POSITIVE YOUTH IMPACT STARTS HERE

Gathered around a table before the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northwest Suburbs (BGCNWS) “Youth of the Year” awards, board members Tom Roeser and Amy Wickstrom, and board president Susan Harkin are feeling celebratory. Three years after launching a $12 million campaign to fund a new youth Impact Center that will bridge needs in Carpentersville and Barrington, 70 percent of the funding has been pledged, permittable plans are ready, and programming is taking shape. There is still a lot of work the nonprofit has to do to have everything for apprenticeships like this, the labs and mentorship programs at the new Impact Center are designed to fill that gap.

Wickstrom, owner of Barrington’s Wickstrom Auto Group, is equally supportive. “The teen years are notoriously awkward for everyone, and BGCNWS has done so much to create a safe place for all youth, giving them room to explore, find their passions, and to feel grounded in who they are,” she says.

“So much goes into ensuring that kids have everything they need to get to the next steps of success in life and career,” Wickstrom continues. “The challenges families face in that journey are huge—especially if kids feel that they don’t ‘fit in’ or families don’t have time to find programs that are available to help them. That’s true for kids in both Barrington and Carpentersville, and BGCNWS is finding ways to bridge all of these gaps, so that as kids navigate high school, there is a sense of belonging they take with them.”

Like Roeser, Wickstrom has been especially impressed with how BGCNWS partners with stakeholders (school districts, park districts, local businesses, and community members) to maximize resources. Part of a 20-person task force organized to ensure the new center programming meets community needs, Wickstrom is excited at the prospect of stakeholder collaborations that will lead to more training for youth, intern positions, and jobs for BGCNWS kids at businesses in both Barrington and Carpentersville.

“The new Center will include program partnerships with local businesses, career experts, and our community colleges,” adds Roeser, “to provide career exploration opportunities in the areas of healthcare, EV Technology, auto and aviation mechanics, construction, public safety, and technology industries.”

As well, the new Center will provide educational and academic support, plus a lot of focus on needed soft skills, says Harkin. This includes character and leadership development, as well as help with health, finance, and life skills. “In public education, there are so many requirements around what must be taught. We have more latitude at BGCNWS,” says Harkin. “Here we can teach the soft skills that are so crucial to young people. With those, plus all of these labs that give kids the chance to explore and find interests they are passionate about, kids are able to show up with confidence as their authentic selves. Combine that with the support we have from our communities and business leaders to place kids in jobs, and you see why this public/private partnership is a model for how communities and nonprofits can work together with great results.”

For those who did not have the opportunity to participate in BGCNWS’s February fundraising event, there is still time to contribute. “We are actively seeking support, both for the capital fund and skill-based contributions,” says Kay. “We need monetary donations, but we are also looking for volunteers to help us shape the programming. That can mean anything from mentoring—someone who is a retired shop worker, for example, or wants to teach computer coding, automotive, or culinary skills—to those who want to do a one-off seminar or art project. We welcome it all.”

For more information on how to support the BGCNWS new Impact Center, please contact [email protected].