NCJ Number
126383
Date Published
Unknown
Length
30 pages
Annotation
Recounting the story of the Youth Service Project, Inc. (YSP), this report illustrates the project's uniqueness and identifies the reasons for its effectiveness in its work with the youth of Chicago's Greater Humboldt Park neighborhood.
Abstract
The report describes the project's origins, the community it serves, and the individual programs and defines YSP's concept of the "second mile" as an attitude towards youth that regards the needs of each individual first and only then considers program guidelines. The project was incorporated in July 1975 and founded by Nancy Abbate who has served continuously as the agency's executive director and believes that a youth service agency must be carefully connected to the community it serves. The YSP, which has developed into a comprehensive service agency for youth, offers an interconnected set of programs, including job readiness training and placement, summer and after school activities, a substance abuse treatment and prevention program, services for pregnant youths and those "at-risk" of pregnancy, and community organizing. Second Chance, a new program, helps young men and women to turn away from the destructive influence of gangs by working to establish trust between client and counselor. Other programs address the problem of illiteracy, offer counseling and casework to youth and their families, and provide tutoring and career counseling services to Hispanic girls at an area high school.