A few weeks ago, David T., another One Summer Chicago participant, and I met up with other youth at a worksite in Englewood. David and I are working at Children’s Home & Aid this summer on the communication team as interns. The youth were helping reconstruct the community garden next to the church they met up at. David T. and I talked to a few youth about what their future goals are, what they want to be remembered for and what made them choose to work for One Summer Chicago.

Meet Jabari one of the youth interviewed at the One Summer Chicago work site at 70th and King Drive. Jabari and a few other youth dedicated their summer to improving the community garden in the neighborhood with their mentor, Terry. One Summer Chicago has been a great opportunity for Jabari because not only does it help him stay occupied, but it also helps him learn leadership roles and shows him that he can help out his community in different ways. Jabari’s always wanted to have a positive impact on his neighborhood, but he never knew how until he was introduced to One Summer Chicago by his mother.

Julian is a bright and smart youth who wants to go to Johnson College Prep and participate in sports and other extracurricular activities at the school. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball and spending time with his friends and family. Jabari said the person he admires most in the world is his mother because she has been there for him since the day he was born. Even though his father wasn’t a big part of his life he still appreciates the role he played in his life.

Jabari wants to be known for being a good person and always lending a helping hand when people around him need extra support. After he finishes high school, Jabari wants to go to college and study to become a lawyer, which has always been his dream job. He looks forward to finding another part time job like One Summer Chicago once school starts again.

David M. is a communications intern at Children’s Home & Aid. David is going to be a junior this fall at Bowen High School. He enjoys playing football in his free time and spending time with his family. This is his second year working with One Summer Chicago.

David T. and David M. are working together on a series of stories about the participants in One Summer Chicago. This is the sixth in a seven-part series