Loyola’s Empowering Counseling Program (ECP) serves youth of color and their families residing in low-income Chicago communities, providing free after-school and summer program services, trauma-focused mental health care in schools and community agencies, and street-based social work to support participants and link them with resources. Services include advocacy for redress of human rights violations related to poverty and prejudice and focus on uplifting the strengths and cultural wealth of participants. Social work students are supported in fulfilling the passion for social justice that leads them to be social workers, and in discovering their unique creative strengths as social workers. The Participatory Science Initiative engages youth and caregivers as co-researchers to improve social services and social policies based on participants’ cultural values of mutual uplift via collective support and care. Problems for research and program evaluation originate with priorities expressed by youth and caregivers, and research is carried out in ways participants deem valid and valuable. Presentations and publications are co-authored, co-presented, and vetted by youth. Since 2006, and thanks to the generosity of many community partners and local, state, and federal funders, the ECP has served over 1000 youth in Chicago’s communities of color that experience low income and educated 60 social work interns in participatory social work practice and research. The ECP-PSI has yielded numerous publications, presentations, and several dissertations to advance participatory anti-racist social work research and advocacy, co-authored with youth, as can be seen on our program website.