The Power of Belief

Building Stronger Families, Safer Communities

Gun Violence Prevention

We meet people where they are—on the block, in the home, in the schools. Through conflict resolution workshops, restorative justice circles, trauma-informed mentorship, and neighborhood activations, we don’t just talk about stopping violence—we interrupt it. We teach young people how to release the anxiety that leads to retaliation and embrace the excellence that leads to redemption.

Workforce Development

Poverty is violence in disguise. That’s why we equip youth and adults with the job skills, certifications, and career readiness they need to thrive in today’s economy. From tech and trades to logistics and healthcare, our workforce programs are more than job training—they’re life training.

Entrepreneurship Training

R.A.G.E. teaches individuals how to own their power and monetize their creativity. Through business incubators, brand development support, and financial literacy courses, we help people transform ideas into income. Whether it’s a T-shirt line, a construction company, or a landscaping business—we believe every dream deserves structure and support.

Our Vision

From Tragedy to Triumph

At R.A.G.E., we imagine a future where every young person in our community has a mentor instead of a mugshot. Where mothers raise sons without fear of burying them. Where vacant lots become tech labs, creative spaces, and skate parks. And where entrepreneurship replaces exploitation. We envision neighborhoods where excellence is expected, not rare. Where people no longer ask, “What can I do?” but instead declare, “Watch what I build.

This is More Than a Mission. This is a Movement.

The RAGE Program is a focus directive created and dedicated to at-risk youth programming. The mission of RAGE is to challenge, motivate, and engage youth for a full school day of programming. The mission is to inspire and motivate students in a positive, safe environment that will facilitate their successful school involvement. The goal is to challenge inappropriate student behavior and nurture their developmental needs through exposure to skills necessary for school success. Parent contact and collaboration ensure vital connectedness with behavioral change in youth for school success.

Belief statments

• Every individual is a lifelong learner.
• The ballasts of Character Counts is taught, modeled, and exemplified in the Rage
Educational Program.
• Every individual student has potential for academic success.
• Every individual is accountable for his or her choices.
• Participation in meaningful individual and group challenges will foster growth
academically, socially, physically, and emotionally.
• Communicating with parents ensures meaningful programming.
• Collaborating with parents enhances consistency of behavioral programming.

Program Offerings Include:

• Anger Management
• Carpentry and Wood Shoop
• Clothing Design and Manufacturing
• Gun Violence
• Music Production
• Video Production
• Skateboarding
• Entrepreneurship

Organizational Overview

Guiding principles include: children are not adults, consistency, competence, understanding,
community-based care, collaboration, family involvement, tolerance, and courage. RAGE
includes programs for grades K-12 in full day academic settings; pull out programs, in-lieu of
suspension/expulsion programs, and transitional community venues. The school-based initiative
is to prevent suspensions, drop outs, and school failure. The social skills of RAGE are the
Character Counts trustworthiness, caring, respect, responsibility, fairness, and citizenship pillars.

Purpose and Development

The RAGE Program addresses the underlying causations for school failure: behavioral
dysfunction, inappropriate peer interaction, and combating adult authority. High risk students
are the target population of this program as the research of past programming demonstrates that
three in ten of those students will be processed out of school for one to ten days for one of the
above infractions. The RAGE Program has impacted the problems of attendance, authority
issues, connection to parents, and suspensions in Indiana/Chicago schools utilizing the Program .

Students experience a wide array of interventions addressing thinking errors, communication,
cooperation, and pro-social skills. A group session is utilized to enhance communication skills,
acceptance within the group, and a development of processing programmatic experiences. A
variety of adventure based cooperative problem solvers are utilized to assist in developing the
group dynamic. Entrepreneur programming is an integral part of the daily activities. This
experience will provide introduction to designing, technology interfacing, video development,
and kinesthetic engagement as a segues to career exploration. Role- playing re-enforces behavior
that is appropriate in challenging situations that occurred within the middle school setting.
Appropriate classroom behaviors are practiced in the virtual classroom, a daily intervention
within the RAGE Program . Academic engagement is offered through an online program
entitled Kids College. Kids College offers math and language arts drill through a sport-based
emphasis that is aligned with state standards and testing protocol. Two sessions daily are scheduled.

Restorative reintegration involves a process of introspection into an event that is
problematic in a school setting. Parents are notified regarding participation in the Program .
Positive reinforcement of strengths noted during participation begins the interaction with parents.
An aligned enforcement of school protocol as well as assessing needs becomes a collaborative
effort. Transition to inclusion programming within the school setting is the ultimate goal for
each student.

Design

The RAGE Program component of educational emphasis is designed and centered upon at-risk
youth. It is an implementation into a school environment that establishes connectedness,
collaboration, and inclusion within a school. The Program has the following implementation
formats:
1) Full day programming with the goal of transitioning a student back into the full day
of school.
2) Rotation of students through the basics of the Program to establish format, focus,
and community connections with the entire student body.
3) In-lieu of suspension Programming engages students in a full day to address issues
that resulted in punitive placement and return students back into the school setting
with new skills.

The RAGE Program is founded upon evidenced based best practices in education. They are:
• Character Education
• Community Team Building
• Social Skills Development
• Role Play
• Multiple Intelligence Theory
• Career Exploration through Entrepreneurship
• Parent Involvement
• Technology
• Mentorship

The Goal

RAGE staff engaged the Community and School Corporation officials with potential of infusing
the RAGE Program into a targeted school within the Corporation. In speaking with many
Superintendent of Community Schools, it was established that the need and interest is present. A
Memorandum of Understanding would be the legal bind for the services of RAGE to interface
with students in the School Corporation. The discussion was then extended to include the
potential principals of the schools to be utilized, middle and high school settings and elementary
school environments. This engaging dialog opened doors of opportunity for youth within their
purview. The delivery of the educational services of RAGE has an invitation to be placed within
the Community Schools Corporation. Full day, full school year inclusion with RAGE
programming is needed, requested, and invited to be an integral aspect of school programming
for high-risk youth.

Our Why: A Foundation Rooted in Real Life

Every R.A.G.E. initiative is built from the real-life struggles of young people navigating neighborhoods plagued by poverty, neglect, and gun violence. Lamar Morrell Flowers, our founder, knows these streets well. He walked them as a boy, dreamed on them as a teenager, and now transforms them as a man with a mission. He turned his pain into purpose and built R.A.G.E. to help others do the same.

R.A.G.E. believes that to prevent gun violence, you must replace desperation with direction. To save lives, you must offer not just programs, but pathways. And to rebuild our communities, you must first restore belief—in self, in purpose, and in possibility.

Lamar Flowers

In the heart of challenges lies the spark of your potential

Let your passion ignite the path to change, and may your determination fuel the journey towards a brighter Chicago. Together, we forge progress through adversity, creating a legacy that ignites the dreams of the future.

The Rage Foundation