“Our Story Is Our Superpower”: Chicago Emerging Stars Featured in City Bureau

This month, Chicago Emerging Stars was honored to be featured in a City Bureau story highlighting how young Chicagoans are creating their own community spaces in a post-pandemic world. While the article centers on youth-led third spaces and mental health, for us, this feature represents something even deeper: proof that young people are not waiting to be invited into leadership, we are building it ourselves.

Chicago Emerging Stars was born from lived experience, loss, love, and a deep belief that young people deserve more than survival. We deserve spaces rooted in joy. We deserve mentorship that listens. We deserve opportunities that see our brilliance before we ever have to prove it.

Our work has never been about one event or one moment. From Back-to-School Bashes and Thanksgiving giveaways to year-round mentorship, pop-up service days, and youth leadership development, we are intentionally building pathways where young people feel safe, seen, and supported no matter where they start. We believe mental health isn’t just about crisis response; it’s about belonging, rest, dignity, and community care.

Being recognized by City Bureau affirms what our youth and families already know: when young people are trusted, resourced, and allowed to lead, they rise. And when adults choose to support without controlling, doors open instead of closing.

This feature is not the finish line, it's fuel. We are continuing to grow, deepen our impact, and expand what’s possible for youth across Chicago’s South and West Sides. Our story is still being written, and we’re grateful to every young person, volunteer, partner, and supporter who is helping us write it with intention and heart.

Because our young people aren’t broken they’re brilliant.

And we’re just getting started.

Read the full City Bureau article here: “After Pandemic Sent Their Schooling Online, Young Chicagoans Are Creating Their Own Community Spaces”