A hands-on work readiness program teaching trade skills to youth in Chicago, Illinois
An initiative by Communities United
Every year, Communities United provides development programs to youth across Austin, Belmont Cragin, Albany Park, and Roseland. Through the Workbench Project, young people explore college and career pathway options through hands-on programming, they develop their critical social consciousness, and they grow their powerful and unique voices as community members. Ultimately, they come to understand their abilities to catalyze the changes they want to see in their communities.
Who can join? All programs are for teens living in Chicago; specific age restrictions may apply.
When? Our 2025 Summer Session just ended on August 1. Stay tuned for details about our 2025 Winter Session!
How do I join? If you're a student who's interested in joining, just fill out our contact form with your name, high school, and which program you're interested in. Then, we'll e-mail you directly with more details!
72 youth have completed one of our programs since the Workbench Project began in 2024.
96% of participants show measurable gains in one or more "Social Emotional Learning" domains. These domains include social capital, social skills, positive identity, sense of influence in their own life and sense of influence in their community, and hope and optimism. This statistic is based on Hello Insight surveys that were answered by 30 participants in our 2024 Winter Session.
Over 1,000 community members have taken part in our programs promoting healthy living through wellness and bike rides. In addition to our youth apprenticeships, we offer trauma-informed community programs such as bike donations to families and essential workers during the pandemic, pop-up bike repair clinics, and group bike rides.
Impacts
