CYC's College and Career Readiness program is geared to recruit, help enroll, and support inner-city youth as they follow the path laid out to lead them to post-secondary education and successful careers. This includes workshops, introduction to college readiness resources, and campus visits. In addition, a CYC scholarship program has allowed us to also partner with the Associated Colleges of Illinois, allowing 10 CYC students a year to attend their workshops and campus visits to Chicago colleges.

More important for our population, we have now identified colleges that offer a multi-faceted approach to admission, including bridge programs and alternative admission programs, and now have a unique scholarship arrangement with Northern Illinois University’s Chance admissions program for inner-city Chicago youth that gives our members early consideration for enrollment and four years of counseling. We are seeking similar partnerships, which provide the added incentive of multi-year support to ensure the enrollees have every opportunity to be successful and receive a degree.

Other collaborative arrangements are being developed with area colleges to provide college-aged tutors, and working relationships being established with recruitment offices at area colleges and universities, community colleges, and vocational schools. CYC is also partnering with CPS high schools by complementing their curriculum and working closely with the school counseling and guidance departments.