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Our comprehensive youth development program model gives young people with life challenges, multiple, closely aligned pathways to success. The division promotes long-term sustained engagement for 14 to 26 years old, and positive relationships with adults. We also seek to provide young people with a vast network of support to become confident, competent, resilient, and self-sustaining adults. Our focus includes:
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Community Mobilization |
Involvement of local citizens (including former gang-involved youth), community groups, agencies, and coordination of programs and staff functions within and across agencies |
| Opportunities Provision | Development of a variety of specific education programs, training and employment programs targeting at-risk and gang-involved youth and young adults |
| Social Intervention | Development and implementation of policies and procedures that result in the most effective use of available and potential resources, within and across agencies, to better address the development of at-risk and gang involved youth and young adults |
| Suppression | Formal and informal social control procedures, including case management and monitoring of at-risk and gang involved youth and young adults by the juvenile criminal justice system and also by community-based agencies, schools, and grassroots groups. |
| Organizational Change and Development | Involving youth serving agencies (schools, grassroots groups, faith-based organizations, and other juvenile/criminal justice organizations) in “reaching out” to at-risk and gang-involved youth and young adults and their families, and linking them to the conventional world and needed services. |
Strategic Operational Plan
Our mission statement highlights four major areas of activity in the City of Evanston Youth and Young Adult Programs Division. They are: Workforce Development, Education , Civic Engagement, Alternative Recreation.
Education: Academic, vocational, certificate and entrepreneurial internships, externships, and apprenticeship programming opportunities
Civic Engagement: Development and promotion of civic responsibility and engagement
Workforce Development: Recruitment, training, and retention of an Evanston youth and young adult workforce that possesses in-demand career skill sets needed to compete in the 21st century economy
Alternative Recreation: Coordination of City of Evanston projects and programs that impact youth and young adults
The strategic operational plan links the four major areas of our mission to accomplish the following five goals:
(1) Increase the collaboration and coordination of City of Evanston Youth and Young Adult Programming with local stakeholders, and federal, state, and county agencies and officials that serve youth and young adults.
(2) Promote the educational enhancement of Evanston youth and young adults through meaningful partnerships with the local school systems, community-based and faith-based organizations, and individuals that serve youth and young adults.
(3) Develop and promote employment and workforce development programs that will equip participants with 21st century in-demand employment skills.
(4) Develop, support, and promote youth and young adult public health awareness and effective recreational programs that encourage health, physical fitness and well-being.
(5) Develop, support, and promote civic responsibility and engagement programming that enhances leadership skills and opportunities.
(6) Provide long-term community stabilization and support through street outreach and violence interruption/intervention services to youth and young adults directly exposed to and involved in violence.
Learn more in the Youth and Young Adult Strategic Plan.