The Green Revolution

Our youth leaders in the YLP program have been quite busy over the past few months. After undergoing intensive leadership development training in late February, the youth interns decided to create an educational community service project they entitled “The Green Revolution.” Through March and April, the interns planned a community-wide fair during which they would educate people on environmental issues, healthy living, and energy and water conservation. Additionally, the interns partnered with the Town of Cicero to help run the event, coordinated with School District 99 to assist with flier distribution, and fundraised over $2,300 for their project.

On May 28th, the youth interns hosted this fair at the Cicero Community Park. The event included informational booths run by interns on environmental issues, healthy living, and energy conservation. We also had 6 partnering organizations run informational booths, a kids section with games and face painting, a DJ, a moon bounce and obstacle course, raffles, and concessions. Over 400 people attended the fair and we received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees. Although we had to end the fair early due to weather, everyone agreed that the fair was a huge success. Thanks to all the vendors, Town of Cicero, and community residents who turned out to support this important youth-led project!

New Summer Programs: Summer YLP Internship & "New Directions" Girl's Group

Summer YLP Internship
This summer, our Youth Leadership Program (YLP) will be hosting another youth internship. During this 8-week, paid internship youth will receive leadership development training, conduct community analysis, and create and implement a community service project similar to the one mentioned above. Each youth interested in participating will need to complete an application and interview with youth advisors. Applications are due June 15th. Please consider applying and encouraging others to apply. You won’t regret it!

Do you know...?

• 8 of 10 local teens looking for summer employment may not be able to find it.
• What teens do when they have no summer job, too much free time and no money.

A Solution Is Possible

• Young people thrive when they hang with a
  positive peer group, have opportunities to show
  off their leadership potential and have a few
  bucks in their pocket to spend as they see fit.
• YC Summer Internships provide local teenagers
  with a $250 stipend for 10 weeks of leadership
  training, team building and community service
  work over the summer months.
• Under guidance from YC staff, interns will spend
  15 hours each week working in teams to design
  and carry out service projects to benefit up to
  1,000 residents in the greater Berwyn/Cicero
  area this summer.

With Your Support

• Every $250 raised through this one-time appeal
  will provide 10 weeks of employment and leadership
  training for one teenager this summer.
• Every $50 contributed to this project will provide one
  teen with two weeks of summer employment.
• A donation of any size will be an important investment
  in our local young people and community.

Help keep our local teens busy and productive this summer!
Donate today!

"New Directions" Girl's Group
The New Directions program is geared towards high-risk young ladies between the ages of 14-18. Similar to the U-Turn program it is an intensive life skills training group. The focus of this group is to help young women develop the skills necessary to be successful. The group will meet weekly at the YC office on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:00am to 3:00 pm. Topics include: Anger management, Conflict Resolution, Job Readiness, Healthy Relationships, Social Skills, and Future goal setting. This group is scheduled to begin on June 25th, 2011.

YLP Lakota Sioux Service Trip

So what do eleven YLP youth leaders do on their spring break? Sleep in? Party? Watch TV? Nope. They wake up at 5:30am on a Sunday morning, head over to Youth Crossroads, Inc. and begin loading up the van. For this year’s spring break, eleven YLP youth leaders took an eight day service trip to Lakota Sioux nation in South Dakota. There, they assisted the Cheyenne River Youth Project, a non-profit organization on the reservation, by running children and youth programs and small service projects. During their time there, our youth were also able to have deep and meaningful conversations with younger kids about bullying and self esteem. Additionally, we were able to learn about Native American culture, visit Mount Rushmore, hike in The Badlands National Park, and visit Wall Drug.

Here’s a link to a great article published in the Berwyn Life Newspaper about the trip and our youth:
http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/berwyn/features/x1067127980/Berwyn-youth-travel-a-different-road

YLP Bullying Prevention Workshop

Starting September 2010, a group of 15 youth interns, participating in one of our YLP internships, decided that bullying was a major concern they wanted to address in the community. As they put it, “Gang violence, eating disorders, and suicide all have one thing in common; bullying.” These interns then vigorously worked to create a 45 minute interactive bullying prevention presentation. This presentation includes interns sharing their personal stories of being bullied, two short videos, an interactive game, explanations on why bullying happens, and solutions to help prevent bullying. Since September, our interns have given this presentation to just under 1,000 eight to twenty year olds. They have presented to groups in Cicero, Berwyn, Chicago, and even South Dakota and have spoken in classrooms, GED training, a girl scouts troop, and a college class.

We’ve received overwhelmingly good feedback about these presentations from teachers, parents, and students. As one teacher told us, “I cannot begin to tell you how captivated the students were while listening to the bullying facts. I think the fact that high school girls were talking to them (an all girls group) helped stress the point even more.” If you know someone that could benefit from this presentation, please contact us. Our youth would love to come and present.

Letter from the Executive Director

Friends,

I am happy to report that Youth Crossroads, Inc. (YC) served 1,595 local youth and their family members this past year (7/09 to 6/10) through a variety of programs intended to strengthen individual’s, family’s and our community’s ability to thrive within challenging conditions.

Withstanding the onslaught of economic instability and significant cuts in funding from many important sources, YC remarkably served more individuals this year than last. Numbers of youth participating in our after school programs increased by 60% to nearly 300 middle school students; teen participation in our Youth Leadership Program grew by 25% to involve over 200 high school aged youth who provided 6,000 hours of community service for the benefit of their peers, schools and neighborhoods. Individual counseling with youth referred by schools and local juvenile justice systems increased by 126% to 201 this past year.

Our commitment to improve community conditions for young people and families remains strong. Our leadership and involvement in local coalitions like the Cicero Youth Task Force, Local Agency Network #58, the Metro United Way Latino Youth Initiative, and others has significantly improved access to and utilization of social services by at-risk children, youth and their parents in the west suburbs of Chicago.

YC continues to be thankful to those institutions, businesses and individuals that support our mission. We will continue to work hard and smart to maximize all resources at our disposal to provide high quality, useful services that meet the growing needs of our youth and families.

Sincerely,
Dave Terrazino, Executive Director.

New YC Directors
YC is pleased to announce two new directors to their board, Chris Bobowski and George Cusick. Chris lives in Chicago and works at the Chicago Board of Trade. He has been a mentor with youth for many years and looks forward to contributing to the growth and success of YC, George lives with his wife in Berwyn and in addition to their two grown children, the Cusicks also have four foster children living with them now. George is a past university intern at YC and will bring a wealth of personal and professional knowledge to the agency.

YLP New Orleans Service Trip
During their spring break from high school, seven teens in the YC Youth Leadership Program (YLP), along with staff and a volunteer, journeyed down to New Orleans, LA to lend a helping hand to survivors of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster. The service trip was made possible by youth fundraising, many generous individual contributors and outstanding coordination by Jessie Schwartz, our YLP Program Manager.

“Going to New Orleans and seeing first-hand all the houses still destroyed had a big impact on me. Helping Ms. Betty (by tearing down an old shed and painting her house) was fun and inspiring. A simple trip to Louisiana became a life long memory. If there is something to be learned from all this, it’s that hope can be found anywhere. It just takes a little effort to inspire it.”
Janet Mendez, YLP teen volunteer

“…Having the experience and being in a place where people’s lives were taken away in an instant was devastating. This trip helped not only make a difference in my life, but others as well. I learned there are not Hurricane Katrina victims, there are Hurricane Katrina survivors.”
Monica Aleman, YLP teen volunteer

Vegas Night Event a Success!
The 2nd Annual YC Vegas Night Charity Event held on March 5, 2010 in Berwyn raised over $24,000 to support our youth services. Our special thanks to event chair Gil Pena, and the Vegas Night committee members. sponsors (too many to list here), attendees, Over 160 people attended and enjoyed Vegas-style games, dinner, auctions and door prizes. YC relies on these special events to support our agency general operational expenses and we appreciate deeply the community’s participation in this endeavor.

New YC Board Director
YC welcomes our newest Board Director Gil Pena who lives in Berwyn with his family. Gil is currently the Regional Manager for Paetec Communications Company, holds a master’s in Architecture, and served in the US Marine Corps. Gil just recently served as our Vegas Night Charity Event Committee Chair and provided leadership resulting in YC’S most successful special event in our history! Congratulations Gil and we look forward to working with you well into the future.

Generation NeXt — Paid Internship Program
Are you interested in Service Work? Do you want to make a difference in your community? YC is looking for youth who are highly motivated to become YOUTH LEADERS. There are 10 positions available and they will fill up fast so apply today!
Download the Application | Download the Flyer

New Teen Reach Program in Cicero
7th and 8th grade Students at Unity Junior High School in Cicero will benefit from the new Teen Reach program via YC and in cooperation with Cicero School District #99, and Corazon Community Services. The program operates Mon.-Thursday from 2-5p.m., Saturdays from 10a.m. to 1 p.m. and on most non-school holidays. More Info >>

21^st Century After School Program at Heritage Middle School
In cooperation with Berwyn School District #100, YC will assist 6th-8th graders at the Heritage School 21st Century After School Program with homework help and academic support, social skills development and a variety of exciting “club” activities such as film production, clothes design, screen writing, and theatre production.

YC College Internships
YC is pleased to provide bachelor and Master’s level internships to aspiring students in the fields of social work, education, psychology and public health. YC currently trains and utilizes 14 interns; 9 master’s level and 5 bachelor’s level. Interns from Concordia University, Dominican University, Northeastern University, Chicago State University, and Roosevelt University are receiving top-notch experience and professional supervision in counseling, co-leading support groups, and all facets of after school program implementation. YC is proud to support these hard-working interns and offer important community-based clinical experience to them in their pursuit to make the world a better place for others.

New Board Director
YC is pleased to welcome our newest board director Steve Schwartz. Steve is currently a history teacher at Oak Park River Forest High School, a former teacher at Morton East High School in Cicero, an experienced world traveler and avid reader on all topics political and theoretical. We look forward to the many gifts Steve will bring to the agency and new ideas to continuously improve our services for local young people and their families.

YLP Youth Leader Internship Update:
After participating in an intensive Leadership Development and Service Project Planning Training over the summer, 11 Youth Leader Interns have been working vigorously to plan and coordinate three service projects that will address the rising rate of teen pregnancies in the Berwyn-Cicero area. Here’s a little information about them:

Teen Pregnancy Help and Support (TPHS)
Teen leaders Anna Monroy (MEHS), Monica Aleman (MWHS), Alejandra Hernandez (MEHS) and Cindy Camacho (FC) coordinated a one-day workshop on October 10, 2009 at the Cicero Community Center for teen parents; covering Nutrition for expectant mothers and their babies, Child Development, Post-Partum Depression and other Community Resources. Topic presenters included nurses from MacNeal Hopsital, AOK Coordinator Rosalind Larson and Leap Learning Systems. Thirteen expecting/teen moms and six teen dads attended. Participants received a small gift bag with baby care items. A bath tub and $40 Target gift card were raffled at the end of the workshop. Congratulations to Anna, Monica, Alejandra and Cindy on a job well done!

Rosalind Larson presentation on Community Resources at TPHS Workshop

Reality: Teen Pregnancy Presentation
Teen leaders Mateo Uribe (RBHS), Lindsey Ramirez (MEHS) and Jonathan Salamanca (MEHS) developed and coordinated a presentation to prevent teen pregnancies for 7th and 8th grade students. The first part of the presentation includes an informational video, followed by activities educating teens about peer pressure and refusal skills from a national curriculum called “Reducing the Risk,” presented by Tammi Reynolds with the UIUC Extensions Program.

The second part of the presentation includes a panel discussion with a current teen parent and an adult who was a teen parent. They’ll share their experiences and struggles as teen parents and convey the importance of waiting for parenthood until you’re ready. These presentations have already begun at Unity Jr. High and are scheduled at Freedom Middle School in November. Congratulations to Mateo, Lindsey and Jonathan on a great job so far!

The Ugly Truth
Teen leaders Janet Mendez (MEHS), Adriana Ortiz (MEHS), Maria Lopez (MEHS) and Clara Sanchez (MEHS) are currently developing a video Public Service Announcement (PSA) that will highlight the truth about teen parenting. This group is targeting young men as their audience because they feel boys can be forgotten when trying to prevent teen pregnancy. They believe if they can create a video with creative graphics, researched facts, contemporary music and entertainment, they can appeal to young men and remind them to take active measures to avoid getting a young girl pregnant. This video will show the costs associated with pregnancy, child birth and raising a child. It will also discuss the emotional and psychological risks as well as the life barriers it can present to children born to teen parents and fatherless homes. These teens hope to get permission to show their video at all the Morton High Schools and at local youth organizations. Congratulations Janet, Adriana, Maria and Clara on all your efforts so far!

Youth of the Month: November '09
Congratulations to Anna K. Monroy for being selected by her peers as November’s Youth Leadership Program “Youth of the Month!” Anna is currently a Junior at Morton East High School and has been a member of YLP since July, 2009 when she was accepted into the Youth Leader Summer Internship. Since then Anna has been trained as a Youth Leader and with the help of three of her peers, she has coordinated her first service project.

Up to date, Anna has contributed over 100 hours of community service work to the improvement of her local community and continues be involved in the development and coordination of other YLP projects. Anna was nominated to represent YLP for the month of November due the progress she has made in such a short as a Youth Leader. Anna has become a more confident speaker when presenting in front of groups. She also consistently supports her peers and helps to keep everyone on task.

FUN Facts about Anna K. Monroy:
Favorite Band/Musician: My Chemical Romance, Coldplay & Paramore
Favorite Food: Pozole (Mmmmmm)
Hobbies: Reading, Dancing & Singing
Favorite Movie: “A Walk to Remember”

A leader you admire/look up to: My Friend
Why? She is always there. She is involved in so much and takes charge when she has to. I look up to her so much and wish to become more outgoing like her.

What are your future academic/career goals: My future goals are to go to college and I would love to become a Pre-K teacher.

Letter from the Executive Director
New YC Directors
YLP New Orleans Service Trip
Vegas Night Event a Success!
New YC Board Director
Generation NeXt - Paid Internship Program
New Teen Reach Program in Cicero
21^st Century After School Program at Heritage Middle School
YC College Internships
New Board Director
YLP Youth Leader Internship Update
Teen Pregnancy Help and Support (TPHS)
Reality: Teen Pregnancy Presentation
The Ugly Truth
Youth of the Month, Nov. 09: Anna K. Monroy

Youth Crossroads needs your help! As a small non-profit organization, monetary donations from civic groups and individuals are an integral part of our operational budget. Your donations go directly to helping local youth get the guidance they desperately need. Please consider making a donation today via our secure online service. We thank you in advance!