Community Organizing

Working with over 140 grassroots community groups, ICCS assists in identifying needs, assessing strengths and organizing volunteers. All our efforts stive to assist in the development of "sustainable" organziations. The ICCS Community Organizing approach works because local residents, the people who know the most about the community, are actively involved in finding solutions to improve their neighborhoods and provide a healthy environment to live and grow.

Community Development

Neighborhood Revitalization

Leadership Development

Economic Development (infrastructure improvements)

Grant Writing

Community Assessment

Advocacy Training

Volunteer Management and Development

Crisis Initiatives

In 2008, the state of Illinois has 75,69 school dropouts, 20,000 teen births, over 45,000 under 17 youth arrests. Grandparents have been responsible for raising over 100,000 children. Just shy of 500,000 children are living in single parent homes. Well over half a million youth under the age of 18 live in poverty. All these factors jeopardize Illinois youth and put them in an interminable path of risky behavior and life-long poverty. ICCS has mobilized it's resources with community agencies to address these issues by developing these programs:

Contextual Anti-Poverty Coalitions

Summer Youth Job Training

Marketable Skill Development

Food Pantry Organization

Anti-Hunger Action

Homelessness

Working on Behalf of those in Need

Providing legislative and legal representation support for communities in need of social justice can seem to be a daunting journey for many who are misrepresented or are victimized. ICCS meets on a frequent basis with local and state legislators, the media, and other agencies that can impact change. Recently ICCS, in cooperation with community activists lobbied and helped organized public rallies against unfair high utility rates in one of the poorest counties in the state of Illinois. ICCS continues to assist those who are facing any or all of the following issues:

Anti-Racism Issues

Health Care

Immigration Reform

Rural and Farm Issues

Anti-Poverty Legislation

Public Housing Resident Councils

Touching our Future

In 2007, Illinois had a state wide graduation rate of 85.5% but only 78% of students living at, or below poverty levels graduated. Studies by the National Service Learning Clearninghouse show that youth involved in out-of-school youth programs exhibit improved academic achievement, improved thinking skills, improved social behavior, and stronger ties to the community. ICCS is actively involved in the following youth centered programs:

Summer Food Programs

Mentoring

After School Programs

Youth Democracy Day

Alcohol & Drug Awareness Programs

TeenREACH program (Charleston)

Counseling and Family Stabilization

Health & Nutrition Education