Latest news with #IllinoisYouthSurvey
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Naperville-based Alive Center for Teens to start franchising
In 2020, Grey Bauer was headed into the eighth grade. At the time, between the COVID-19 pandemic and challenges personally, they weren't in the best headspace, Bauer, now 17, recalled. But then they discovered the Alive Center for Teens in Naperville. The sense of comfort Bauer felt was immediate, they said. 'I completely fell in love with Alive,' said Bauer, who graduated from Metea Valley High School over the weekend. 'You're immediately welcomed with open arms.' Now, Alive is looking to expand its reach. The nonprofit is ready to start franchising, the center has announced. With locations in Naperville, Aurora and Hanover Park, the organization has launched a social franchise model and is hoping to 'significantly expand its proven teen support system statewide,' the release said. 'That's really the message we're (giving) out, that we're here,' said Kandice Henning, CEO of The Alive Center. 'That we have a solution that is proven and works and we are willing to share it. We really want to help more kids and impact more kids in a positive way. (We want to) help more families and more communities ultimately.' The Alive Center opened in 2015. Designed for students in fifth through 12th grade, it offers free school and summer programming spanning a wide range of subjects and focus areas, including leadership, nutrition, stress management, meditation and creative expression, among others. It also offers free tutoring services. At the core of the center's mission is to create the 'confident, impassioned and resilient leaders of tomorrow,' according to its website. As part of that vision, the nonprofit has a 20- to 30-member Teen Advisory Board that gives youth the opportunity to try their hand at leading their own initiatives and projects. On the whole, the aim is 'preventative mental health care,' Henning said. In last year's Illinois Youth Survey, 27% of DuPage County 10th- and 12th-graders said over a 12-month period, they had felt 'so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row' that they stopped doing some usual activities. The Illinois Youth Survey is a self-report survey administered in school settings across the state every other year. The Illinois Department of Human Services has funded the administration of the survey since 1990. 'It's all about protective factors. … (It's about giving them) a space to be safe,' Henning said, 'and to feel where they belong because the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says the number one thing that helps with positive mental health in youth and adults is connection.' Franchising Alive's method has been a long time coming. The idea grew out of the B.R. Ryall YMCA in Glen Ellyn approaching the nonprofit three years ago about wanting to establish a franchise, Henning said. Originally, Alive's intent had been to work with the YMCA to do just that. Ultimately, though, the Glen Ellyn facility instead ended up becoming certified by the Alive Center to take a teen-driven approach to programming rather than building out a full-blown franchise. But by that point, the Alive Center had already started creating the materials necessary to facilitate franchising, Henning said. Initially, the Alive Center plans to focus on potential franchisees in Illinois, specifically the Chicago metropolitan area. Franchisees could include someone wanting to build out a new standalone center or a 'fractional franchise' as part of an already existing entity, Henning said. For the latter, she used the example of a Target offering a Starbucks franchise inside its store. In the case of the Alive Center, a fractional franchise could look like a center integrated into a library or park district, or even a municipal building, she said. Long-term, franchising will allow the Alive Center to grow faster, Henning said. 'If we went (with) the model of satellites … we might be able to do one a year but probably more likely one every two years,' she said. 'A franchise model enables us to do this much more quickly because it's not all on us.' Franchisees will have access to training, consulting, standardized processes and procedures, customizable templates and ongoing collaborative support, according to Alive. Since its inception eight years ago, the Alive Center has recorded more than 85,000 teen visits, serving more than 8,000 teens. If it wasn't for the Alive Center, Bauer said, 'I truly don't think that I would be in a good headspace now.' Post graduation, Bauer plans to attend College of DuPage for the next two years and after that transfer to Illinois State University. They want to be a teacher. tkenny@
Chicago Tribune
27-05-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville-based Alive Center for Teens to start franchising
In 2020, Grey Bauer was headed into the eighth grade. At the time, between the COVID-19 pandemic and challenges personally, they weren't in the best headspace, Bauer, now 17, recalled. But then they discovered the Alive Center for Teens in Naperville. The sense of comfort Bauer felt was immediate, they said. 'I completely fell in love with Alive,' said Bauer, who graduated from Metea Valley High School over the weekend. 'You're immediately welcomed with open arms.' Now, Alive is looking to expand its reach. The nonprofit is ready to start franchising, the center has announced. With locations in Naperville, Aurora and Hanover Park, the organization has launched a social franchise model and is hoping to 'significantly expand its proven teen support system statewide,' the release said. 'That's really the message we're (giving) out, that we're here,' said Kandice Henning, CEO of The Alive Center. 'That we have a solution that is proven and works and we are willing to share it. We really want to help more kids and impact more kids in a positive way. (We want to) help more families and more communities ultimately.' The Alive Center opened in 2015. Designed for students in fifth through 12th grade, it offers free school and summer programming spanning a wide range of subjects and focus areas, including leadership, nutrition, stress management, meditation and creative expression, among others. It also offers free tutoring services. At the core of the center's mission is to create the 'confident, impassioned and resilient leaders of tomorrow,' according to its website. As part of that vision, the nonprofit has a 20- to 30-member Teen Advisory Board that gives youth the opportunity to try their hand at leading their own initiatives and projects. On the whole, the aim is 'preventative mental health care,' Henning said. In last year's Illinois Youth Survey, 27% of DuPage County 10th- and 12th-graders said over a 12-month period, they had felt 'so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row' that they stopped doing some usual activities. The Illinois Youth Survey is a self-report survey administered in school settings across the state every other year. The Illinois Department of Human Services has funded the administration of the survey since 1990. 'It's all about protective factors. … (It's about giving them) a space to be safe,' Henning said, 'and to feel where they belong because the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says the number one thing that helps with positive mental health in youth and adults is connection.' Franchising Alive's method has been a long time coming. The idea grew out of the B.R. Ryall YMCA in Glen Ellyn approaching the nonprofit three years ago about wanting to establish a franchise, Henning said. Originally, Alive's intent had been to work with the YMCA to do just that. Ultimately, though, the Glen Ellyn facility instead ended up becoming certified by the Alive Center to take a teen-driven approach to programming rather than building out a full-blown franchise. But by that point, the Alive Center had already started creating the materials necessary to facilitate franchising, Henning said. Initially, the Alive Center plans to focus on potential franchisees in Illinois, specifically the Chicago metropolitan area. Franchisees could include someone wanting to build out a new standalone center or a 'fractional franchise' as part of an already existing entity, Henning said. For the latter, she used the example of a Target offering a Starbucks franchise inside its store. In the case of the Alive Center, a fractional franchise could look like a center integrated into a library or park district, or even a municipal building, she said. Long-term, franchising will allow the Alive Center to grow faster, Henning said. 'If we went (with) the model of satellites … we might be able to do one a year but probably more likely one every two years,' she said. 'A franchise model enables us to do this much more quickly because it's not all on us.' Franchisees will have access to training, consulting, standardized processes and procedures, customizable templates and ongoing collaborative support, according to Alive. Since its inception eight years ago, the Alive Center has recorded more than 85,000 teen visits, serving more than 8,000 teens. If it wasn't for the Alive Center, Bauer said, 'I truly don't think that I would be in a good headspace now.' Post graduation, Bauer plans to attend College of DuPage for the next two years and after that transfer to Illinois State University. They want to be a teacher.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Piatt Co. Mental Health Board improves services for youth, seniors
PIATT COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — The newly formed Piatt County Mental Health Board green lit their first major decision Friday night. Back in November WCIA reported that a referendum to support under-funded and non-funded programs for mental health, substance use and developmental services across the county passed. Monticello elementary school trains next generation of entrepreneurs Now, the board has voted to start three new mental health programs this fall. The programs will provide a therapist in two county school districts — work with the patients and caregivers of a long term care facility — and will start a family program for those involved in WIC. Piatt County Mental Health Center Director Tony Kirkman said it's a big step forward for improving mental health services in the county. '[With] data from the Illinois Department of Aging, the Illinois Youth Survey, some of our community health needs assessments, we identified that under resourced individuals, youth and the senior population all identified with having additional mental health concerns,' Kirkman said. 'So I'm really excited that the first couple of programs are addressing those needs that we have data on to be able to see how we can influence those in the upcoming years.' He hopes the programs will begin this upcoming school year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Illinois teens say they drink nearly twice as much as U.S. average, survey finds
The Brief Teenagers from Illinois reported using alcohol at nearly twice the national rate, according to a new survey. About 13.7% of Illinois teens said they had consumed alcohol in the past 30 days, compared to 6.9% of teens nationwide. The survey was conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Teenagers in Illinois reported drinking at nearly twice the rate of their peers across the U.S., according to a recently released survey. About 13.7% of Illinois teens reported having consumed alcohol during the previous 30 days, compared to just 6.9% of U.S. teens as a whole, according to the 2024 Illinois Youth Survey. The survey was conducted by the Center for Prevention and Development at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. What we know While substance use among teens declined during the COVID-19 pandemic because of lockdowns and other restrictions, about 10% of Illinois eighth graders surveyed reported acquiring liquor through home delivery services, according to Doug Smith, the center's director and professor of social work at the university. "This is a newer trend that started when retailers moved to online delivery during the pandemic," Smith said. "It may be time to think about what regulatory approaches, if any, are needed to prevent kids from ordering alcohol online." By the numbers Among the teens from Illinois, 8% of high school seniors, 4% of sophomores, and 1% of eighth graders reported binge drinking, the report found. Overall, about 21% of eighth graders, 28% of 10th graders and 39% of 12th graders said they drank alcohol, used marijuana, sniffed glue or gases, or smoked e-cigarettes or other vaping products. Much smaller percentages, 1% of eighth and 10th graders and 2% of 12th graders, reported using ecstasy, crack/cocaine, heroin, or hallucinogens/LSD, the survey found. More than 90% of survey respondents said their parents or guardians had talked with them in the past year about their use of alcohol, marijuana, or tobacco, and more than 80% said their families had clear rules about using substances. The survey also found significant differences in the views of young people on daily alcohol use versus daily marijuana use. About 61% of 12th graders, 72% of sophomores, and 69% of eighth graders viewed regular marijuana use as "significantly harmful." Dig deeper The research was funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services' Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery through a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
