Gary Comer Youth Center

Soccer @ The Center!!! Our summer sports programming not only provides vital physical activity, self-regulation, and self-esteem, but also helps build critical life skills like communication, teamwork. and conflict resolution in a healthy, safe space. Thank you for your support!

Campers in our Passion for Fashion program are learning how to design, construct, sew, market, and sell all kinds of accessories. This week they focused their skills on making scrunchies now available for purchase in the art studio.

Green Teens and Upward Bound program participants went to DePaul University last week to meet with students and faculty from the Environmental Science department. They really enjoyed the hands-on learning activities like soil testing and plant identification. The teens also loved using the scientific equipment and seeing the state-of-the-art lab spaces. They also connected with representatives from the Steans Center and Office of Admission to learn about community collaboration and scholarship opportunities. DePaul University Vincentians In Action DePaul University Steans Center

Check out all these great snaps from our Engagement intern and GCCP grad, Spencer, during his first event shadowing experience with professional photo and videography mentor, Alan, at our annual end of program festival, Comerpalooza. As part of our Career Exploration programming, Spencer is learning creative media production, social media storytelling and other valuable, confidence-building skills from members of our staff and other experts. Thanks for showing your support for Spencer and all of interns exploring new interests and potential career paths by smashing the like button and leaving a comment. More to come from this awesome annual event!

Our Green Teens started planting some of the 20 different types of tomatoes we grow on our rooftop garden and farm every season! Only a month away from our Farmer’s Market Kickoff! Friday, June 28th

Our Comer Crops crew hosted our first Strides For Peace team training challenge where teams competed in wheelbarrow races on our unique youth farm! Join our team today by visiting http://garycomeryouthcenter.org/race You can race with us in Grant Park on June 6th, raise money for our team, start your own team under ours, or donate to help us end gun violence with 30 other dedicated community orgs. Our next training session, yoga and meditation, will be led by our CYSC Interns, Kenneth and Rabihah tomorrow!

Hey teens 14-20! Join our interactive, art-driven visual and sound experience, Hear We Art, this Friday, May 17th from 4 - 6:30p. Together with GCYC mentor artist EDO and healing practitioner Candis Oakley, we’ll participate in a unique session of communal connection and conversation. Food will be served. RSVP now. Space is limited. Visit http://garycomeryouthcenter.org/residency to sign-up. To bring a non-member friend, get their liability waiver signed by their guardian. (forms at the front desk) ILA Creative Studio

We’re honored to celebrate member moms and caretakers tomorrow (Saturday @2:30p) with a beautiful meal prepared by GCYC Culinary, gentle yoga and soothing sound bath sessions, portrait photos, DIY floral arrangements and some wonderful gifts from our co-host Free childcare is available for ages 5-12. Please RSVP to save your spots. http://garycomeryouthcenter.org/mothersday

Hey teens! Are you ready?! Comerpalooza is back and BIGGER than ever! Tomorrow starting at 1p sharp. RSVP and bring a non-member friend with their guardian signed wavier form (ask at front desk)

There will be food, art, music, wellness and fashion along with areas to take photos, perform in our Mic Drop sessions, participate in sports activities with Nike, and much more.

RSVP today and you'll be entered into our Grand Prize raffle for a free tux rental, hair cuts, and a pro make-up session!

http://garycomeryouthcenter.org/comerpalooza

We finished out a wonderful week of celebrating Earth Day with our (Instagram) and Green Teens hosting our plant/tree giveaway, conducting workshops on conservation, regenerative farming, and much more. We also painted pots, made tote bags from recycled t-shirts, and other fun sustainability-driven activities.

Our youth artists premiered GCYC’s new community art initiative “We Walk Here” with PigmentIntl.com and their professional artist mentors at The Other Art Fair. Our community art colab is focused on beautifying the underpasses and walkways young people traverse daily from their homes and schools to “The Center”, library, parks and other community spaces. Featuring a representative mural prepared with guidance from Dorian Sylvain and Blake Lenoir, our youth artists hosted a live painting studio and even collaborated with Edo on a piece together! On guided tours with other artist mentors , our teen artists met with other famed neighborhood muralists like Pugs Atomz from Englewood Arts Collective who offered to assist in any way our young artists need! Thank you Chicago DCASE and each donor who is supporting this and other valuable career exploration programs. Please visit http://garycomeryouthcenter.org/wewalkhere to learn more, watch our recap video, and support our artists.

This week during Afterschool Professional Appreciation Week, we celebrate the commitment and investment we’re making every day in ourselves, each other, our families, and the young people we serve together. Please like, share, and comment about a coach, instructor, mentor, or other person working in our field who has impacted your life or the lives of those you love. (Instagram)

Our Civil Rights Learning Journey was extraordinary! Thank you to our youth members, family, and staff who joined us in Montgomery, AL. We’re so grateful for this special opportunity to learn about and discuss the history of slavery in America and honor the millions of people who endured its brutality. It was truly inspiring to learn about all the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement who fought to address the inequities and disinvestment that endure today. Our youth and families will be sharing personal insights and a video recap of the truly transformational experience this trip provides to participants.

Youth Artists and Art Fans! You’re invited to the inaugural Youth Art Expo produced and hosted by our partners PigmentIntl.com and their amazing professional artist mentors, The Four Arts Men, .originals A number of GCYC youth artists have already submitted! Don’t miss this chance to be showcased with other teen artists from across the city. The Youth Art Expo event is open to the public from 2-5p space limited. (Teen Artists bring your canvas, sketchbooks…at 11a) Please submit your art and/or RSVP to join us THIS Saturday, April 6th at The Study at University of Chicago Food will be served, prizes awarded, and valuable guidance provided by artists and others across the art industry. See you at The Study this Saturday.

http://garycomeryouthcenter.org/dream

Thank you for sharing this post and supporting youth artists.

The Comer Crops Crew and Green Teens took part in the National MANRRS Conference in Chicago. With over 2,000 students and professionals from all over the country, MANRRS promotes professional development, diversity and equity in the agricultural field. GCYC youth hosted tours of our unique youth-led farm, took part in job readiness workshops and networked with over 200 companies and universities. We’re so proud of the work they put into this conference. We’re already planning for next year!

During our bridge engineering challenge, Spring Break campers were tasked with designing and building a bridge from straws and tape to see whose could support the most weight. All materials had an associated cost, students had a budget of $200, and a build time of one hour. Campers observed how compression and tension forces were present in their models compared to the different styles of bridges used around the world. The build was complicated by the constraints of the budget, limiting the amount of materials each could “purchase.” The winner (on the left) whose suspension bridge held the most weight was also only $4 under budget.

Our Play Like A Girl Spring Break campers got fitted by the caring staff at Nike+ Chicago in all the latest athletic gear while learning about how sports and fitness help build self-esteem, reduce stress, and provide joy to all who join in! Thank you to Nike for supporting our all-girls sports and wellness programs.

First day of our Engineering Spring Break Camp was super fun for everyone. Sydney from our program partners BrickEd thoughtfully guided our middle school campers through various skill building activities including building, coding, and controlling robotic vehicles! We can’t wait to see what they will be creating next in the Builders Lab!

In honor of Women’s History Month, we pay tribute to the amazing women on our team who put their heart and soul into the work we do serving our youth, families, and community everyday. Please drop a like or comment to share your support!

Calling all youth rappers, singers, poets, dancers, and more! Sign up to secure your slot in our NEW In The Center Open Mic Night THIS FRIDAY from 5-7p in Francie Comer Cafe hosted by our friends at Guitars Over Guns . “Sign up” to perform or “RSVP” to support our young creative artists! http://garycomeryouthcomer.org/openmic

Thanks to a generous gift of MEGA building sets from our friends at Mattel and guidance by our program partners at Brick Ed, we’re thrilled to announce Our Brick Engineering Spring Break Camp free to GCYC families! Through fun, immersive challenges and problem solving activities designed to build math and literacy skills, 6-8th grade participants in this ALL NEW camp program will learn to code a mechanical robot, engineer bridges and cars using bricks, and much more! Space is limited. http://garycomeryouthcenter/springbreak

We hosted our first CYSC youth employment orientation and are proud to welcome our new class of future community leaders. This DFSS supported program will help shape chicago by strengthening our communities through youth-led civic engagement, service learning, career exploration and skill building experiences. Thank you to Tiara, Bill, and other teammates on our growing Youth Employment team for helping provide valuable career building skills and experiences to our newest GCYC family members.

Are you a budding Basquiat or a future Frida Kahlo? Do you dream in colors, and shapes? In partnership with Pigment Internationand The Four Arts Men, we are thrilled to announce the inaugural Chicago Youth Art Challenge inviting talented young artists from high schools across Chicagoland to showcase their creativity and passion for art! Click link below to RSVP as a guest on April 6th at The Study Hotel at the University of Chicago or if you are a teen artist who would like to submit before 3/29! To learn more visit http://garycomeryouthcenter.org/dream

Don’t miss out on this special youth art showcase! Please share this with any Chicago area high school artists you know. This event is open to the community and all are welcome.

Our 3rd annual 7th and 8th grade hoops tournament begins this Saturday. We love hosting this multi-weekend community sports tradition. No team fee. Email Coach Norm for info or entry. [email protected] Doors open at 8a. Come and support our young athletes and local youth sports teams!

Green Teens from our Urban Ag department conducted a colab with our Culinary Arts department to learn some essential cooking skills such as menu planning, knife safety, chopping, measuring, and more!

It’s hard to overstate the genuine, lasting impact our beloved Associate Director of Visual, Cultural, Performing Arts, Daria Amerik, has had on the youth in her programs and their families. With her calm and loving approach, Daria earned the trust and respect of her devoted artists some of which she worked with for over 6 years. While overseeing our Music and Dance programs in addition to Fine Arts, Daria was a mindful collaborator with teammates and program partners like (Instagram handles) to name a few.

While she will be dearly missed, we look forward to working with Daria as she takes on the important work of continuing to fund local nonprofits like us though the Community Anchor grant at

If you can’t come to the studio today in-person to wish her well on her last day, please leave a farewell note to “Ms. Daria” in the comments and share.

Our middle school artists are learning about color theory by recreating their own color wheel inspired by Japanese traditions of expressing harmony and peace through art.

Happy National TRiO Day today. We’re proud of our TRiO Alumni and their accomplishments after completing one of our two federally funded TRiO programs. Upward Bound and Educational Talent Search. Read some of their impact stories here http://garycomeryouthcenter.org/news/trioday Pictured is our TRiO Team. L to R: Mica, Monica, and Ashley

Every week students from UChicago’s Phoenix Sustainability Initiative conduct interactive workshops and vibrant discussions as part of our Green Teens environmental education offering. Last week, we debated about sustainable fishing from the perspective of the environmentalists and the fishing industry to understand the balance between protection and profitability. Thank you to UChicago Civic Engagement and the thoughtful student educators our valuable partnership provides.

Our annual Giving Thanks Family Night was a wonderfully warm gathering for all of our One Comer campus families! Thank you to our Culinary Team for serving a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and to all of our talented youth for showcasing their artistic talent through live performances, gallery walks, and craft creations. From our families to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!