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Departments

Educational
Academic success and lifelong learning

At Project: VISION, our educational programs not only aim to help youth meet school requirements, but also provide skills for consistent academic success and foster an appreciation for lifelong learning. Unfortunately, many of the public schools in which the youth of Chinatown and Bridgeport are enrolled often are struggling in performance and lack resources.  Our programs' goal is to strive to help bridge these gaps.  Furthermore, we appreciate the fact that all students learn differently, thus we carry out our programs with emphasis on meeting individual needs and development of academic strengths by keeping diverse learning styles in mind in hopes of ensuring that students engage in learning and remain interested in academics.  We provide several programs:

• daily homework tutoring

• one-on-one or group subject tutoring

• ACT prep classes

Professional
Career exploration and employment success

The Professional Development Program seeks to educate community youth about the wide-ranging job opportunities available beyond the retail and food industry options in the neighborhood.  We address both short-term and long-term goals that most students must formulate when considering life in the workforce. For the short-term, Project: VISION will provide assistance with part-time or summer employment, while long-term concerns will encourage students to consider what careers intrigue them today, and to thoroughly investigate the necessary processes to achieve those careers tomorrow.  We hope to implement the following programs.

• introductory workshops that include job searching, resume writing, application, and interviewing skills.

• career day panel discussions, mentorship programs

Personal
Strengths, interests, and identity

Project: VISION seeks to promote personal development by exploring each youth's strengths and interests in order to help him or her formulate a strong self-identity and reach full potential as an individual.  We do this every day by sitting down and actively listening to any youth who comes to us with anything from what they are facing at school or home to anything that troubles them and helping them problem solve.  Some structured programs on the horizon to help with personal development include the following:

• Art Smart program- an introduction to contemporary art through hands-on demonstrations and workshops, with goals to help students create their own artistic language and to come away with an interest in further exploring their capabilities for artistic expression.

• Mentorship program- our goal is to match mentors (including college students and young professionals) to youth in order to develop and enhance young people's awareness of and belief in their own potential. 

• Culture and Diversity program- our goals are to develop a range of programs to help preserve knowledge and appreciation for our cultural heritage as well as encourage youth to teach and share their culture with others through outreach to other communities. 

Interpersonal
Leadership, relationships, and different perspectives

The Interpersonal Development Program at Project: VISION is unique in that it is a collaborative effort between all of the other areas, reflecting the importance of cooperation that we hope to instill in today's youth. The objective of the Interpersonal Program is to help youth develop leadership skills, build relationships, and learn the ability to appreciate different perspectives. Collaborative and exchange programs with other community organizations will also aid youth in bridging generational, cultural, and gender gaps.  Programs that are ongoing as well as those we are planning include:

• student committee- this group is composed of students who are interested in helping Project: VISION keep with the philosophy of implementing youth-initiated, youth-driven, youth-led programs.

• recreational and social activities

• family and group counseling services

Civic
Local and global citizenship and concern

The objective of the Civic Program at Project: VISION is to create an environment that emphasizes the importance of civic responsibility and supports civic initiatives in today's youth. We intend to educate students about issues that are occurring on local, national, and global levels. Our goal is to change the misconception that community service projects are merely an obligatory task by presenting the students with opportunities for involvement that are both fun and personally meaningful. Ultimately, our program helps youth realize the importance of volunteerism and, above all, instills a sense of lifelong social responsibility.  

• one-time projects- these are group projects that will help youth learn about a variety of social issues.  In the past we have participated in service projects at various Chicago agencies such as the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Deborah's Place, and the Chicago Park District.

• Project: Youth Initiative- this is a group of students we are in the process of assembling in collaboration with Jones College Prep High School. This group will plan several youth led service projects throughout the year.  Furthermore, the group will lead our efforts to increase volunteerism in other youth in the community.