Youth Development Services

Academic assistance:

Our school-based sites and “Saturday Morning Breakfast Club” at the Evanston Public Library offer students secure, quiet space where our staff and volunteers assist individuals or small groups with homework assignments, provide tutoring, and teach good study skills. Since 2006, Y.O.U. has been a certified supplementary Educational Service Provider (SES), offering academic assistance from licensed teachers, which is carefully coordinated with the schools.

Life skills education:

We provide adult-facilitated peer groups where youth can openly discuss positive ways to respond to issues such as peer pressure, substance abuse, gangs, health, nutrition, sexuality, family dynamics, anger management, and violence. Many of our life-skill peer groups use research-based, best-practice curriculums.

Social skills development:

Y.O.U. staff members and volunteers are trained to identify opportunities to help young people develop and enhance their social skills. For example, we view occurrences of conflict among young people as teaching opportunities rather than as barriers. Voluntary community service projects also help young people strengthen their self-confidence and sense of community responsibility.

Recreational and athletic activities:

We provide a wide choice of daily outdoor and indoor sports and games appealing both to girls and boys, including football, basketball, softball, pool, ping-pong, and rope skipping. There are also bike hikes, swimming at the YMCA, or trips to a beach or water park. Our “GoGirlGo!” activities focus on nutrition, positive body image, and confidence, while engaging girls in physical exercise.
Other experiences that are new to many students include camping trips, comic book art lessons, samba dance and percussion lessons, poetry workshops, and hip-hop dance classes.

Cultural and artistic activities:

Y.O.U. participants enjoy a broad range of community and cultural activities, including visits to museums, other educational field trips, and in-house enrichment activities involving ethnic identity and creative and artistic projects. These activities are led by staff, volunteers, or outside providers such as the Open Studio Project, Soul Creations, and Escola de Samba (through the Music Institute of Chicago).

Mentoring:

At the Saturday Morning Breakfast Club, students in small groups share their hopes and dreams with adult mentors and get guidance on how to achieve them. In the Transition to High School program, eighth-graders spend a day at Evanston Township High School, each one shadowing a junior or senior to learn what to expect and what they need to be ready for high school.

Click here to read some “Real-life Results” from Youth Development