Youth Programs: Raising up Strong Leaders.
The goal of the Teen REACH program is to expand the range of choices and opportunities that enable, empower, and encourage youth to achieve positive growth and development, improve expectations and capacities for future success, and to avoid or reduce risk-taking behavior.
Encouraging Academic Success.
Corazón’s youth programming equips young people to be successful in school through evidenced-based curricula, help with homework, one-on-one mentoring, workshops, and more. From art projects to STEM activities, students spend time after school and during the summer expanding their knowledge and developing critical-thinking skills.
Sixty percent of our youth reported grades as a source of stress, two-thirds stated that working hard in school matters for success, and over 70% said that working hard in school matters for success in college. To this end, formal linkage agreements with school districts 201 and 99 allow program staff to keep tabs on each student’s grades and academic progress. Students and their parents also receive help preparing for college, with field trips to local colleges and workshops on filling out college applications and financial aid forms, making a successful transition from high school to college, and advanced study and time-management skills.
Supporting STEM Education.
Over half of our youth recently reported needing extra support or help in math. Youth from communities of color are frequently at a disadvantage when it comes to preparation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Corazón’s curriculum has a heavy emphasis on STEM subjects and benefits from a longstanding relationship with the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. This summer, we were delighted to offer a robotics summer camp offered in collaboration with the Youth Technology Corps.
An Energetic Hub for Youth Employment.
Corazón has a distinguished history of providing local youth with meaningful work experiences.
Our new Summer of Impact Program, funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services, links twelve students with summer jobs, two at a local printing and graphic design company and ten working as Health Ambassadors for Corazón. Participants learn valuable skills, such as how to write a resume, sit for a job interview, and fill out employment paperwork. The agency also employs college students throughout the year as part-time Youth Advocates and Youth Tutors and Mentors, serving as peer mentors and program staff while they are pursuing their studies.
Emphasizing Sports and Recreation.
Corazón emphasizes the role of physical activity in health and well-being.
Youth can participate in group sports like basketball and volleyball or individual sports like martial arts. Regular sporting competitions throughout the year, such as our “FUERZA Olympics,” encourage teamwork and sportsmanship, as well as develop critical hand-eye coordination and athleticism.
We also encourage youth to relax from the stresses of their lives through socialization with their peers. FUERZA Youth Center offers youth a fun and safe space to not only do their homework, but also to enjoy video games, pool and foosball, board and card games, and structured activities, such as our first-ever “Girls Night” and our “FUERZA Awards” gala for graduates.
Adult Role Models and Life Skills:
Our youth development specialists serve as healthy role models by offering youth their knowledge, experience, and encouragement to help them make good decisions.
Because most of our staff were raised in the Cicero area, youth know that they can empathize and relate to their lives and challenges. From trouble at home or school to gang violence, Corazón can offer them resources and forums, such as meditation, Peace Circles, and martial arts, to cope with the stresses of their life and nurture their gifts so that they can thrive.
Corazón seeks not only to raise up healthy and academically successful youth, but also to train the next generation of community leaders.
Through service learning activities, youth learn civic responsibility and service to the community through a wide range of events, such as the Cicero Clean-up, health information canvassing, and care of our community garden. Youth learn to take pride their contributions to the wider world as they chart their own path for success.
Community Impacts through Service Learning.
Exercising Imagination through Arts and Culture.
Youth at Corazón are encouraged to explore and develop their creative skills through a variety of artistic media, including painting, photography, music, dance, and creative writing.
We encourage teens to find their own voices and pursue their passions, whether it’s manga, architecture, or poetry.