MAYOR LIGHTFOOT, CITY DEPARTMENTS, AND AMAZON ANNOUNCE THE 2022 SUMMER KICKBACK SERIES WITH ADDED SATURDAY NIGHT EVENTS

 MAYOR LIGHTFOOT, CITY DEPARTMENTS, AND AMAZON
ANNOUNCE THE 2022 SUMMER KICKBACK SERIES WITH ADDED
SATURDAY NIGHT EVENTS

Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot along with First Lady Amy Eshleman, the
Community Safety Coordination Center (CSCC), the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Parks Foundation, the Chicago Public Library, the Department of Family and Support Services, the Chicago Department of Public Health, Amazon, and 15 community-based organizations across the city announced the launch of the second annual Summer Kickback Series with extended evening programming on Saturday nights.

The Summer Kickback Series was launched in 2021 in an effort
to ensure youth across Chicago have access to engaging activities
and necessary resources within their communities. This year, the City
engaged and received additional feedback from community leaders,
youth organizations, and Chicago’s youth on how to keep youth safe
and create more opportunities in communities experiencing high levels
of violence. Mayor Lightfoot and City departments launched the first
youth-led Summer Kickback Series to provide teens with fun and safe
activities in their communities on Friday nights in 2021. Building upon
the success of last summer’s Friday Kickback Series, Mayor Lightfoot
and the First Lady Amy Eshleman are now expanding programing
to Saturday evenings to ensure even more weekend opportunities for
youth are available.

“This year, First Lady Amy Eshleman and I will continue to deepen
our focus on ensuring Chicago’s families and young people have
access to enriching opportunities this summer while simultaneously
addressing the lack of safe, productive spaces for youth,” said Mayor
Lightfoot. “Through the launch of the My CHI. My Future. app, which
contains thousands of opportunities, and the second year of the Summer Kickback series, our youth will have several safe and fun activities to choose from. This year’s Summer Kickbacks are made possible through a whole-of-government approach and partnerships with the Chicago Park District, the Department of Family and Support Services, the Community Safety Coordination Center, Amazon and 15 community- based organizations that are working together to create spaces where our young residents can safely gather.”

The two-part Summer Kickback Series programming includes
Friday events designed by teens for teens and City-led Saturday night
events. Through community-based organizations, the City hired 210
teens who plan Friday events that are designed for teens ages 13 to 24 and their families in 15 communities on the South and West sides. Each of the 15 community-based organizations have hired 14 teens for 8 weeks, with each teen being paid $15 an hour. During the eight weeks of employment, the planning team promotes youth-focused opportunities and plans and hosts a Summer Kickback event every Friday between 5 and 9 p.m. The first event will be Friday, July 8, and will conclude on Friday, August 12. Each community will also have one
“mothership” event this summer, an enhanced version of a kickback
that will include a smoothie bar, e-gaming, a DJ and more activities
with support from the Chicago Park District.

This summer, the City will also host ten supplemental Low-Key
Kickbacks: Saturday Edition, on Saturdays from 6 to 9 p.m. The Low-
Key series will bring food, entertainment, and various activities to the
South and West sides, starting July 23 at Grand Crossing Park. Entertainment will include prominent Chicago DJs, steppers and breakers, sporting events, a selfie station, art activations, and free COVID-19 vaccination sites. Below is a list of the Low-Key Kickbacks.
July 23 at Grand Crossing Park
July 30 at Franklin Park
August 6 at Ogden Park
August 16 at Humboldt Park
August 20 at West Pullman Park
August 27 at Abbot Park
September 3 at Garfield Park
September 10 at Foster Park
September 10 at Cornell Square Park

Using American Recovery Plan (ARP) funding and with the support
of philanthropy, the City is investing nearly $1,000,000 in the 2022
Summer Kickback Series. Funding to hire the teens and young adults
is provided by the Department of Family and Support Services and is
being administered by the Chicago Parks Foundation. In addition, Amazon is providing funding for all Kickback events for a second summer in a row.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.