PROGRAMS
After-School Mentoring Program
The OBC (One Brother’s Choice) Boys and Sister to Sister Girls After-School Mentoring Programs provide a safe, supportive, and engaging environment where students receive academic support, positive mentoring, and guidance designed to strengthen their personal, social, and leadership development.
Through structured lessons, group discussions, enrichment activities, real-world experiences, and meaningful mentoring relationships, students develop essential skills in confidence, communication, decision-making, goal-setting, conflict resolution, leadership, and life readiness.
The programs also provide individualized support to address the challenges that can affect a young person’s ability to succeed, including mental and emotional well-being, academic difficulties, chronic absenteeism, peer conflict, and violence prevention. By working collaboratively with students, families, schools, and community partners, the programs help identify barriers to success, connect youth and families with appropriate resources, and create a network of support that promotes positive choices and improved student outcomes.
Theron Wells Swimming Initiative
The Theron Wells Swimming Initiative was established in memory of Theron Wells to provide youth with access to essential swimming instruction and water-safety education. Recognizing that many young people do not have consistent opportunities to learn how to swim, the initiative works to reduce risk and promote safety around pools, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water.
Through structured, age-appropriate instruction, participants learn foundational swimming skills, water awareness, safe behaviors, and responsible decision-making in and around water. Youth gain confidence while developing practical skills such as floating, breathing, basic strokes, water entry and exit, and recognizing when to seek help.
The initiative honors Theron’s memory by equipping young people with knowledge and skills that can save lives. Beyond recreation, it promotes discipline, responsibility, respect for water, healthy activity, and lifelong wellness.
FOREward Mentoring Initiative
The FOREward Mentoring Initiative, offered in partnership with the World Kid Golf Foundation, provides youth with a fun, supportive, and engaging introduction to the game of golf while promoting personal growth, confidence, and positive character development.
Through hands-on instruction and age-appropriate activities, participants learn the fundamental skills of golf, including proper grip, stance, swinging, putting, golf equipment, and course safety. The program also emphasizes the values that make golf a lifelong sport: etiquette, sportsmanship, respect for others, patience, responsibility, and perseverance.
More than learning how to play the game, youth are encouraged to build meaningful relationships with mentors, strengthen their self-confidence, develop leadership and decision-making skills, and discover golf as a positive, healthy recreational activity. The FOREward Mentoring Initiative helps participants move FOREward by connecting the lessons learned on the course to success in school, relationships, and life.
FOREward represents:
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Focus
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Opportunity
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Respect
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Empowerment
C.A.S.T. Camp
Cops and Students Together
C.A.S.T. Camp—Cops and Students Together—is a summer enrichment program offered through a partnership between the Village of Matteson, Illinois, and the Family & Youth Initiative (F.Y.I.), a multi-jurisdictional youth-focused initiative connected to the Village of Matteson’s community-policing efforts. The program is designed to strengthen positive relationships between youth and law-enforcement officers while promoting character development, mutual understanding, and stronger community connections.
Centered on the Six Pillars of Character—trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship—C.A.S.T. Camp gives young people meaningful opportunities to learn, grow, and engage with officers in a safe, supportive, and positive environment.
Through fun-filled activities, team-building experiences, educational field trips, and presentations from community guest speakers, participants explore real-life lessons connected to each pillar of character. The program encourages positive decision-making, respect for others, responsible citizenship, and constructive relationships among youth, law enforcement, and the broader Matteson community.
Music Therapy Program
The Music Therapy Program, in partnership with Rhythms Project, is designed to help youth explore the powerful influence music and lyrics have on mood, behavior, and attitude. Through guided discussion and creative expression, participants gain a deeper
understanding of how music can shape emotions, thoughts, and decision-making.
Youth analyze song lyrics to better understand artistic intent, messaging, and emotional meaning while developing critical thinking and self-awareness. The program also encourages participants to express themselves by creating their own music, using
songwriting and rhythm as healthy outlets for emotions and personal experiences.
By combining education, creativity, and reflection, the Music Therapy Program supports emotional growth, positive communication, and self-expression, empowering youth to make mindful choices about the media they consume and the messages they
internalize.
Support The Movement
Choices Youth Development Organization (CYDO) is dedicated to empowering at-risk youth to navigate life’s challenges and create successful futures. We offer a range of educational initiatives, including after-school mentoring, summer camps, and group outings. Your support can make a significant impact in the lives of these young individuals. Join us in making a difference today!
"To mentor is to. invest in a legacy you may never see, but the world will surely feel."