Neighborhood Programs staff met with representatives from Champaign Park District, Unit 4, and Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club on July 11, 2023, for the first Quarterly Meeting of FY 2023-24. These agencies shared information on their active summer youth programming, such as success and areas for opportunity, upcoming events, and emerging issues amongst the youth in our community.
Under the Community Matters program, Champaign Park District offers free weekly admission to the Douglass Park Summer Day Camp for ten youths. Daily activities under this program include things like cooking classes and access to the Douglass Park splash pad, Library, and Martens Center.
Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club receives CommUnity Matters support for their summer camp, which is well underway. This program runs from 10 am-6 pm during the week and offers youth recreational, learning, and engagement activities while providing snacks, lunch, and dinner.
Unit 4 has 108 students enrolled in the Operation Hope Program supported by CommUnity Matters. This program encourages engagement, promotes better study habits, and stimulates career exploration and motivation among teens. Thirty seniors successfully graduated this past school year, 90% of whom will attend college.
Food Insecurity, transportation, limited parent involvement, staffing, and limited job availability for teens were some emerging issues our partnering agencies have been seeing and experiencing within their programs.