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SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to
3congratulate Youth Crossroads, Inc. on the 50th anniversary of
4its founding; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In 1971, a concerned group of community
6organizers in Berwyn received state funds to create a
7three-year project known as the Youth in Crisis Project, which
8provided crisis intervention for homeless youth, drug abuse
9counseling, and support services for underserved teens in the
10west suburban area; and
 
11    WHEREAS, In 1974, organizers from the Youth in Crisis
12Project incorporated as an independent non-profit charitable
13organization known as West Suburban Youth Outreach, Inc.; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In 1975, the name was changed to Youth In Crisis,
15Inc.; and
 
16    WHEREAS, By 1978, the agency moved into its own facility
17in a residential Berwyn neighborhood, and over the next three
18decades, the agency continued to evolve and expand services
19that would reach more and more young people in trouble with
20police, involved with gangs, or experiencing problems at home,
21in school, or in the community; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Over the next three decades, Youth in Crisis,
2Inc. services expanded to help teens involved with the police,
3street-gangs, and school truancy; and
 
4    WHEREAS, In 2007, the agency changed its name to Youth
5Crossroads, Inc. to better reflect the evolution of services
6aimed towards the prevention of problems rather than only
7reacting to problems that had reached crisis stage; and
 
8    WHEREAS, In 2008, Youth Crossroads, Inc. formed the Youth
9Leadership Program to focus on local teens; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Soon after, in 2009, Youth Crossroads, Inc.
11created its Community School Initiative and After-School
12Programs for middle school students; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In 2012, Youth Crossroads, Inc. began providing
14school-based counseling services to better serve youth; and
 
15    WHEREAS, In 2022, Youth Crossroads, Inc. relaunched
16community-based services to reach youth outside of school
17districts; the agency created a workforce development program
18designed to give high school students and young adults the
19introductory training they need to get good paying jobs and
20develop meaningful careers and began a violence prevention

 

 

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1program to address gun violence in the community; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Since its creation, Youth Crossroads, Inc. has
3served tens of thousands of youth and their families from
4Berwyn, Cicero, Stickney, and neighboring towns and has
5partnered with more than 100 community organizations to create
6a network of referral sources to address the complex issues
7confronting youth and families; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Today, Youth Crossroads, Inc. offers community
9youth opportunities to heal, grow, lead, and thrive;
10therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
12ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Youth
13Crossroads, Inc. on its 50th anniversary and for providing
14culturally competent and free services to at-risk youth; and
15be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
17presented to Youth Crossroads, Inc. as a symbol of our respect
18and esteem.