neighborhoods, and have seen significant growth across our families’ education, health, and stability, including an average increase in three reading levels.

We are currently working to establish Brilliant Chicago as our third market. Our engagement has evolved from broad relationship building to deeper neighborhood-level listening in communities demonstrating strong alignment with the Brilliant Cities model. So far we’ve had focused conversations in the following neighborhoods: Altgeld Gardens (Riverdale), Greater Grand Crossing, North and South Lawndale, and East Garfield Park.

Can you share a story that illustrates the impact Brilliant Cities has had on a family or neighborhood? How does this connect to the type of impact Brilliant Cities envisions having here in Chicago?

The holistic impact of the Brilliant Cities model is illustrated by the story of Jazz. As a single parent of four who grew up in foster care and hasfaced mental health challenges, Jazz is determined to give her kids every opportunity to succeed.., Yet, accessing the resources her family needs can require up to two hours by bus . When she first entered the bright orange doors of our Brilliant Detroit Osborn Hub, our staff sat down with her and asked, “if you could wish upon a star, what would you want for yourself and for your children?” She felt seen and enrolled in programs like Play and Learn and GED. Now, she has her GED, is a leader on our local Advisory Team, and works as a peer mental health coach. Her kids are reading at grade level and thriving. Jazz taught us that, “Organizations provide programs and services, while a community is there for each other. Brilliant Detroit is both.”

We aim to have this same impact through Brilliant Chicago. Through our listening sessions to date, we have learned that there is a strong resonance with our model in Chicago neighborhoods. We have heard a desire for belonging and safe community spaces, and a demand for literacy and mental health supports, all of which are key offerings at our hubs. Additionally, we have heard a need for better coordination of resources, partnerships with local elementary schools, and engagement of parents as an untapped asset. These types of coordination and engagement are core elements of our involvement in the ecosystems around our hubs. These factors speak to an alignment of conditions that speak to the potential for our model’s success in Chicago’s unique context.

What role do partnerships, like the one with the DRW, play in helping your organization achieve its mission?

Partnerships are essential to how Brilliant Cities grows because we believe lasting change must be built with communities, not brought to them. Our model has demonstrated success in Michigan, but the challenge we are addressing, ensuring children and families have the support they need to thrive, is a nationwide one. At the core is our Whole Family, Whole Child approach: when families have the resources, relationships, and opportunities they need, children are better positioned to succeed.

As we expandinto Chicago, partnerships such as our relationship with DRW are especially meaningful. Our approach begins with being invited into a community by residents and organizations that have a stake in its future. DRW’s support helps create the credibility and momentum needed to enter a new market thoughtfully, while signaling to community and philanthropic stakeholders that there is value in engaging with Brilliant Cities.

We strongly believe in cross-sector collaboration because no single partner can solve complex challenges alone. Building diverse partnerships is key to creating change that is broader, more sustainable, and ultimately gives families and communities greater ownership of their future.

How has your cultural background influenced your approach to leadership and community work?

As a first-generation Mexican American, my approach to leadership is deeply rooted in how I grew up. My family lived in a neighborhood with limited resources, and we did not have a lot of economic means. But what we did have was something powerful, in loving parents and an extended family that lived alongside us and created a strong sense of community. That experience is one of the reasons the Brilliant Cities model resonates personally with me. It reminds me that while resources matter, relationships, belonging, and people showing up for one another can be just as transformative.

Throughout my professional career, one principle has remained consistent throughout: lead with the end recipient in mind. The solutions we create should reflect the voices and lived experiences of the people they are intended to serve, not simply what we believe they need.

During Hispanic Heritage Month, what's one message you'd like people to take away about the importance of investing in communities and creating opportunities for future generations?

While Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated each year, I hope it reminds us year-round of the richness of culture, talent, and human potential that exists across our neighborhoods, cities, and country. We don’t all start on the same playing field, but when we invest in people and create meaningful opportunities, we unlock potential that can transform families, communities, and generations to come.

If someone wanted to support Brilliant Cities, what's the best way they could get involved?

For interest in connecting with Brilliant Chicago in particular, please reach out to me at dcervantes@brilliantcities.org. Those who are interested in Brilliant Cities overall — whether because they are located in another Local Brilliant City or interested in bringing our model to their community — can visit our website (https://brilliantcities.org) or reach out to us via email (info@brilliantcities.org) or phone (313.425.7456).