Junior Staff Superstars

CYC believes in holistically supporting children at every stage of their journey. While every age group of children learns valuable life skills through our programs, we recognized a unique need for our teens and young adults: real-world job experience. That sparked the idea for the CYC Junior Staff Program – a collaborative effort between CYC-Rebecca K. Crown and Urban Male Network, designed to offer a preview to the workplace as they look ahead to their careers. 

The Junior Staff Program offers up to nine young people, ages 16-24, a part-time position at CYC-Crown. Throughout the program, the Junior Staff Members gain foundational knowledge and training in child development, program creation, and many essential workplace skills. By building up these new talents, they can assist in all aspects of our Out-of-School Time programming. From leading an exciting club activity to providing academic support to their peers, Junior Staff gain on-the-job experience in a variety of ways at CYC! Each day brings fresh challenges and opportunities, allowing our Junior Staff to grow and adapt in real-time. 

Junior Staff Members helped the CYC-Crown Carnival run smoothly and helped the younger children have a memorable day!

Daniel was a superstar Junior Staff Member during this year’s Summer Fun session. His enthusiasm for working with children and willingness to help with any task made him a standout team member to our full-time staff. Daniel shares that his experience at CYC-Crown helped him to further develop his interpersonal skills and taught him valuable lessons in planning and time management – tools he's now applying in his college studies. 

Currently pursuing marketing at a Chicago community college with plans to transfer to Northern Illinois University, Daniel's work ethic shines through. He's balancing his studies with his new job at Urban Male Network and still finds time to volunteer at CYC multiple times a week! Anjel Williams, Center Director at CYC-Crown, mentions how excited the younger kids are to see Junior Staff Members like Daniel. She notes how the connections they’ve built have boosted children’s and Junior Staff Members’ curiosity and self-esteem. 

CYC offers a nurturing environment where teens and young adults can learn and gain confidence as they enter the workforce. By providing a safe space to make mistakes, learn, and grow, we are supporting them to lay the groundwork for their future success. 

Want to be part of this exciting journey? Support CYC's mission by donating today and help us uplift the next generation of leaders!