The Elgin City Council unanimously approved a renewal of service agreements for the Youth Empowerment Program (YEP), the city’s community‑based juvenile outreach, prevention and intervention effort, after program leaders and students described positive outcomes.

Lede: Council voted 9–0 to renew purchase‑of‑service contracts with the program’s community liaisons and partners to continue YEP for another year.

Nut graf: YEP began as a police‑department initiative and transitioned to community leadership in 2021–2022. Program leaders and two student participants told the council the program helps students with mentorship, attendance and planning for college, trades and employment; staff provided participation statistics for 2023–24.

What speakers said: Chief Lally and program liaisons Jeff Ligon and Aaron Cobb described YEP’s evolution into a community‑led program. Two Larkin High School students, Ryan O’Donnell and Jason Martin, told the council they had participated for 2–3 years and said the program “helped…see my community and my future from a whole new perspective” (Ryan O’Donnell). Chief Lally said YEP was “a testament to when people come together and work together” and introduced the students.

Program data: Staff reported 57 referrals during the 2023–24 school year. Of those referrals, 34 were at some point in progress, 24 eventually left the program, 5 completed the program fully and 5 were pending when the statistics were compiled. Staff also said 22 referrals started after citations and were channeled through adjudication; of those 22, nine completed the program, 11 remained pending and two opted out. Council members asked staff to collect additional academic attendance and grades data from the school district for future grant applications.

Council questions and direction: Council members praised the program and asked that the city work with U‑46 to compile attendance and grade data linked to program participation; Chief Lally said the department does not currently collect those records directly but that U‑46 could supply them and staff will report back next year with better longitudinal data.

Ending: The contract renewal preserves YEP operations for the coming year and directs staff to continue collecting outcome data to support funding applications and program evaluation.