Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago (BGCC) is proud to announce Yizrakhyah from the Green  Club has been named our 2023 Carol A. Walter Junior Youth of the Year! A huge congratulations to all our finalists, including Aldo, Lalinda, Nia, Olivia, Rockie, and Silvia, and the other eight candidates that participated in this program.

Youth of the Year is Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago’s premier recognition and leadership development program for teens. The Carol A. Walter Junior Youth of the Year celebrates the emerging pre-teen leaders in the Clubs who are in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.

The Carol A. Walter Junior Youth of the Year program gives our younger members a chance to be recognized for their leadership ability and potential while giving them an opportunity to demonstrate their unique skills and perspective. 

The competition consisted of 15 candidates, who all submitted essays and conducted interviews with judges about their impact on their Club. The candidates were then narrowed down to seven finalists, who gave speeches at our event celebration at the Discover Shine Bright Community Center.

Yizrakhyah is an 11-year-old who loves to compete. He enjoys playing football, floor hockey and learning about world history. He loves hanging out with his friends at the Club, but what he enjoys the most is the support he receives from the Club staff.

The event celebrated more than just our finalists. We had Louis L. Valentine Club member Justin, better known as DJ Air One, play music during the event. The competition was also co-hosted by 2023 Youth of the Year finalist Jaala, and our 2023 Youth of the Year, Tyson, served as a judge!

And finally, one of the highlights was a performance by the Pedersen-McCormick Club Poetry Team, who wrote a spoken word piece specifically for the event.

Congratulations to Yizrakhyah!

To learn more about him and our outstanding finalists, 
scroll below to read more, and to see a photo gallery from the event!