Youth Summit

2010 Youth Summit
The 4th Annual Evanston Youth Summit was held on May 20, 2010 from 4pm-7pm in Beardsley Cafeteria at Evanston Township High School. This year’s theme was:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
-Margaret Mead-

Approximately 45 youth and 15 volunteers participated in the Youth Summit. This year’s summit was a continuation from last year’s summit. At the 2009 Youth Summit, youth worked in small groups to create community asset maps and identify community projects that would benefit youth in Evanston. The majority of these small groups came up with an idea for a teen center in Evanston. In 2010 youth were asked to create a plan for an Evanston Teen Center. The theme, discussion topics, promotional materials, and general direction for the Youth Summit were created by the Evanston Youth Council.

Evanston Youth Council members facilitated 5 small group discussions about the elements of the teen center. These elements were:

  • Academic Supports
  • Partners and Sponsors
  • Programming and Events
  • Location and Logistics
  • Security and Staff

Youth were assigned to these groups at random based upon a number on their Youth Summit packet. Each group created detailed plans about how the teen center should look and feel and presented them to the entire summit. A more detailed report on these plans will be presented at a later date.

Adult volunteers were assigned to each group to help with registering students, recording ideas from small group discussions, and setting/cleaning up. These volunteers included Ald. Delores Holmes and staff from the Evanston Police Department’s Youth Services Division, Evanston Township High School, Youth Organizations Umbrella, Boys Hope Girls Hope, The Evanston Community Defender Office, and Ridgeville Park District.

The Youth Summit was sponsored by a donation from The Township of Evanston. Evanston Township High School provided the event location and set-up assistance. Youth Organizations Umbrella, which uses Beardsley Cafeteria for their ETHS site program, merged their program with the Youth Summit for the 2nd consecutive year. Martin Lyons, Assistant City Manager, and Doug Gaynor, Director of Parks Recreation and Community Services, were also in attendance and observed the small group discussions.

The small group discussions yielded the following results:

  • Academic Supports
    • Study group rooms
    • Computer Center
      • Not just for academics should have software for photo/video/music editing and other activities
      • Should have copiers/printers/scanners
      • Should have Microsoft Office
    • Tutoring
      • Adults/upperclassmen can serve as proofreaders for reports
      • Youth can earn community service hours for peer tutoring
      • Official position at the center.
      • Youth apply to be volunteer tutors
    • ACT/SAT Prep tutoring
    • Textbooks
      • Act/ SAT prep
      • Dictionary
      • 2 copies of each textbook at the school
    • Student Support Center (will partner with ETHS College Career Center)
      • College Applications
      • ETHS Alumni college student/graduate visits
      • Scholarship info
      • FASFA assistance
      • GED/High School Equivalency support
  • Partners and Sponsors
    • Partners to provide concessions at the center
      • Pizza Hut
      • Buffalo Joes
      • Whole Foods
      • Famers’ Market
      • Subway
      • Carmen’s
      • Chicken Shack
      • McDonalds
      • Burger King
      • KFC
      • Dunkin Donuts
      • Kingston Grill
      • Cold Stone
      • Red Mango
      • Gatorade
      • Popeye’s
    • Partners to provide academic supports, mentoring, etc
      • Northwestern
      • Loyola
      • Oakton
      • DePaul
      • UIC
      • Columbia
      • Art Institute
      • Kendall College
      • St. Frances Hospital
      • Tech Schools
      • Music Institute
      • Local youth agencies
    • Partners to provide school supplies
      • Office Depot
      • Target
      • Apple
      • Dell
      • Gates Foundation
      • EPL (Young adult collection from The Loft)
      • Colleges (Old computers)
      • ETHS (Textbooks)
      • Kaplan and other companies that provide ACT/SAT prep
    • Partners to provide facilities, electronics, furniture, etc
      • City Of Evanston
      • WNBA,NBA,NFL (athletic equipment)
      • Northwestern
      • ETHS
      • Domicile
      • Brunswick (bowling alley)
      • EAC, YMCA, YWCA (athletic facilities)
      • Crate and Barrel
      • Game Stop
      • Best Buy
      • ETHS School-Based Health Center
    • Partners to provide training for youth
      • Financial Literacy
        • 1st Bank
        • Harris Bank
      • Legal Help
        • Law Firms
        • EPD
        • Evanston Community Defender Office
      • Work with Youth Job Center to provide career fairs and training sessions
    • Possible Donors/Funding Sources
      • Women’s Club
      • City of Evanston funding sources (CDBG, etc)
      • American Idol Gives Back
      • Local News Stations
      • Private donors
      • Silent Auction
      • Evanston Chamber of Commerce/local businesses
      • Evanston Community Foundation
      • Youth fundraising
      • Fundraising Options
        • Car wash
        • Carnival
        • Shows
        • Pizzafest
        • Basketball tournaments
        • Have event at Teen Center location or ETHS parking lot
  • Programming and Events
    • Entertainment room: big enough for 20 or more people
      • Television(s)
      • Video games (Xbox. Wii, and PCs)
      • Furniture
        • Bean Bag chairs
        • Cone chairs
    • Events
      • Sporting events and tournaments
      • Dances: Holidays and once per month
      • Movies: weekly or bi-weekly
    • Incentives for youth who get involved in the community/school
      • Cook-outs
      • Field Trips
        • Six Flags
        • Laser tag
        • Arcade
        • Go carts
      • Gift Cards
        • Chipotle and other restaurants
        • Book stores
        • Starbucks
        • Target
        • Game Stop
        • Visa gift card
        • Scholarships
  • Location and Logistics
    • Must be accessible to youth from all over the community after school and on weekends
      • Transportation
        • On a Pace or CTA line
        • Shuttle bus that drops off at intersections along Dodge, Ridge, and Chicago at closing of the center
      • Open until 8 or 9pm
    • Location perks that youth would like
      • Indoor and/outdoor seating for the cafeteria
      • Space for extracurricular activities
      • Athletic area
      • Space for bowling and/or skating
      • Daycare for teen parents in conjunction with ETHS and Family Focus
    • Possible locations
      • Office space on Dempster across from U-Haul
      • Dempster/Dodge shopping plaza
      • Oakton and McCormick near the recycling center
    • Membership
      • Free/Drop-in
      • Some students wanted a small fee and a membership application, but the consensus was that the center should be open and drop-in
      • Students age 14-19, up to 25 for employment and training events
      • Must provide ID when entering and sign in
      • Must adhere to a code of conduct
      • A board of youth and adults will support the activities of the center and will deal with any membership issues
  • Security and Staff
    • Youth can be trained as tutors
      • Youth 15+ can work in the center and assist but not supervise other youth
        • Must have good leadership qualities
        • Must be in school
        • Must have GPA 2.5
    • Youth can work in the concession area
    • Youth DJs for parties/events
    • 3 Adult supervisors in the center
    • 2 security guards in the center, equipped with
      • 2 way radio
      • Pepper spray
      • Security cameras with monitors
      • Wand metal detectors
    • EPD can work with the center in case of emergencies
    • Items for day to day use and emergencies
      • Posted Safety Regulations
      • Emergency call buttons
      • Fist Aid
      • Hand sanitizer

The EYC will continue to work on refining the suggestions from the Youth Summit and will work on a proposal for the Teen Center, including a budget and funding/fundraising plan.