Youth Programs

• Community Garden – provided rental plots to area gardeners and produced vegetables for fundraising and for distribution to local seniors and area food pantries
• Zion Park District – grounds maintenance for local golf courses and area parks, and day camp activity aid
• Zion Public Library – grounds maintenance, reference, and children’s reading programs
• Locals schools – building and grounds maintenance, summer school aid, and day camp activity aid
• Adopt-A-Highway- clean-up of two Zion highways
• Meals on Wheels delivery to seniors and shut-ins.
• Faith Food Pantry – Over 500 bags packaged
• Trash pickup – over 600 bags filled
• Miscellaneous work on senior homes and properties
• Zion Park District – Senior grocery shopping assistance
• Sheridan Health & Rehab – senior craft works, activities, bed making, etc.
• Northpointe Resources, Inc – helped supervise and interacted with persons with disabilities
• Midwestern Regional Medical records – general office duties and holistic programs assistance

The Summer 2005 session marked the program’s 28 th year of operation. The program is best described by and is currently governed by the African Proverb that reflects its massive overhaul and growth with new administration in 2001–”It takes a village to raise a child.” This program calls on our community to instill values, ethics, and responsibility and a sense of purpose and hope to our youth.

1. The outstanding contribution Zion Township made in helping our communities’ youth is by offering this program. The Summer Work Program has given our youth an opportunity to explore different job prospects, different fields of work, and has given them exposure to different organizations and community leaders in Zion. The most important lesson that most youth gain from this program is that it doesn’t just take having a job to get paid, you have to work in order to get paid. The SWP allows youths to embrace their community in a non-threatening atmosphere and encourages them to build relationships they may never have gotten the chance to. Most of all, this program encourages our youth to become responsible, productive, and proud people as they mature into society.
2. The SWP has been molded each session to reflect the growing and changing needs of our youth. Last year, we added the Diversity Circles program to SWP. Diversity Circles teaches children of all different ethnic backgrounds the harm of racial profiling, and teaches them to respect their differences. We have seen many new intermixed friendships result from this program. This year, we instituted a Parent Orientation, hoping to engage parents more so that the values taught here in the program are reinforced at home. We offer CPR certification and Red Cross Babysitting certification to ensure the children are more marketable after the session ends. We strive to give purpose to “at-risk” youth through personal achievement, always encouraging them to grow. There are countless ways we strive to respond to the needs of our youth, most importantly we work diligently each year to expand the employment opportunities offered through our program in our community.
3. The SWP has had a huge positive impact in our community. It keeps over 100-14 and 15 year old youths occupied and focused on something positive during the summer. The program assists in forming working relationships between co-workers and youth, reducing the stigma that 14 and 15 year olds cannot be a productive member of an organization. It has given many youth a realistic idea of what they want to be when they grow up, and for some, it has given them a permanent job opportunity. The SWP has also taught youth what they don’t want to be when they grow up. And for some unfortunate youth, the program teaches consequences for disobeying the rules. All of these factors promote a healthier community. If we can teach our youth these skills early on, we will have a much higher percentage of productive youth joining our workforce in the near future.

Zion Township’s mission is to improve the quality of life for the Zion community. Because of this, we work hard to include programs for everyone in the community, including our youth. Zion Township’s Summer Work Program employs 14 and 15 year-old youth during the summer months while youth are not in school. Throughout the year, babysitting and CPR classes are offered to educate youth in these vital skills. A Christmas Co-op has been created to help indigent families provided holiday gifts for their children. Grants are also awarded each year to help support programs throughout the community to enhance the lives our youth. We work diligently to expand these programs and will hopefully be able to offer more in the future!

For more information on any of these programs, please contact our Youth and Senior Services Manager at 847-872-2811.