Youth Programs
South Side Help Center's Youth Programs are a collection of locally-based programs that provide youth ages 9-18 with comprehensive services to help them achieve success, inherit positive self-esteem, distinguish values important to them and enable them to thrive as a productive adult member of society.
Programs Benefits
Youth benefit from South Side Help Center's Youth Programs in a variety of different ways:
-
Social and Emotional Learning. Regular attendance can lead to improved social and emotional competency, increase sense of self-worth and increased concentration. Youth have also demonstrated making healthier decisions, manage emotions more effectively and achieve personal and collective goals.
-
Improved academic support. Youth who attend regularly have shown increased school participation and improved academic performance.
-
Safety. By participating, Parents and guardians ensure that youth have a safe place to go after school. Youth have expressed they feel safer in environments with supervised adults.
.jpg)
Youth Self Enhancement Program
YSEP is an After School program designed for youth in 5th–8th grade to positively increase the distinction of their important identity. In a safe haven of nurturing and support, participants receive homework assistance, enhance computer skills, organize and plan special events and participate in group activities. YSEP provides its participants with monthly activities that promote unity, teamwork, and leadership.
​
Creatively Relating Entertainment and Arts To Education (C.R.E.A.T.E)
C.R.E.A.T.E. is an interactive peer leadership program for teens in 9th-12th grade. Program activities focus on exploring the prevention of substance abuse and violence using poetry, video production, newspapers, skits, and plays and helps prepare participants who are interested in pursuing careers in the arts. C.R.E.A.T.E. also produces a monthly call in talk show for teens by teens to address teen related issues.
Male/Female Mentoring
South Side Help Center Mentoring programs are designed to enhance male and female development by discussing the actions and feelings taking place during puberty, and also gives youth opportunities to explore their own self identity and development thru weekly discussions. The mentoring programs also encourage youth to work together for the improvement of social conditions for themselves and their communities. From their one-on-one sessions with mentors they also learn time management skills, interpersonal and networking skills and how to be effective communicators.
The Young Men For Community Advocacy Project (YMCA)
This program was developed to encourage the participants to positively increase the distinction of their important identity. In a safe haven of nurturing and support, participants receive help with homework, enhance their computer skills, organize and plan special events and participate in group activities. From their one-on-one sessions with mentors they also learn time management skills, interpersonal and networking skills and how to be effective communicators.
​
This program assists African American and Latino parents with the goal of becoming leaders in their communities, for their families and for themselves. The program positions parents to learn more skills, further their education and/or employment opportunities and become positive role models for their children. At the same time, students increase learning, teachers are supported, student achievement increases, and school climates become more parent friendly.
​
Summer Fun day camp is a camp providing recreation, arts, and prevention activities for youth during the summer vacation period. Youth plan activities, attend weekly trips, and participating in a variety of exploratory activities.
​
​
The Young Men For Community Advocacy Project (YMCA)
This program was developed to encourage the participants to positively increase the distinction of their important identity. In a safe haven of nurturing and support, participants receive help with homework, enhance their computer skills, organize and plan special events and participate in group activities. From their one-on-one sessions with mentors they also learn time management skills, interpersonal and networking skills and how to be effective communicators.
Botvin Life Skills Program
Life Skills Programs focus on the development of effective social and problem-solving skills utilizing non-violent methods. Skill building activities are performed that help youth develop life skills to enhance their individual attitudes and behaviors to help meet the psychological, physical and social needs of youth.
Family Violence and Prevention Programs
This program focuses on the development of effective social and problem-solving skills utilizing non-violent methods. The workshops include topics such as conflict management, violence prevention, behavior modification, anger-management, leadership development, communication skills, value clarification, positive relationship building, and alcohol, tobacco and other drugs as they relate to violence.
The program also assists the youth in understanding norms, attitudes and values centered around community violence and how to identify, resist and communicate with persons exhibiting violent behavior. Specific problem-behavior skill building activities are performed that help youth develop life skills to enhance their individual attitudes and behaviors to address the challenges of day-to-day experiences in a constructive manner and offers alternatives to help meet the psychological, physical and social needs of youth.
​
​
