South Chicago Art Center

The South Chicago Art Center was established over four years ago to address a pressing need in one of Chicago’s most blighted neighborhoods. At that time the community was devoid of free after-school programs and local teenagers had no after-school programs available at all. The Art Center is a unique place in South Chicago, a storefront institution where kids use culture as a tool for social exchange.

Program Spotlight

Young Men’s Educational Network

The Young Men’s Educational Network (YMEN) is a dynamic youth leadership organization established in 1996 to address the academic and social needs that cripple the futures of many young men who grow up in the North Lawndale community on Chicago’s West Side. YMEN offers advanced academic classes, entrepreneurial training, career planning, mentoring, tutoring, and a wide variety of community service opportunities as it seeks to fulfill its mission: “to prepare young men in North Lawndale for leadership by helping them grow in their faith and character, develop a love of learning, and use their gifts to serve the broader community.” For the past 14 years, YMEN has provided effective alternatives to academic apathy and gang membership and is recognized as a grass-roots community organization that is producing indigenous leadership in the next generation of African-American young men.

Website: www.ymenchicago.com

Afterschool Program Research

The Promising Afterschool Programs Study found that regular participation in high-quality afterschool programs is linked to significant gains in standardized test scores and work habits as well as reductions in behavior problems among disadvantaged students.