Make It Real: How Our Youth Helped Shape the Back-to-School Bash

This summer, our young people did not just talk about leadership. They practiced it. During Week 5 of Community STARS, our youth focused on a theme that captured exactly where they were in the program: Make It Real.

By this point in the summer, they had already spent weeks building confidence, practicing communication, strengthening teamwork, and learning what leadership can look like in everyday life. But this week challenged them to take it a step further.

It was not enough to have good ideas. They had to think about how those ideas could actually happen. One of the biggest focuses of the week was our 4th Annual Back-to-School Bash & Work and Wellness Fair. This event has always been rooted in community care, but this year we wanted our youth to understand that an event this large does not happen by accident. It takes planning, teamwork, communication, creativity, responsibility, and people who are willing to show up behind the scenes.

So we gave them the space to think like leaders. Our youth were split into small groups and asked to think through different parts of the event. They discussed team roles, responsibilities, creative ideas, outreach, youth activities, volunteer expectations, and ways to make families feel welcomed and supported.

They were not just being asked, “What sounds fun?” They were being asked, “What will help families feel cared for?” That shift matters. Because leadership is not just about having a voice. It is about using that voice with purpose. It is about understanding that your ideas can affect other people. It is about thinking beyond yourself and asking, “How can I help make this better for someone else?”

Later in the week, our youth practiced presenting their ideas. They learned how to communicate in a way that was respectful and professional without feeling like they had to become someone else. At Chicago Emerging Stars, we do not want young people to feel like professionalism means hiding who they are. We want them to understand that they can be clear, prepared, thoughtful, and still be fully themselves.

That is part of the growth. That is part of the confidence. That is part of the leadership. This week also reminded us that young people often understand community needs in a very real way. They know what makes an event feel welcoming. They know what catches a young person’s attention. They know what families may need. They know what it feels like to walk into a space and wonder if it was truly made with you in mind. And that is why their input matters.

Our Back-to-School Bash is not just an event for youth and families. It is being shaped with youth. That is what makes it different. At Chicago Emerging Stars, we believe young people deserve more than a seat in the room. They deserve opportunities to help build the room, shape the experience, and understand that their contributions matter.

Week 5 was a reminder that our youth are not waiting to become leaders someday. They are already becoming leaders now. And when their ideas are taken seriously, those ideas can turn into something powerful for the whole community.