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The Y offers multiple leadership programs in safe, welcoming environments throughout the city and Chicagoland area. By providing young adults the opportunity to learn and grow, we create healthier, stronger communities!
Services
Adult/Child Mentoring Programs
Leadership Development
Young Men's Educational Network's (YMEN) comprehensive programs offer a wide range of educational support, mentoring from positive role models, spiritual and emotional guidance, vocational classes in the arts, career-based and entrepreneurial education, sports and recreational activities, family supportive services, and service learning to more than 300 students annually.
Services
General Youth Employment Programs
Subject Tutoring
Youth Violence Prevention
Leadership Development
Adult/Child Mentoring Programs
Food Pantries
General Household Goods Provision
Community Gardening
SER and SERCO provide workforce development and career guidance programs. Services include job readiness, labor market counseling, leadership development, financial coaching, job fairs, interview skill training, and resume development.They specialize in working with customer service retail workers seeking advancement or other employment, as well as individuals looking for a pathway to healthcare-focused job training.
Services
Comprehensive Job Assistance Centers
Low Income
Leadership Development
SER/SERCO locations offer educational, emotional, and career support to young adults, ages 16-24, living in low-income, underserved communities, especially those who are ex-offenders or gang-affected. Services include after-school programming, supplemental education, GED classes, job and internship skills training, education pathway planning, career coaching, financial literacy, mentorship, summer employment referrals, case management referrals, transportation, service learning projects, and leadership training.
Services
Leadership Development
Extended Child Care
General Youth Employment Programs
Adult/Child Mentoring Programs
At Risk Youth Employment Programs
High School Equivalency/GED Test Instruction
Case/Care Management Referrals
The Fellowship Initiative, in partnership with JP Morgan Chase, is building a diverse community of young men of color from across Chicago who possess a broad range of skills and experiences. This 3-year leadership development program is designed to support rising High School sophomores in earning their degree from an accredited 4-year college or university.
Services
Boys
Leadership Development
The Green Room Collective is About Face Theatre's program to support early-career LGBTQ+ arts leaders. This program builds on over two decades of leadership development work at AFT to help advance the next generation of LGBTQ+ leaders in their theatre-related career and educational goals.
Services
Leadership Development
Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) helps individuals with disabilities who are Hispanic/Latino obtain employment, education, and training, and access a variety of community resources. They also assist families of eligible customers in obtaining needed services and resources.
Services
Vocational Rehabilitation
Leadership Development
Functional Disabilities
Hispanic/Latino Community
Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) helps individuals with disabilities who are Hispanic/Latino obtain employment, education, and training, and access a variety of community resources. They also assist families of eligible customers in obtaining needed services and resources.
Services
Vocational Rehabilitation
Leadership Development
Functional Disabilities
Hispanic/Latino Community
Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) helps individuals with disabilities who are Hispanic/Latino obtain employment, education, and training, and access a variety of community resources. They also assist families of eligible customers in obtaining needed services and resources.
Services
Vocational Rehabilitation
Leadership Development
Functional Disabilities
Hispanic/Latino Community
YEP is a program designed to help develop soft skills and leadership of youth in middle school and high school. It is a safe space to experience life through a different lens. They create and facilitate conversations around topics that directly affect the youth and the environment that they live in. They also provide experiences outside of their neighborhood to give them perspective that extends beyond what they currently see.
Books Over BallsYouth Ambassador Initiative is a program that trains and empowers young people to become leaders in their communities. Youth Ambassadors are selected from Books Over Balls' basketball and academic programs. They participate in a year-long training program that teaches them about leadership, public speaking, and community organizing.Once they are trained, Youth Ambassadors are responsible for planning and implementing community service projects in their neighborhoods. They also serve as role models for younger children and encourage them to get involved in Books Over Balls programs.
Elk Grove Township Challenge Program helps children develop social skills and leadership through experiential learning in small groups. They offer groups for ASD children, children who have trouble making friends, girls (Girls Empowerment), bullying prevention, and others. They also offer team building for groups such as boy scouts, girl scouts, sports teams, and church groups.
Services
Leadership Development
Primary School Age Children
Preadolescent Children
After complete Beliefs and Skills for Domestic Peace program, Center for Advancing Domestic Peace provides an ongoing network of community support to keep participants on the path to positive personal growth.
Services
Domestic Violence Support Groups
Parenting Skills Classes
Peer Counseling
Leadership Development
Cook County Southland Juvenile Justice Council provides training, internships, and job placement, while participants receive program retention support, coaching, and study support for certification exams. These supports identify barriers to success and development of an Individual Service Strategy to eliminate barriers with a plan of action to successfully complete the employment training program(s). The leadership training entails youth learning how to write a business plan and successfully pitch their plan in hopes of obtaining potential investors.
Services
Leadership Development
Summer Youth Employment Programs
Career Counseling
Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) helps individuals with disabilities who are Hispanic/Latino obtain employment, education, and training, and access a variety of community resources. They also assist families of eligible customers in obtaining needed services and resources.
Services
Vocational Rehabilitation
Leadership Development
Functional Disabilities
Hispanic/Latino Community
SER/SERCO locations offer educational, emotional, and career support to young adults, ages 16-24, living in low-income, underserved communities, especially those who are ex-offenders or gang-affected. Services include after-school programming, supplemental education, GED classes, job and internship skills training, education pathway planning, career coaching, financial literacy, mentorship, summer employment referrals, case management referrals, transportation, service learning projects, and leadership training.
Services
Leadership Development
Extended Child Care
General Youth Employment Programs
Adult/Child Mentoring Programs
At Risk Youth Employment Programs
High School Equivalency/GED Test Instruction
Case/Care Management Referrals
Hosts job fairs and free workshops on career exploration, resumes, interviewing skills, and job readiness.
Services
Computer Literacy Training Programs
Prejob Guidance
Leadership Development
Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) helps individuals with disabilities who are Hispanic/Latino obtain employment, education, and training, and access a variety of community resources. They also assist families of eligible customers in obtaining needed services and resources.
Services
Vocational Rehabilitation
Leadership Development
Functional Disabilities
Hispanic/Latino Community
- Reading for Life: Provides literacy workshops and distributes reading materials. Partners with Silver Cross to provide reading rooms and lending libraries. Materials focus on early childhood literacy, but options exist for all ages.
- Writing Lab: Lab for improving computer literacy as well as essay and general writing skills.
- Workshops: Community workshops for things like leadership development, financial literacy, and health/wellness.
Services
Financial Literacy Training
Leadership Development
General Health Education Programs
Book Distribution Programs
Literacy Programs
Computer Literacy Training Programs
Book/Magazine Donation Programs
Concordia Place offers the Teen Leadership Program which provides teens the opportunity to develop the important practical and life skills that drive academic, career, and personal achievement. The program operates after-school during the school year and over the summer as well.
Services
Adolescents
Leadership Development
Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) helps individuals with disabilities who are Hispanic/Latino obtain employment, education, and training, and access a variety of community resources. They also assist families of eligible customers in obtaining needed services and resources.
Services
Vocational Rehabilitation
Leadership Development
Functional Disabilities
Hispanic/Latino Community
SER and SERCO provide workforce development and career guidance programs. Services include job readiness, labor market counseling, leadership development, financial coaching, job fairs, interview skill training, and resume development.They specialize in working with customer service retail workers seeking advancement or other employment, as well as individuals looking for a pathway to healthcare-focused job training.
Services
Comprehensive Job Assistance Centers
Low Income
Leadership Development
Teen Leadership Program for middle school aged youth focusing on developing life and social skills.
Services
Leadership Development
Offers a variety of programs for youth:
- Boys Dance Crew: Tap and Hip Hop for boys ages 11-14.
- Fearless Females Junior Chapter: Leadership development for young ladies, in partnership with Joliet West High School.
- Princess to Pearls Junior Chapter: Leadership development for teens.
- Kings in the Kings Court: Leadership development for teens.
- "Youth Speaks" Oratorical Program: In partnership with Silver Cross Hospital.
- Passport to Success: Leadership, character building, and life skills for girls and boys ages 7-17.
- Real Men Read: Male volunteers partner with Joliet School District to provide positive role models with a focus on reading.
- Teens Overcoming Pressure (TOP): Teaches teens to identify healthy relationships and to note early warning signs of abusive relationships, violence, and controlling or manipulative behavior while giving them tools for coping.
Services
Leadership Development
Youth Enrichment Programs
Dating Violence Prevention
Volunteer Opportunities
Offers safe, supportive, and respectful environments for children, adolescents and their families, provides wellness Education, leadership development, and community education. Youth Outlook Drop-In Centers meet weekly to support each other and discuss topics of interest to the participants.
Other offerings include:
- Rainbow Sprouts, a social program for children K-6 and their parent/family/guardian.
- Youth Leadership Program: provides opportunities to help run drop-in centers, assist with volunteer training, organize special projects, participate in community education, and advise the agency board through the Youth Advisory Board.
- Transcend: a program for transgender youth, provides a forum to discuss issues such as gender identity, hormone injections, legal issues, etc.
- THRIVE: a support group for parents, foster parents, guardians, and full-time caregivers of LGBTQ+ teens. This is an adult-only group and provides a confidential space for parents to share their stories, find commonalities, and get some of their questions answered.
Organizations may request YO speakers to give presentations about LGBQ+ issues and an annual fundraising banquet is held to raise funds for YO and LGBTQ+ issues.
Services
Youth Enrichment Programs
LGBTQ2+ Advocacy Groups
Leadership Development
Support Groups
LGBTQ2+ Community Centers