WILL is My Source for Opening Doors to My Future

WILL AM-FM-TV and Prairie Center Health Systems partnered on a project in rural Hoopeston, Ill., that led to a series of youth-led, well-attended town hall meetings and the creation of additional supports for at-risk youth.As a result of this two-year community engagement project, an in-school Big Brothers-Big Sisters Mentoring Program was started in Hoopeston, led by many of the Country Boys students who wanted to be matched with elementary students in need; a Mayors Youth Council, meeting weekly, was formed by the Mayor, giving the youth a direct voice in their community; and others in the human service community stepped up and offered free space for a new Teen Center, an alcohol-free place for older teens to come to listen to music and dance on a Friday or Saturday night.

Since 2003, WILL has worked with African-American middle and high school students in Champaign-Urbana, Ill., teaching them media production skills and journalistic practices. One goal of the project is to connect students of the hip-hop generation to elders in the community of the civil rights generation. In the after-school Youth Media Workshop, students learn to tell stories that accurately reflect their community, gain technological and critical thinking skills, and bring their perspectives to important community issues.

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Nonprofits & Activism

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• WILL
• youth