Youth Services
Welcome to Youth Services, a department committed to supporting children and families’ emotional and mental health since 1972. We provide a variety of high-quality programs and run groups on-site and in the community for Township youth and their families. All of our programs are designed with the Social Emotional Learning Goals of the Illinois State Learning Standards, and can be modified for multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), or other specific school group needs.
All programs are designed for the purpose of enhancing learning and transferring acquired skills to achieve success: at school, at home, with friends, or with family. Contact Youth Services at (847) 981-0375 or youthservices@elkgrovetownship.com to discuss your group’s unique needs. We can create a customized experiential program for your team. Visit any of the links below for further information on our core programs. Please don’t hesitate to call us for any help with programming. We are full of ideas and passionate about what we do!
Department Directory
Challenge Program
These group programs have been developed in conjunction with schools and community leaders using a strength-based approach to help group members achieve the following:
- Set goals
- Work together to solve problems
- Accept responsibility
- Communicate effectively
- Support each other
- Learn to ask for help
- Manage emotions
- Become responsible members for their
community
Informational Programs
The Township offers a variety of training and informational programs to support residents and help them develop valuable skills that are transferable to their lives and careers. Examples include:
- Community presentations
- Experiential education for teachers
- Student government day
- Student leadership training
Group Programs
Anxiety Management
The world, unfortunately, continues to present more and more challenges for all of us, especially our youth. This 6-week program helps young individuals manage their anxiety. Using mindfulness exercises and group discussion, students gain valuable knowledge about themselves and are empowered to choose strategies that are helpful in managing anxiety in their daily lives. Specific topics include:
- Source of anxiety
- Triggers
- Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs)
- Excellence vs. perfection
- Social anxiety and social changes
- Resiliency
Bullying Prevention
A student’s main responsibility is to learn, but what should the optimal learning environment look like? One of the best ways to create the learning environment you want is to set expectations early in the year, and ensure that the classroom and school are no place for bullying behavior. This program is designed with the following outcomes in mind:
- Learning the common language of bullying vs. social conflict
- Developing students’ skills to deal with bullying and social conflict
- Building a sense of community
- Proving students with a learning environment built upon mutual respect
- Empowering all students to become UP-STANDERS
Girls Empowerment
Girls who are empowered with strategies that are helpful in managing their daily lives are more likely to become successful. Through this program of physical initiatives and group discussions, girls will be better able to socialize with their peers and gain valuable insight into themselves and others. The program focuses on the following topics:
- Promoting self-esteem
- Creating a positive self-image
- Handling peer pressure
- Becoming a positive role model
Social Skills
For students with social skills challenges, this unique program is designed to strengthen those skills as well as support social-emotional learning. The course combines physical activities and group discussions, with a focus on empowerment. In the process, individuals gain greater insights into themselves and others that will help them better manage their daily lives. Specific topics include:
- Perspective taking
- Communication
- Social interactions
- Reading situations
Future Leaders
Peer Mentoring
In this free program, younger students benefit from positive peer mentoring relationships with older high school students. High school volunteers are carefully selected and screened, and all activities are directly supervised by Township staff. For students ages 8 – 13, this is a great opportunity for your child to have a positive older role model. Program goals include building confidence, increasing self-esteem, and enhancing social skills. Future Leaders typically meet at the Junior High School twice every month during the school year after school. Space is limited to 20 participants.
High School Mentors
The Future Leaders Program selects qualified high school students to serve as positive role models to younger students through a peer mentoring relationship. We are looking for volunteers ages 15 – 18 willing to devote three hours a month to serve as mentors to students ages 8 – 13. Planned activities include recreational activities, team-building exercises, and time for constructive interaction, conversation, and emotional support. Mentors benefit by making a positive contribution to their community, developing new friendships and relationships, and seeing firsthand the positive and lasting influence they can have on a younger person’s life.
If you’re interested in a career working with children or want to enhance your college applications, volunteering provides a rewarding experience for both younger students and for you! A small contribution of your time can change the course of a child’s life.