The FY 24 Budget Puts Illinois Youth On The Path To Recovering From The Pandemic.

By The Youth Working Group of the Youth Budget Commission

One of the biggest challenges facing Illinois is recovering from the COVID-19 Pandemic. This is especially true for young Illinoisans. Our lives were disrupted in ways youth in Illinois have not seen for generations. The after-effects of this disruption created a situation for young people that is unprecedented in scale. As members of the Youth Working Group of the Youth Budget Commission, we hosted an advocacy forum this past April to both present what we are hearing from our peers about the COVID-19 recovery and to listen to other youth from throughout the state on how the state and the programs included in the budget can better support them.

The biggest challenge post-pandemic for youth in Illinois is the deterioration of our mental health. Each of us has witnessed our friends and classmates struggle with increased intensity of anxiety disorders, higher and more serious feelings of depression, and social isolation leading to higher levels of anti-social behavior. This year’s budget boosts K-12 education funding by $350 million, increases investment in the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act, and provides new funding for the Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative. We hope these investments allow our peers the opportunity, through increased access to licensed therapists and psychologists, to build the internal skills and resources needed to mitigate the isolating impacts of the pandemic. It is also important we continue growing these investments, as youth will need the external supports this funding provides ongoing.

Another area of importance for recovery is youth employment. The FY24 budget delivers crucial increased investment in this area. By boosting youth employment programs with tens of millions of dollars in new funding, Illinois is giving young people a chance to improve their economic standing. Increasing youth employment is also a vital pillar of our state’s public safety system. By raising economic conditions for young people, we give them a positive alternative to the idleness that can lead to criminal activity. This funding increased significantly over the past few years, and we strongly urge lawmakers to continue this pattern.

The budget also focuses heavily on investing in education for young Illinoisans aged 8-25. By increasing funding for the Monetary Award Program (MAP) by 16%, the state brings its overall investment in tuition assistance to $701 million. This is a massive improvement from the levels seen during the budget impasse, which put tremendous strain on the program. There is also increased investment in public universities and community colleges, which allows higher education institutions to improve their facilities and provide better, more comprehensive support to students. These funds will reduce stress on youth and their families and opening doors to greater opportunities and more financial flexibility in the future.

There is no expedient way to recover from a life-altering event like the COVID-19 Pandemic. Such a traumatic episode does not disappear as quickly as it appeared. It will take time and effort to give Illinois youth the ability to move past the negative consequences of the Pandemic. But it is not impossible to do so. The FY24 budget shows a path towards recovery and can greatly improve the everyday lives of youth in Illinois. We ask our elected officials to build on the FY24 budget and continue to examine how youth focused programming can grow and support our ongoing needs. Strong support for our youth is key to building a strong Illinois.

The Youth Working Group is a collective of youth in Illinois from differing social and geographic backgrounds that advising the Illinois Youth Budget Commission on the everyday experiences of young people aged 8-25 in Illinois. The members of the group are Brandon Cowhey (Batavia), Nate Cox (Petersburg), Londyn Harris (Rock Island), Itzel Martinez (West Chicago), Gabriel Moreno (Chicago), and Paishynce Prude (East St. Louis).

Youth Advocacy

Throughout the month of July, Brightpoint's Ahlquist Center for Policy, Practice & Innovation is providing advocacy trainings to youth in our One Summer Chicago program. We are working with the youth participants to build skills as advocates and elevate their perspectives on various issues in the community to impact change.

In the initial session, youth participants were encouraged to visualize their ideal community by creating vision boards. This exercise emphasized the significance of their perspective in advocacy and the issues that are important to them. A youth participant in the program said, "In my experience, I think it’s very important to talk about these topics because it connects to the real world".

This training reinforces that their voices are needed and capable of driving changes in policies, programs, and systems and can make a tangible impact on their communities.

Brightpoint Mural in Englewood

Our Marshfield site is getting a new look this summer thanks to the amazing artist Barrett Keithley and our One Summer Chicago youths! One Summer Chicago, the Chicago Mayor's Office, and Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) supports this incredible outlet and experience allowing youth to create something new and beautiful for our community.

The mural will be unveiled at our annual Back to School Block Party at our Marshfield office (5958 S. Marshfield Avenue) on August 12th.

Brightpoint Programs

Investing in youth services plays a critical role in equipping young people with job training, mentorship, and violence prevention strategies to empower them to develop the essential skills and knowledge needed to thrive in today's world. These programs foster positive relationships and a sense of community among youth. By doing so, we can contribute to building stronger, more resilient communities and offering more equitable and accessible opportunities for our young generation.

Teaching advocacy at a young age, allows youth to advocate for themselves at all stages of their life. Our Coaching and Mentoring programs at Brightpoint empower and support young people along their path toward successful, long-term career employment and peace in their communities.

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