Aurora hopes to bail out teen leadership program

For the past 18 years, Aurora and the Quad County Urban League have teamed to offer summer leadership programs for area teens.

The partnership is likely to continue this summer, pending a city council vote on Tuesday.

In recent times the city has relied heavily on grants from Kane and DuPage counties to fund about half the program. But Community Services Director Dan Barreiro says that money no longer is available, leaving the city to pay the entire bill or leave dozens of children without the programs they've enjoyed for 18 years.

"Despite that, we're constantly looking for grants and always in the hunt for new ones," he said. "We have to compete. We've been successful in the past and been able to renew some grants but not all."

Currently the youth services department receives about $750,000 annually in grant funds.

"That is a steep decrease, but we're doing everything we can," he said.

Alderman At-Large Robert O'Connor said residents were concerned earlier this year that the program would not be offered when the youth services budget for the effort was cut from $35,000 to $20,000.

"At that point we added $10,000 from the Gaming Tax Fund and Alderman Richard Irvin and I committed an additional $10,000 from our alderman at-large fund so we're at $40,000 now," O'Connor said.

Despite the cuts and a three-week delay in starting, Clayton Pryor, education coordinator at the Urban League, promises the same number of kids (about 40) will be served at the same level of programs they're used to as soon as the council approves the new funding.

Originally scheduled to begin June 23 and last through Aug. 1, the program now would begin as soon as July 9 and last through mid-August.

The Youth Leadership Program consists of two groups of youngsters, 11 student counselors and 27 youth ambassadors. Dozens more, Pryor said, are on a waiting list and likely will be enrolled in other city youth programs.

The counselors will work as mentors at nine area sites including the Aurora Community Center, several elementary schools and the city's drama and music clubs. The ambassadors will participate in a variety of activities focusing on leadership, development, decision-making and community service and earn $75 a week to do so.

"We're teaching these students to be the leaders among their peers," Pryor said. "This is a six-week civic-based program that will address the same issues these youngsters will face as they grow up in the community."

Barreiro said he hopes the community learns that the program has not been canceled.

"We're making it work. We're always in a situation where we can service more kids," he said. "The main thing is that we have a program that we can offer these kids."