What Happens When a Youth of the Year Comes Home

On most afternoons at Barreto Club in Humboldt Park, the building is alive with movement, from the echo of basketballs on the gym floor to the steady hum of conversation in the computer lab and teen room. Younger children gather in the games room, older youth drift toward Keystone meetings or homework tables, and staff move between spaces keeping pace with the rhythm of the day.

Jalissa Bowers, Program Director at Barreto Club, navigates it all with ease. She knows which rooms will fill first, which groups will need extra structure, and which moments call for quiet intervention. Her familiarity with the building runs deeper than her job description. She grew up here.

Bowers first came to Barreto Club at age six, when her parents, both working long hours, needed a safe place for her and her brothers after school. At the time, she had no sense of how influential the Club would become in her life. What began as childcare gradually became community, mentorship, and a space where she felt consistently seen.

“I didn’t think much of it when I was that young,” she said. “But throughout my time at the Club, I kind of found my voice and figured out who I was and what I wanted to be.”

Barreto Club serves youth across a wide range of ages, from early elementary students to teens preparing for adulthood, and Bowers experienced nearly every stage herself. She remembers the cadet room, the competitive spirit that defined the gym, and the daily routines that gave structure to long afternoons. She also remembers being a shy child who might have blended into the background in other settings.

At the Club, that did not happen.

“If staff saw that you were a quieter kid, they would come up to you and ask how your day was or what you wanted to do,” Bowers said. “You couldn’t really be missed here.”

That attention proved pivotal, particularly as she entered adolescence. In high school, Bowers joined Keystone, a leadership development program for teens, where she was introduced to conversations about mental health, identity, and purpose. During conferences and workshops, participants were asked to reflect on their values and aspirations, questions Bowers said she had never been encouraged to consider before.

“We talked about who we are as people and what we want out of life,” she said. “I had never really thought about that before.”

Growing up in Humboldt Park, Bowers had seen how quickly expectations could narrow for young people in her neighborhood. Keystone, she said, expanded those expectations and helped her imagine a future shaped by intention rather than circumstance.

Public speaking was one of her greatest challenges. Bowers describes herself as naturally anxious and initially uncomfortable addressing groups, but staff encouraged her to practice, offered feedback, and pushed her to step forward anyway. As Keystone president, she led meetings, spoke in front of peers and adults, and gradually gained confidence in her voice.

“I was very shy,” she said. “But they would sometimes just put me on the spot and say, ‘Talk about this.’ Once you start doing it, it’s hard to stop.”

Her growth culminated in her selection as Junior Youth of the Year and later Youth of the Year, a program that recognizes leadership, service, and the ability to represent one’s peers. For Bowers, the experience marked a turning point.

“It made me realize that my story mattered,” she said. “That I could use my experiences to influence other people in a positive way.”

After graduating from high school, Bowers left for college but remained closely connected to the Club. Today, she has returned as Program Director while completing her senior year as a psychology major, applying both academic theory and lived experience to her work with youth.

She approaches programming through a developmental lens, emphasizing emotional regulation, trauma-informed care, and relationship-building. She believes behavior is often communication and that exclusionary discipline rarely addresses underlying needs.

“We try really hard not to jump straight to punishment,” she said. “The Club is supposed to be a safe haven. A lot of our kids don’t have support systems outside these walls.”

This year, Bowers has taken on a role that brings her journey full circle. She is serving as Youth of the Year advisor, mentoring the same type of candidates she once was and guiding them through the process of telling their stories and stepping into leadership.

“It feels like a full-circle moment,” she said. “Coming from being a Youth of the Year to now helping kids build those same skills and confidence is really special to me.”

She speaks with pride about this year’s candidates, noting their leadership, self-awareness, and ability to influence peers positively at a young age. She sees in them the same potential that staff once recognized in her.

Bowers is completing her degree without student debt, supported in part by the Club’s scholarships, and is preparing to enter the field she first discovered through her own Club experience. She remains deeply rooted in Barreto Club, not only as a workplace but as the foundation of her personal and professional development.

“Youth of the Year isn’t about winning a title,” she said. “It’s about being seen.”

For donors and community members, the Youth of the Year event offers a rare opportunity to witness that moment in real time. It is a chance to hear young people articulate their stories, to see the long-term impact of sustained investment, and to understand how leadership is built over years, not evenings.

Jalissa Bowers is living evidence of what that investment makes possible.