Youth Serving Programs that include youth leadership,
civic engagement, and/or service learning components
ALBANY PARK THEATER PROJECT - FOCUSES ON YOUTH AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
https://aptpchicago.org/our-mission/
From the web site: "Albany Park Theater Project is a multi-ethnic, youth theater ensemble that inspires people to envision a more just and beautiful world. We are dedicated to art, to youth, and a vision of social justice."
ALLOWGOOD - EMPOWER ALL YOUTH THROUGH THE TOOLS OF PHILANTHROPY
https://www.allowgood.org/mission/
From the web site: "Allow Good equips youth with the knowledge, skills, and capacity to take meaningful action in their communities. We inspire youth to become actively engaged in addressing social challenges throughout their lives. This addresses a pressing need facing our society - engaging youth in their communities to create a society of socially engaged citizens.
BLACK YOUTH PROJECT 100
https://www.byp100.org/about
From the web site: "Black Youth Project 100 (BYP 100) is an activist member-based organization of Black 18-35 year olds, dedicated to creating justice and freedom for all Black people. We do this through building a collective focused on transformative leadership development, direct action organizing, advocacy and education."
CHICAGO DEBATE COMMISSION/CHICAGO DEBATE LEAGUE
https://www.chicagodebates.org/what-we-do/
From the web site: "with over 60 high schools and middle schools and 1300 students, the CDL has grown to become the largest and most successful of the urban debate leagues around the country." Formed in 1995.
CIVIC LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION - TEACHES LEADERSHIP SKILLS
https://civicleadershipfoundation.org/
From the web site: "The Civic Leadership Foundation (CLF) prepares underserved teenagers for college, career and active citizenship. CLF partners with principals, teachers, and youth program directors to deliver empowering, project-based curriculum that teaches young people critical life-long leadership skills such as collaboration, resourcefulness and accountability."
DIGITAL YOUTH NETWORK - NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
MAPSCORPS - YOUTH MAPPING ASSETS IN URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS
https://www.digitalyouthnetwork.org/
https://www.digitalyouthnetwork.org/https://mapscorps.org/
In 2022 Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy launched a new iteration of MAPSCorps, integrating it into their own curriculum, with the name "Digital Youth network". "MAPSCorps is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based on Chicago’s South Side where the idea was born. The organization grew out of the South Side Health and Vitality Studies, led by the research laboratory of Stacy Tessler Lindau, MD, MAPP, at the University of Chicago. In 2016, MAPSCorps became an independent nonprofit, with successful programs covering nearly half of Chicago and several ZIP codes of Harlem and the Bronx in New York City."
DREAMS FOR KIDS YOUTH EXECUTIVE BOARD
https://dreamsforkids.org/our-team/
Scroll to the bottom of this page and meet the Youth Executive Board of Dreams for Kids. Click on each profile and learn about each member. The group is described as "A dynamic group of young middle school leaders who are proving they are the generation we have been waiting for and that no one has to wait to be great and to make an impact. Our youth board has created nonprofits and social enterprises and is enrolling thousands of like-minded youth to raise money and to fund youth-led startups." This is part of a Dream Leaders program, described at "Our Dream Leaders are young social entrepreneurs who turn their ideas into impact and help create the future today. We engage students with volunteer service, leadership conferences, and fundraising opportunities and provide practical education through our digital social entrepreneurship curriculum that drives student learning into the world and is delivered by teachers in class and supported by mentors beyond school."
EARTH FORCE - ENGAGES YOUNG PEOPLE AS ACTIVE CITIZENS
https://earthforce.org/
From the web site: "Through our Centers of Excellence, Earth Force works with communities to support young people in finding their voice while assuming leadership roles in solving local environmental problems. Our six-step instructional model, the Earth Force Process, puts youth in the driver's seat towards creating sustainable solutions."
FEARLESS LEADING BY YOUTH/STOP CHICAGO
https://www.stopchicago.org/programs
Fearless Leading by the Youth (FLY) is a program of STOP, " a community organization that builds the power of residents on the Southside of Chicago to impact the forces and decisions that affect our lives. STOP fights for human rights to racial and economic justice through organizing, popular education, and leadership development amongst people most directly affected by issues like gentrification, displacement, incarceration and criminalization of youth of color and health cuts."
FREE SPIRIT MEDIA - EMPOWERS YOUTH THROUGH VIDEO
https://freespiritmedia.org/programs
Hands-on and project-based media production opportunities with FSM are helping young people develop their authentic voice while actively learning about and addressing community issues.
FUTURE LEADERS IN PLANNING - CMAP CHICAGO PROGRAM
https://www.cmap.illinois.gov/about/involvement/flip
From the web site: "Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) is a leadership development opportunity where students can contribute to a better future for our region. Participants in this new program will learn more about the northeastern region and share their thoughts with other teens from Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. Participants will also meet and interact with selected regional leaders who make key planning decisions in our communities."
GIRL UP - UNITING GIRLS TO SAVE THE WORLD
https://girlup.org/
This is an international movement to advance girls' skills, rights, and opportunities to be leaders.
GLOBAL KIDS - NEW YORK CITY
https://globalkids.org/#/about-global-kids
Global Kids offers a range of year-round programs in schools, online, and at its New York City headquarters. Global Kids works primarily with middle school and high school youth, and also provide professional development and capacity building services for educators and institutions, and special trainings for youth.
GLOBAL NOMADS GROUP LINKS THE WORLD'S YOUTH
https://gng.org/
Founded in 1998, the Global Nomads Group (GNG) is a non-profit organization dedicated to heightening children's understanding and appreciation for the world and its people. Using interactive technologies such as videoconferencing, GNG brings young people together face-to-face to meet across cultural and national boundaries to discuss their differences & similarities, and the world issues that affect them.
INTEGRATE NEW YORK CITY 4 ME - FOCUS ON RACIAL JUSTICE
https://integratenyc.org/mission
IntegrateNYC4Me is a youth led initiative focusing on the unequal opportunities for youth in New York City schools.
MAPPING JUSTICE - EMPOWERING YOUTH THROUGH GEOSPATIAL INNOVATION
https://www.trubel.co/
This is the flagship program of an organization called trubel&co, who's mission is to "champion diverse youth by integrating STEM education with civic innovation to tackle societal challenges. Through our flagship program, Mapping Justice, we empower students to use geospatial technology for social change, fostering data literacy, critical thinking, and community advocacy."
MEMA-MUSIC - SCHOOL BASED ARTS CURRICULUM
https://www.mema-music.org/
From the website: "MeMa-Music is a Chicago based non-profit that empowers youth, age 13-19, in underserved communities, from all backgrounds and abilities, to use their unique voices to advocate for social justice and change, through the power of music, and arts-integrated academic learning, that expresses their individual creativity. By raising young people’s voices, we aim to inspire youth with the message that they can become successful adults with a positive vision of the future." This is a school-based program.
MIKVA CHALLENGE - ENGAGING CHICAGO YOUTH IN CIVIC AND POLITICAL LIFE
https://mikvachallenge.org/
From the web site: "Mikva Challenge develops youth to be informed, empowered, and active citizens and community leaders. We do this by engaging youth in action civics, an authentic and transformative learning process built on youth voice and youth expertise."
MY BLOCK NYC - INCLUDES MAP SHOWING STUDENT VIDEOS
http://www.myblockedu.org/
From the web site: "The MyBlock Education Program which continues today, is making the increasingly important opportunity of an introductory video literacy program available to students by providing a powerful video communications curriculum to schools all over New York City." This link points to a map of NYC with icons that you can open to see videos created by NYC teens.
ONECITY STORIES - YOUTH WRITING PROJECT IN ST. LOUIS AREA
https://www.onecitystories.org/program/
From the web site: "Onecity Stories is a 3-week writing program for high school students from the Greater St. Louis area. During these three weeks (June 10-28 excluding weekends), participants will cultivate their stories and create multimedia products with the help of experienced writing teachers and experts in the newspaper, film and radio broadcasting industries. The summer program will conclude with a publication event for participants and their guests, and additional writing and publishing opportunities will be available for participants throughout the following school year."
POSITIVE COACHING ALLIANCE - CHICAGO
https://positivecoach.org/mission-history/
From the web site: "Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is a national non-profit with the mission to provide all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience. PCA reaches youth and high school sport leaders, coaches, athletes, parents, and officials through live workshops, online courses, published books and articles, and a series of alliances with nationally-recognized coaches, athletes, academicians, businesses and national youth sports organizations."
PROJECT M LAB - YOUTH LEADERSHIP PLATFORM
http://projectmlab.com/
From the web site: "Project M is a program for creative people who are already inspired to contribute to the greater good, and are looking for a platform to collaborate and generate ideas and projects bigger than themselves."
RECLAIM. A UK YOUTH LEADERSHIP AND SOCIAL CHANGE ORGANISATION
https://www.reclaim.org.uk/
From the web site: "RECLAIM exists to end the leadership inequality that prevents working class young people with talent, imagination, ambition and drive, from fulfilling their leadership potential. We support young people who refuse to be silent: they fight for their voices to be heard. We run intensive, high impact leadership programmes for 12-15 year olds from working class communities and support them through an Alumni Network until they are 22. We also develop and deliver - alongside our young people - a range of pilot projects and campaigns on issues that affect working class communities."
TEEN INITIATE PROGRAM - AT THE ALIVE CENTER OF NAPERBRIDGE (IN NAPERVILLE, IL)
https://www.alivecenter.org/teen-initiate/
From the web site: "Teen Initiate is an innovative Teen-Led Teen-Driven (TLTD) program that provides teens with support and a space to innovate and lead while empowering younger teens and tweens in the process." Browse this page to see work being done.
THE CEBRIN GOODMAN TEEN INSTITUTE (CGTI) - LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
http://cg-ti.org/
From the web site: "CGTI empowers youth with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to lead an alcohol, tobacco, and other drug-free life. We make this a reality by helping teens develop and strengthen leaderships skills, educate them to lead peers to reduce the frequency of substance use and other addictive behaviors, teach to advocate for positive change within their schools, communities, and local government, and encourage healthy decision making skills."
TRUE STAR FOUNDATION - JOURNALISM PROGRAM FOR YOUTH
https://truestarmedia.org/our-programs/
From the web site: "We serve youth who come from single and double income homes that often have unsupervised after-school hours. The students we work with are predominantly minorities: 70% African-American, 25% Hispanic and 5% other. Teen participants get to work alongside students from various cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds, to express themselves in innovative ways and understand their role and responsibility as contributing adults to society."
UNIVERSIDAD POPULAR - UP TO YOUTH INITIATIVE
http://www.universidadpopular.us/up-to-youth/
The program serves Little Village youth. Web site description: "The focus of the program includes increasing Little Village youths’ civic engagement, cultivating a positive self-image and healthy living, improving academic performance and achievement, fostering creative problem-solving skills, and expanding parent involvement."