 
Positive Youth Development State and Local Collaboration
Demonstration Projects
Fiscal Year 2005 Highlights: Illinois
Local community: Bronzeville neighborhood, Chicago
A rich history and strong community groups are helping this largely African American neighborhood, once dubbed the “Harlem of Chicago,” face urban challenges such as crime, unemployment, school closings, and gentrification. With new condos displacing hundreds of thousands of people from the neighborhood, the Bronzeville partnership is working to give young people a say in what’s happening and a part in rebuilding their community.
The collaboration aims to show that adult-youth partnerships can yield more impressive outcomes in a community than efforts that exclude young people. All young people, even those not normally recruited to lead, are being included in the collaboration, and organizers hope to find ways to create similar leadership opportunities for youth throughout Illinois.
Partners:
Office
of Prevention, Illinois Department of Human Services (grantee
agency)
Grand Boulevard Federation (lead local partner)
Youth
Network Council
Teen
Living Programs (Runaway and Homeless Youth grantee)
Firman
Community Services
Chicago
Area Project
Chicago
Youth Centers, Elliott Donnelly Youth Center
Chicago
Urban League
Centers
for New Horizons
City of Chicago’s Windows of Opportunity
Chicago
Park District, Kennicott Park
Kenwood Oakland Community Organization
Race to Knowledge, Inc.
In Fiscal Year 2005, the Illinois project’s youth-led committees
- Established priorities and midyear goals
- Planned, raised funds for, and marketed a career fair, a cultural
day, and a forum for youth and police
- Worked with various community organizations to advocate around
issues of youth employment and quality education
- Helped hire a Positive Youth Development project coordinator with ties to the Bronzeville community
Challenges to the collaboration project’s work include
- Identifying youth who have leadership potential but who are not
already involved in community service
- Finding the resources to offer additional stipends, so that more
young people can be recruited for the youth councils