ROGERS PARK — Like many teens, Jorge Robles was apathetic when his friend urged him to join a club she was part of.
The shy 17-year-old Senn High School Student said when he first joined the Rogers Park Police Youth Explorers and Peer Jury program, he "didn't care" and didn't know anything about community service or helping others.
But as he sat in the 6464 N. Clark St. station Monday night celebrating the club's achievements at a year-end holiday party, he spoke of how he now wants to be a police officer.
"At first I didn't care ... I never did anything like [community service]," Robles, the group's sergeant at arms, said. "But then I knew I just wanted to help people for the rest of my life."
Through the Youth Explorers/Peer Jury program, Robles is getting lesson in doing just that.
The program consists of about 16 teens from sixth grade and up who meet twice a month to work on service projects, meet with mentors, talk with police officer, and at times act as a jury for kids their own age who commit certain types of minor crimes in the neighborhood.
Peer Jury participants hear cases and decide on appropriate consequences for other teens.
Mayra Gomez, a CAPS community organizer who runs the program with the Rogers Park police, said the program was "much more" than your typical community service group.
She knows because Gomez herself began her career as a police community organizer through the Youth Explorer program in 1979. Those who mentored and guided her in the program helped shape the person she is today, she said, and she wants to help others develop into their best selves as well.
Gomez helps members and their families — many of whom are immigrants to the U.S. or first generation college-bound kids — with life, career and education planning. She helps fill out scholarship forms and college applications, and once even helped a student's mom take the steps to earn her GED.
"To me, I think that's a good incentive for the kids if the mom, at a later age, wants to get an education," Gomez said. "Why should the kids stop just at a high school level? Anything is possible if you put your mind to it."
Aside from their service projects, Gomez said the program takes time to address issues facing youth in Chicago today, particularly when it comes to police interactions and trust.
It's been historically challenging for youth, especially youth of color, to feel safe around police — and vice versa, she said. That's why she lets her kids know the department can be a "safe haven" where members can vent and ask questions about police issues, including the recent Laquan McDonald case.
"What we've had for many years is law enforcement and youth — there has never been that compatibility," Gomez said. "And the fact is ... [kids] need to be able to trust them and talk to them, and see that police are not their enemies."
To build a stronger and more meaningful relationship, it's worth the effort, Gomez said.
She and members' parents said they see positive change happening in participating teens, and the students say they feel it themselves.
It can be difficult, said Celeste Morales, a 15-year-old who goes to Lane Tech Academic Center and participates in the program, but it has also tremendously helped her to come out of her shell, she said.
"I think it's helped [me] to be a more strong, independent person," she said. "It helped me stand up to people. I opened up more to people."
Morales' mother, Rocio Santos, said she was proud of her daughter, who she described as "sensitive," for using her time and skills to help others, and for being more assertive when it comes to sharing her ideas and opinions.
Morales' little sister, 12-year-old Adriana, also joined the group and said she's learned to understand and appreciate the struggles other people are going through, and to "not just assume the bad," but to get to the heart of someone's story before casting judgment.
Vice President Kimberley Lopez, 18, said before joining the Peer Jury group, she rarely gave those accused of crimes the benefit of the doubt.
When it comes to the program's takeaways, she echoed Morales' sentiment that she's learned to feel good about herself through serving others. She wants to become a nurse, she said.
"People have different stories, and before I didn't think that — I thought it was just some bad steps or something," Lopez said. "But no, they all have a background, which was really cool to find out. It makes me more open-minded about things, and it gives me an idea of how I can help the community."
Her younger brother, 15-year-old Edwin, who goes to Rickover Military Academy, said though people may not peg him as the type of guy who would want to get involved in community service, it's become a fulfilling hobby for him.
"It actually made me feel better [about myself]," the younger Lopez said. "I just want to see positive change in the community."
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