Our Project is Shaping Up

As we mentioned before, the Gary Comer Youth Center program directors asked us to create a one-time special event and a project that will have a long-term effect. We have thought long and hard to create a service project that meets these requirements and also fills an empty niche at the center. The center has a ton of amazing programming, so it was actually quite difficult to choose a topic that is not already being addressed by a program or system at the center. Our high school students adroitly identified teen stress as a problem for students in Greater Grand Crossing that is not currently being addressed at the center. The GCYC program directors agreed that teen stress is a fresh new topic for a service project. We are excited to address teen stress through both an event and a project that will have a long-term effect.

Last week, we decided to put on a Wellness Fair at the Gary Comer Youth Center as our special event. We are excited about the Wellness Fair because it will address many of the social determinants of health that we have discussed this summer, as well as teen stress. We are planning to invite various groups that work at the center (the Green Teens and the Access Clinic, for example) as well as medical student groups and other community members. We are busy planning what will be an exciting event. Stay tuned for more updates, including the specific date and time of the event.

It was a bit harder to pin down an idea for a long-term project. We are currently looking into what kinds of projects will be helpful. It is difficult to choose something that will be self-sustaining without creating a bunch of additional work for the people who work at the center. Thus far, we are planning to make a brochure that outlines the typical causes of stress for teens (as identified by our survey) and then details the services and resources that exist for teens who are experiencing these kinds of stress.