YC Awarded $360,000 Teen Reach Grant from State
Youth Crossroads has been awarded a $360,000 grant from the State of Illinois’ Teen Reach (Responsibility, Education, Achievement, Caring, and Hope) initiative that supports out-of-school-time programs for at-risk youth. YC will use the grant to create more comprehensive support structures for at-risk students at Morton East, Morton West, and Morton Freshman Center high schools, Heritage and Freedom middle schools in Berwyn, and George Washington Middle School in Lyons.
The goal of the grant is to improve academic performance, life skills education, parental involvement, artistic activities, positive adult mentors, service learning, and STEM Learning. In addition to providing more targeted trauma-informed care in schools, the grant will fund community service initiatives and family nights to help parents better support their child’s academics and social-emotional health.
YC Celebrates 50th Anniversary with 1st Alumni Reunion, Block Party, and Mural Dedication on July 27, 4 – 9 p.m., 6501 Stanley Ave.
In recognition of our 50th Anniversary in 2024, YC will host its first alumni reunion and block party on Stanley Ave (between Scoville and Ridgeland) and Gunderson on Saturday, July 27, 4 – 9 p.m. The event features live music, folkloric dance, bouncy house, food trucks, beverage tent, face-painting, yard games, bike raffles, and free backpacks to the first 100 youth. The event will also feature the unveiling of YC’s 50th Anniversary Mural by Isaac Galvan. The event is free and open to the public. Food and drink available for purchase.
YLP Knoxville Service-Learning Trip
YC’s Youth Leadership Program completed a successful service-learning trip to Knoxville, TN, June 10-15. The 23 middle and high school students and 5 YD staff volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank, Bridge Refugee Services, and Ijams Nature Center. They also visited Smokey Mountain National Park, the World’s Fair Park, and Dollywood.
Northwestern Memorial Medicine Awards Project Peace $25,000 Grant
Northwestern Memorial Medicine has awarded YC a $25,000 grant for “Project Peace,” YC’s intensive 90-day violence prevention program. The grant will help fund individual and family counseling, coaching and mentoring, and case management.
Gun Violence Awareness Month
In recognition of National Gun Violence Awareness Month this June, Natalie Palm, coordinator of YC’s “Project Peace” provides some sobering statistics about the impact of gun violence in our nation and what can be about it.
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month
This month we celebrate the history and the advocacy of those in the LGBTQ+ community. Youth Crossroads, Inc. has been providing support for youth and families for the last 10 years and I would like to take a moment to talk a little bit about those services.
Briani Tapia Hired as Case Manager for Clinical Services
Briana Tapia received a BA in Applied Psychology with a minor in Disabilities and Human Development from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) in May 2024. A lifelong Berwyn resident, Briana was an intern at YC and later served as a Youth Development Specialist. She is passionate about having a positive impact on children.
Jazmin Guzman-Ruiz Hired as Intake and YD Specialist
Jazmin Guzman-Ruiz received her BA in Social Work from Concordia University in May 2024 and will pursue her master’s degree at Dominican University in Fall 2024. Born and raised in Cicero, Jazmin served as a Youth Development intern this past Spring. She enjoys working with children and making a positive change in their lives.
Max Hernandez Hired as Coach Peace Projec
Max Hernandez graduated from Northern Illinois University with a BA in Sociology in 2012 and received an MA from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Forensic Psychology this month. Max has experience working with undocumented minors, and has worked with juveniles in a detention center and recently worked as a counselor with middle school and high school youth. Max wants to be the person he needed growing up.
Openings for Mental Health Services in our Berwyn Office
Youth Crossroads provides counseling services that help youth and their families deal with anxiety, depression, trauma, and other life difficulties. Day time slots are still available for our culturally affirming, trauma-informed mental health services in our Berwyn office. Services are available for young people ages 10 to 24 and their families in Cicero and Berwyn and some nearby suburbs. Contact Jazmin for eligibility.