Obama Presidential Center to Launch Summer Sports and Leadership Programs for South Side Teens

The Obama Presidential Center will introduce coed volleyball and basketball programs for South Side Chicago teens this summer, as part of a youth initiative beginning with the center’s June 19 opening on the city’s South Side. The programs, announced Thursday, are the first offerings of a broader partnership between the Obama Foundation and the nonprofit After School Matters, which will serve as the center’s main youth programming partner.

These initial summer programs will run from July through August at the center’s 60,000-square-foot Home Court facility, which features a professional-sized basketball court, community rooms, and an exercise area. Participation is open to Chicago high school students aged 14 to 18 who live in or attend school in the South Shore, Woodlawn, or Washington Park neighborhoods. According to the foundation, interested teens must submit an online form by April 15 to be considered, and approximately 100 participants are expected in the first cohort. Teens will earn stipends for their involvement and successful completion of the programs, in line with other After School Matters opportunities.

The new initiative aims to promote physical activity, leadership, teamwork, and mental health support for youth, said Joe Kennedy, director of athletics and sports leadership at the Obama Presidential Center. The programs are intentionally beginning in neighborhoods that contributed to the development of the center, Kennedy noted, underscoring their continued involvement.

As the center expands, the Obama Foundation plans to add new youth opportunities in partnership with organizations such as My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, Girls Opportunity Alliance, and Chicago Public Schools. Future programming may include offerings in the arts, media, gardening, cooking, and the trades, though details of these collaborations are still being finalized.

After School Matters CEO Mary Ellen Caron emphasized that the partnership is designed to make the center accessible and engaging for teens and to expand opportunities in areas young people have expressed interest, such as the skilled trades. Both organizations intend to fundraise together to develop more youth initiatives as the partnership grows.

The summer sports and leadership programs mark the first step in what organizers describe as a growing commitment to supporting youth development in Chicago’s South Side communities.