Helix Youth OUTREACH

HELIX Youth Outreach is a community program of St. John United Church of Christ that seeks to provide a safe place for teens to grow in their self awareness, social awareness and emotional learning, and build positive relationships with peers and adult mentors.

 

This program is designed to provide a safe, caring place for all teens to be loved for who they were created to be and to create a place for service to our local and wider community with compassion and kindness.


Weekly Meeting Schedule

5th & 6th grade Tuesday 3-5pm

7th & 8th grade Thursday 3-5pm


All HELIX Meetings take place at
St. John UCC 1010 S. Park Boulevard, Freeport, IL 61032

Helix Registration Form click here     Find us on Facebook!

HELIX Values

Our vision is to be an engaging and welcoming community for teens that

  • Creates an atmosphere of love and inclusion for teens in Freeport and surrounding communities
  • Provides experiences for teens to grow in self awareness, social awareness, and faith
  • Engages teens in opportunities for service in the local community and beyond

We use an acronym of our name, HELIX, to spell out our values:

  • Honor one another: in their personhood, in values, and in their beliefs
  • Engage one another into our lives, share ourselves openly, and learn from each other
  • Listen to one another, respect their words and their stories, and know what they feel and think
  • Include and welcome all people in our community into our lives, no matter who they are or where they are on life’s journey
  • Be an eXample to others in the words we say, the decisions we make, and the actions we make   





Social and Emotional Learning

HELIX understands its role in helping youth meet age-appropriate Social/Emotional Learning Standards (SEL) standards of Illinois State Board of Education.  We do this by structuring its program by these standard to meet SEL standards and performance descriptors.

 

The Social/Emotional Learning Standards (SEL) were articulated by the Illinois State Board of Education in 2004 and guide schools and districts to address three learning goals:

  • Goal 1: Develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success.
  • Goal 2: Use social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships.
  • Goal 3: Demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school, and community contexts.

HELIX also trains its paid and volunteer staff to be able to assess areas that impact an individual’s social and emotional engagement within scope of the mission and values of the program.


For more information on the Illinois State Board of Education SEL standards and descriptors, please click here.