TEENS

Open Gym Basketball

Open gym basketball at HPNC is for new as well as skilled players. HPNC staff will facilitate 5-on-5 full court games, open to all genders.

Open court basketball connects youth throughout the city with the goal of enjoying the game in a fun and safe environment. The free-play atmosphere provides youth agency with their play under the supervision of HPNC staff.

Fall 2024: September 3 - December 30

Elementary/Middle School (4th-8th grades)

When: Wednesdays, 4:00pm-5:30pm

Who: Open to all youth in grades 4-8 of any gender

Cost: Free with HPNC Access Pass

High School (9th-12th grades)

When: Mondays, 4:00pm-5:30pm

Who: Open to all youth in grades 9-12 of any gender

Cost: Free with HPNC Access Pass

Open gym basketball

Explorers Camp - Teen

Leaders in Training (L.I.T.)

Rising 5th-8th graders

HPNC’s new L.I.T. program promotes the positive development of middle school youth by equipping them with the tools needed to build social-emotional skills, become community pathfinders, and advocate for adolescent needs. Using evidence-based curriculum, youth will learn important life skills and discover their own strengths and passions while taking on community leadership, service learning, and entrepreneurship projects. Youth will engage in activities like meaningful debates, weekly self-reflection, team challenges, and youth-led program planning across topics they identify as important.  

The L.I.T. Program will consist of a Youth Advisory Board, providing a youth-led platform for participants to give feedback, share input, organize family engagement events, and have a bigger voice in programming planning/activities offered. The Youth Advisory Board will focus on youth empowerment and confidence building, conveying the message that youth can change the world and it starts with their development of strategic planning skills and community engagement. 

L.I.T. participants will receive academic support and tutoring, while also providing the same type of support to our Kindergartens and first graders. Program fee is discounted for 7th and 8th grade students.

MAPSCorps

Each summer, HPNC partners with MAPSCorps to provide meaningful work experience and high-quality data for high school youth. Recruited to be employed as community data scientists, youth were trained to apply scientific method and mobile technology to capture data about all the public facing businesses and organizations serving their communities. During this program, youth were challenged to demonstrate personal integrity and apply their best critical thinking skills to the scientific, health, and civic engagement components of the MAPCorps experience.

At MAPSCorps, Youth Researchers work with community-based organizations to collect valuable information (data) about the businesses and organizations in Chicago's communities. Once that data is collected, Youth Researchers work as a team to research their community and use the data to make recommendations for how to improve the health and well-being of the community's residents. At the end of the summer, Youth Researchers present their research and recommendations to researchers, policy-makers, elected officials, and other professionals at the August Scientific Symposium.

Summer 2024 MAPSCorps cohort is complete. Check back next spring for information regarding summer 2025.

Learn more

Teens

Open Gym Basketball

Open gym basketball at HPNC is for new as well as skilled players. HPNC staff will facilitate 5-on-5 full court games, open to all genders.

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Summer 2024 MAPSCorps cohort is complete. Check back next spring for information regarding summer 2025.