Category: News

Chicago Youth Works Summer 2026

Celebrating a Summer of Opportunity!

This summer, all the young people who participated in Options for Youth’s Chicago Youth Works programs gained hands-on experience, building confidence and developing skills that will serve them in school, work, and life.
Whether creating murals, learning coding and electronics, exploring career pathways, or strengthening financial literacy, our students embraced every opportunity to grow.
Please enjoy highlights from an unforgettable summer!

  • Intro to Coding & Electronics group in action.

Final Day Celebrations

Join OFY’s Chicago Youth Works

Chicagobility 2026!

Formerly One Summer Chicago, now Chicago Youth Works, is looking towards 2026 and beyond.
Options for Youth is excited to play a role again this year, supporting youth in the City of Chicago’s youth employment program. Chicago Youth Works connects the city’s youth to work experiences throughout the summer or year-round, gaining real-world expertise!

*See more about what Options for Youth has been up to with its participants this summer below*

Learn more about Chicagobility here!

Application Portal

Chicago Youth Works at
Options for Youth 2026!

  • “Huntington Reality Day” learning about money management.
  • Trip to the Art Institue for Summer Art group!
  • Intro to Coding & Electronics group in action.

Scholarships Honoring Shirley and Walter Massey Provided to What’s Up

In June, 2025, OFY awarded its first scholarships to the initial two winners of the Shirley and Walter Massey Scholarships, Jaiden Santiago and Sergio Garcia. Both were recent graduates of World Language High School in Little Village and have been participants in OFY’s What’s Up with Manhood program since their freshman year. Jaiden attends Truman College and Sergio attends Daley College. The scholarships this first year are $2,000 per recipient and can be used for any college expense. Shirley and Walter recently gave a large gift to Options that will help provide future scholarships to attend the City Colleges of Chicago. Next June 2026, with 175-200 teenage boys participating in What’s Up with Manhood and 50 graduating seniors from four high schools, we hope to increase the Shirley and Walter Massey scholarships awarded.

OFY on WYCC

Lew Medellin discusses teen sexting
Options for Youth’s Coordinator of Male Programs, Lew Medellin appeared on WYCC’s In the Loop for a panel discussion on teen sexting called Teens, Text and Sex. The panel also included Dr. Kortney Peagram, President, Bulldog Solution, and Attorney Matthew R. Gebhardt. You can view the piece here:

The McGuffin Grant

CHICAGO, June 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — McGuffin Creative Group, an advertising and communications agency based in Chicago’s West Loop, has awarded the Chicago-based nonprofit Options for Youth the 2015 McGuffin Grant.

The organization was chosen among several qualified applicants to receive $25,000 in creative strategies and design solutions from McGuffin.

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Since 1990, Options for Youth has provided programs for vulnerable youth in the Chicago area. The organization has improved the lives and futures of these youth by teaching adolescent mothers sustainable life practices and training adolescent males to be peer advocates for health.

Through its work with McGuffin, Options for Youth hopes to familiarize the public with the organization and increase support for its causes.

“With the most applicants we’ve ever received, deciding on one recipient was very challenging this year,” says Chris Sculles, McGuffin Creative Group President. “Options for Youth stood out to us because of the exceptional focus the organization has had since its inception. It has built such a strong foundation, and we believe McGuffin’s capabilities are a great fit to help them exceed their goals.”

Now in its fifth year, the McGuffin Grant was created to provide one nonprofit organization each year free access to McGuffin’s team of designers, copywriters and strategists. The agency’s work is determined by the client’s needs and goals, which can include the creation of marketing campaigns that overcome specific challenges.

McGuffin Creative Group is a 25-member creative agency whose specialties range from branding to advertising, web design to direct marketing. Founded in 2004, some of the agency’s clients include BMO Harris Bank, Allstate and Cars.com, as well as nonprofits like Common Threads, Casa Central and the Chicago Police Foundation.

Rahm’s Readers

Options Partners with Rahm’s Readers
at Museum of Science and Industry

Options for Youth celebrated the successful conclusion of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Summer Reading Program with a Smart Baby Fair  for the young mothers and their babies who are participants in the Options Program in four CPS high schools.

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Options participants and their children participated in Rahm’s Readers at their local libraries during the summer and forty young mothers and their children ended the program with a Smart Baby Fair which was held at the Museum of Science and Industry  where they explored the Idea Factory and other MSI exhibits designed for very young viewers. The Options Program is a   collaborative Options for Youth/ CPS Community Partnership School-Based Prevention Initiative, a program of CPS Office of Early Childhood Education.

Dwyane Wade Foundation

Options for Youth’s Arlether Paraharm was one of three recent recipients of Dwyane Wade’s prestigious  ‪#‎VillageKeeper‬  Award! Wade’s foundation, Wade’s World, presents this award to deserving individuals who have given their time and efforts to provide a safe and productive environment for children and youth. Arlether is the Program Manager for the Illinois Subsequent Pregnancy Program and coordinates activities at all seven Subsequent Pregnancy Program sites.