C.A.U.S.E FAQ
Check out our origin story, research and demands, website creation, and mentorship program videos for more explanations!
To join a CAUSE meeting, you must first register with us so we can help you get set up. Register by sending us a DM to @cause.chicago on Instagram or Facebook or email [email protected] telling us you’re interested in joining. Feel free to attend even if it’s your first time. We welcome CPS high school students willing to commit to a CPS-wide organization aiming to further advocate and develop resources for undocumented students’ education. Any questions you may have prior to the meeting, go ahead and message us. Thank you and hope to see you there!
If there is a DREAMers Club/Immigrants & Allies Club/etc. at your school then you must be a member in order to participate in CAUSE. This is to ensure the club is supported as well. If you’re the first one from your club to attend CAUSE please inform your student leader so we can have a meeting with them if they aren’t already associated with CAUSE. If there are no such clubs at your school then you may still join and we will help you establish a club at your school or support you individually.
No, CAUSE does not ask nor check citizenship status. Allies of immigrants are welcomed to join and help advocate for undocumented students.
Non-CPS school members/students/staff are welcome to join but keep in mind the policies and work done by CAUSE are specifically intended to affect CPS-based schools. Non-CPS schools may have different needs and requirements and our methodology may not impact those schools as effectively.
To be a member of CAUSE you must be a CPS high school student, charter school students are welcome to join and we can connect you with undocumented student support for those schools, or a CPS alum no older than 24. Supporting adults older than 24 (counselors, teachers, community organizers, etc) based in Chicago wanting to join must be in contact with a CAUSE advisor prior to attending the meeting.
Adults are not required to come along with you to CAUSE, but they are welcomed. Keep in mind CAUSE is a student-led space meant to empower youth voices. Adults are welcome to sit in and learn, listen and educate themselves but initiatives and actions will be taken up by the students. If an adult will be accompanying you, please let us know ahead of time. This is to ensure the privacy and safety of other students.
No experience is needed to join CAUSE although there is a time and policy commitment members must adhere to.
There is no language requirement to join CAUSE. CAUSE fosters a diverse environment where everyone is welcome.
There is no price nor any fees to join CAUSE. Donations can be made and are always welcomed and appreciated.
You can sign up for the CPS Immigrant & Refugee Newsletter for CPS staff from the Office of Language & Cultural Education here.
Contact CAUSE through email at [email protected] or on Facebook and Instagram @cause.chicago.
CAUSE Origin Story Video
We are proud to present the Origin Story of how CAUSE came to be, told by our former president, Isabela Avila Rios. We are grateful to have provided this community for undocumented students these past 4 years, and hope there are many more to come!