One Summer Chicago (OSC) is an initiative that provides youth with employment and enrichment opportunities during the summer months. Most programs are between 20 and 25 hours weekly, from late June to mid-August. Here are the requirements:
During the summer, YOS’s Prevention Team focuses on the One Summer Chicago (OSC) program. OSC is a 6-week summer youth employment program that provides young folks throughout Chicago with a paid job opportunity.
In order for YOS to hire young individuals for One Summer Chicago, certain qualifications and documents are required. These include:
- Must be 16-24 years old, or have permission to participate from a parent or guardian if you’re under the age of 18
- Must have applied for One Summer Chicago online
- They will need a:
- Valid school ID, State ID, Driver’s License OR Passport (the document that is chosen needs to have a photo of the person being hired)
- Signed Social Security Card
- Have a physical address in one of the neighborhoods listed below:
- Albany Park
- Austin
- Avondale
- East Garfield Park
- Belmont Cragin
- Humboldt Park
- Dunning
- Lower West Side
- Edison Park
- Near West Side
- Forest Glen
- North Lawndale
- Hermosa
- South Lawndale
- Irving Park
- West Garfield Park
- Jefferson Park
- West Town
- Logan Square
- Montclare
- North Park
- Norwood Park
- Portage Park
- Austin
- East Garfield Park
- Humboldt Park
- Lower West Side
- Near West Side
- North Lawndale
- South Lawndale
- West Garfield Park
- West Town
If you are interested or know someone who is looking for summer employment, please reach out to Kaitie Panka at kaitiep@yos.org
We are a Worksite
It’s a small investment for a big return. When we hire a young person or provide meaningful work experience, young people are more engaged, more connected to the community, and more likely to complete school. As a worksite, we work with youth to prepare them for their job by offering workforce readiness training, financial literacy training, work etiquette and professional attire assistance, and conflict resolution and communication skill development.
“Working at the job site is part of the equation,” says the program manager of Prevention Services. “We also work closely with participants before they start their jobs on strategies to handle the social and emotional parts of managing workplace interactions and conflicts, figuring out how to get to and from the job on time, and other leadership skills.” We are not only a worksite but also an employer of youth directly to work for us. Each summer, we offer clerical positions at our office locations to gain office experience and customer service skills.
We Partner With
YOS works to find valuable, engaging work experience for our youth and a diversified array of options and work environments. This includes administrative/office, retail, restaurants, customer service, and more. Organizations that partnered with YOS in past summers to employ youth included:
- Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation
- Chicago Public Libraries
- The Cook County Assessor’s office
- Wonderworks Children’s Museum
- Lawndale Christian Legal Center
- Potbelly
- T.J. Maxx
- Austin Community Center
- Territory Arts Center
- All My Children Daycare
- Chicago Botanical Gardens
- Firehouse Community Center