Learn
Build Your Capacity
Free education in four domains. Start with what you need now. Come back when you need more. Every resource works in English and Spanish where available.
Every system understates something. These resources help you see what each one minimizes — and know where to find what's missing. Start anywhere. The four tiers go from basics to action.
Tier 1 — Foundations
What things are
Basic health concepts every family should know. What is blood pressure? What is diabetes? How does nutrition work?
Khan Academy: Health & Medicine
Free structured health education — diabetes, blood pressure, cardiovascular system, nutrition.
Khan Academy en Español: Salud
Translated health content including "¿Qué es la presión arterial?" and diabetes/insulin videos. The single best free health resource in Spanish.
CDC: Food Safety Basics
How to store, prepare, and handle food safely. Available in English and Spanish.
Healthcare.gov: Insurance Basics
What health insurance is, how it works, how to enroll. Full Spanish version at CuidadoDeSalud.gov.
🫙 The Science of Safe Canning
A complete food preservation workshop. How safe canning works, where it goes wrong, and what to do about it. Three levels so you can start wherever you are.
canning.comm-unity-os.org →📖 Community Knowledge
Guides written by neighbors about things they figured out. Prescriptions, overdrafts, rent, ICE rights, council meetings — how it works, where it breaks, what to do. Read them or write your own.
Browse and contribute →Tier 2 — Building
How systems work
How does insulin resistance develop? How does cardiovascular disease progress? How does the healthcare system actually work?
Khan Academy: Diabetes Series
Type I, Type II, glucose/insulin mechanics, complications. Available in Spanish through Khan en Español.
Johns Hopkins: Diabetes Education Videos
Free videos by registered dietitians covering management, monitoring, and lifestyle changes.
MedlinePlus en Español
NIH-backed health information in Spanish covering every major condition. Trusted, government-sourced, plain language.
Tier 3 — Launch
Where systems fail
Insurance denials. Prior authorization delays. Medical debt. The gap between what the system promises and what it delivers.
Last Week Tonight: Medicare Advantage
How insurance companies use prior authorization and narrow networks to deny care. October 2025 episode.
Last Week Tonight: Medical Debt
How the debt collection industry works. The show purchased and forgave $14.9 million in medical debt to demonstrate the system.
Patient Advocate Foundation
Free help appealing insurance denials, navigating prior authorization, and understanding your rights as a patient. Spanish available.
Tier 4 — Mastery
What to do
Read your own lab results. Advocate at a doctor's visit. Appeal an insurance denial. Navigate the system for your family.
Counterforce Health: Free Appeal Letters
AI-assisted insurance appeal letter service from UPenn/NIH researchers. Free. Helps you fight denials with evidence.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call, text, or chat 988. Press 2 for Spanish. Text AYUDA to 988. 240+ languages available. 24/7.
Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222
Immediate help for poisoning emergencies. 200+ languages. Free. Available 24/7.
Tier 1 — Foundations
What things are
Budgeting basics. What a pay stub means. How SNAP works. Where money comes from and where it goes.
Khan Academy: Personal Finance
Budgeting, saving, taxes, insurance — structured free course. Available in Spanish.
Pequeño Cerdo Capitalista
Top Spanish-language personal finance channel. Budgets, saving, debt — accessible Mexican Spanish by author Sofía Macías.
Consumer.gov: Your Paycheck Explained
What gross pay, net pay, taxes, FICA, and deductions mean. Multilingual. Government-backed.
FDIC Money Smart
Free financial education in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Braille, and Large Print.
Tier 2 — Building
How systems work
Compound interest — both savings and debt. Credit scores. SNAP benefit calculations. How the systems that touch your money actually operate.
CBPP: Quick Guide to SNAP Eligibility & Benefits
How SNAP benefits are calculated. Maximum benefit minus 30% of net income. Deductions, exemptions, work requirements.
Eduardo Rosas: Finanzas Personales
Spanish-language financial education. Budget basics, 50/30/20 rule, compound interest explained simply.
CFPB: Your Money, Your Goals
Free toolkit for assessing income, setting financial goals, building a plan. Particularly useful for variable income families. English and Spanish.
Tier 3 — Launch
Where systems fail
Predatory lending. Credit repair scams. Wage theft. The gap between what financial systems promise and how they actually work against you.
Last Week Tonight: Predatory Lending
How payday loan companies charge up to 1,900% APR and capture state legislatures to keep it legal.
FTC: Identity Theft Recovery
Step-by-step identity theft recovery plan. File a report, get a recovery plan, track your progress. Free. Spanish available.
AnnualCreditReport.com
The ONLY authorized source for free credit reports. One from each bureau per year. Beware imitations. Spanish available.
Tier 4 — Mastery
What to do
Appeal a SNAP denial. File a wage theft complaint. Report fraud. Take action with the knowledge you've built.
Illinois Legal Aid: SNAP Appeals
How to appeal a SNAP denial in Illinois. File within 90 days. Request benefits continue during appeal. Call (800) 435-0774.
Illinois DOL: File a Wage Theft Complaint
Report unpaid wages, stolen tips, or misclassification. Illinois Department of Labor complaint form.
CFPB: File a Complaint
Complaints about banks, credit cards, debt collectors, mortgages. 180+ languages by phone. Companies must respond.
Tier 1 — Foundations
What things are
Basic rights every person has. Tenant rights. Worker rights. Patient rights. What the law says — in language anyone can understand.
Illinois Legal Aid Online
Free legal information and forms covering housing, employment, family, immigration, and public benefits. English and Spanish.
Chicago RLTO: Tenant Rights
Chicago's Residential Landlord-Tenant Ordinance. What landlords can and can't do. Security deposit rules. Eviction process. Available in multiple languages.
Tier 2 — Building
How systems work
How eviction court works. How SNAP eligibility is determined. How worker protections are enforced — and where they aren't.
LegalEagle (YouTube)
Attorney explains legal systems in accessible language. Tenant rights, consumer protection, civic processes.
IL Attorney General: Consumer Protection
Scam alerts, complaint filing, consumer rights under Illinois law.
Tier 3 — Launch
Where systems fail
Wage theft costs workers $50 billion/year. 1 in 5 construction workers experiences it. Insurance companies deny claims using algorithms. Rights exist on paper — enforcement is the gap.
Last Week Tonight: Gerrymandering
How redistricting undermines representation. Packing, cracking, and what it means for your vote.
Vox: How Food Deserts Are Created
Redlining, disinvestment, and grocery store consolidation. How policy decisions decades ago determine who eats today.
Tier 4 — Mastery
What to do
File a FOIA request. Appeal a SNAP denial. Report wage theft. Register to vote. Take the knowledge you've built and act on it.
BGA: How to File a FOIA Request in Illinois
Step-by-step guide. No special form needed — must be in writing. Agencies respond within 5 business days. Appeals go to IL AG.
Vote.gov: Register to Vote
Official federal voter registration. Available in multiple languages including Spanish.
Tier 1 — Foundations
What things are
What is a school board? What does an alderman do? What is a park district? How does your local government actually work?
Chicago Ward Lookup
Find your alderman by address. Chicago has 50 wards — your alderman controls zoning, menu money ($1.5M/year), and local infrastructure.
Community Tool Box: Civic Participation
University of Kansas resource on community problem-solving, organizing, and civic engagement. Free, comprehensive.
Tier 2 — Building
How systems work
How municipal budgets work. How participatory budgeting lets communities decide where $1M goes. How public meetings actually function.
Chicago 49th Ward: Participatory Budgeting
The first PB process in America (2009). Now in its 15th cycle. Residents 14+ vote on $1M in projects — regardless of citizenship or voter registration.
HealthCare Triage (YouTube)
Dr. Aaron Carroll explains how the healthcare system works — policy, evidence, outcomes. Accessible and evidence-based.
Tier 3 — Launch
Where systems fail
Why do only some wards have participatory budgeting? Why does the grocery store get $11M in subsidies and leave anyway? Where does accountability break down?
The TRiiBE: Why Aren't Black Wards Doing PB?
Investigation into why participatory budgeting is unevenly distributed across Chicago. Capacity, outreach, and structural barriers.
Block Club: SNAP Paused — How to Find Food
Practical Chicago guide to finding food when SNAP benefits are disrupted. Neighborhood-specific resources.
Tier 4 — Mastery
What to do
Evaluate your leaders. Assess your programs. Attend the meeting. Hold up the scorecard. This is where the arc closes.
Evaluate a Leader → CommUnity OS
Score your alderman, school board member, or program director on criteria your community defines. Print the scorecard. Take it to the meeting.
Assess a Program → CommUnity OS
Is the food pantry working? Is the youth program producing results? Score it yourself and bring the card to the meeting.
Cook County Board of Review: Property Tax Appeals
Appeal your property tax assessment. Free. The Board of Review exists for this purpose.