Join the Board of Directors
We believe that the most effective way to end this violence is through empowering community members with a grass roots, social justice model that supports participants to become leaders in their own communities.
Ending Violence, Creating Change:
Join the Board of Directors
Thank you for your interest in serving on the Board of Directors of Taking Back Our Lives (TBOL).
TBOL is committed to creating communities where young people have the knowledge, skills, confidence, and support they need to build healthy relationships and prevent dating violence.
For more than 20 years, TBOL has worked with Chicago youth through Take Back the Halls, providing education, leadership opportunities, and schoolwide prevention strategies that help young people recognize unhealthy behaviors, practice healthy communication, establish boundaries, resolve conflict, and become positive leaders among their peers.
Our board plays an essential role in ensuring that TBOL remains strong, sustainable, accountable, and positioned to expand its impact.
We are looking for thoughtful, committed community members who believe that young people deserve safe, respectful, and healthy relationships, and who are ready to contribute their expertise, connections, resources, and leadership.
We invite you to consider joining us.
About Taking Back Our Lives
TBOL is a community-based organization that focuses its work on ending domestic and sexual violence. We believe that the most effective way to end this violence is through empowering community members with a grass roots, social justice model that supports participants to become leaders in their own communities.
The program is interactive, youth-centered, and rooted in the belief that young people themselves are powerful agents of change. Students are not passive participants. They help shape conversations, challenge harmful norms, and build a culture of respect and safety within their schools. Together, we can help young people break cycles of violence, strengthen their voices, and create safer futures for themselves and their communities.
Our Signature Program: Take Back the Halls
Take Back the Halls is TBOL’s youth-centered healthy relationships and teen dating violence prevention program serving Chicago schools.
- Classroom-based education on healthy relationship skill-building
- Youth leadership
- Schoolwide awareness campaigns
- Upstander intervention
- Peer leadership
- Staff education and technical assistance
- Parent and caregiver engagement
- Counseling and referral partnership
- Inclusive and culturally responsive programming
Core topics include emotional regulation, boundaries, healthy communication, conflict resolution, recognizing unhealthy relationship behaviors, and strategies for safely intervening when students see harmful behavior.
TBTH is designed to meet young people where they are and give them practical tools they can use in their friendships, families, dating relationships, schools, and communities
Why Board Service Matters
Board members are more than advisors or ambassadors. They are stewards of the organization and share responsibility for ensuring that TBOL can fulfill its mission today and remain strong for the future.
Provide Fiduciary Oversight
Ensure that the organization manages its finances responsibly, protects its assets, and operates in accordance with its mission and legal obligations. Help establish priorities, evaluate opportunities, anticipate challenges, and guide the organization’s long-term growth.
Support and Evaluate the Executive Director
Provide appropriate oversight, support, feedback, and annual evaluation of the Executive Director.
Strengthen Fundraising
Help create a culture of philanthropy by opening doors, identifying funding opportunities, cultivating donors, making introductions, participating in fundraising activities, and personally supporting the organization to the extent possible.
Represent and Promote TBOL
Serve as an informed and enthusiastic ambassador for the organization within professional, civic, philanthropic, educational, and community networks.
Strengthen Organizational
Bring expertise, relationships, perspectives, and resources that help TBOL become stronger and more sustainable.
Protect the Mission
Ensure that organizational decisions remain aligned with TBOL’s mission, values, young people, and the communities we serve.
All contributions are tax deductible.