In being consistent with our vision and mission, there are several programs that are in the development and implementation phase. We see these new programs creating a generational continuum of services that will benefit the community at large. ILSC is currently in the pre-development stage, collaborating with Brinshore Development on a new Senior Housing Development in Sauk Village.

ILSC will offer CNA training beginning January 2005, in the South Suburbs of Chicago. The program is designed to specifically target and recruit low income, unskilled individuals offering an opportunity to become self- reliant, skilled employable individuals. The goal of the program is employment.

It is divided into classroom work and clinical experience and will consist of a total of 132 hrs over a 6-week period that will include classroom lectures, labs and clinical exercises. The clinical experience requires hands on work with patients at a clinical worksite and will be evaluated by observation of the student in the performance of twenty-one nursing assistant skills. Each student will receive an instructional packet containing a step- by –step checklist of the twenty- one basic nursing assistant performance skills.

The program has been approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). This means that upon successful completion of the program, students will be eligible to take the Illinois Department of Public Health written competency examination administered thru Southern Illinois University. Upon passing this test, student’s names will be placed on the department registry as a Certified Nursing Assistant at the IDPH main office in Springfield, Illinois. This status will qualify students for a multitude of job opportunities in the Healthcare arena as a C.N.A.

Youth 2 Seniors (Y2S) Mentoring Program matches volunteer junior high school and high school students from local schools and churches with senior residents at Genesis Place housing facility to bridge understanding between generations. The program runs year round, twice per week. Youth and seniors engage in computer technology activities, creative art, and other cultural activities to enhance communication and socialization skills. The primary benefits are those of spontaneous creativity, the building of necessary technology skills, self-esteem, understanding youth culture and compassion for the process of aging. A Program Coordinator is responsible for the recruitment and screening of volunteers, training, supervision, scheduling, and program activities.

The computer literacy portion of the program focuses on basic computer usage including Internet navigation, which will allow seniors to communicate with family and friends, as well as obtaining job opportunities if capable of working. The project demonstrates how youth mentoring skills can become an immediate community resource evolving into a genuine vocational opportunity for youth to work within the community to build a future for diverse cultural groups. Youth are the key difference makers and technology agents within our culture and embody the future.

Art for the Soul encourages full self-expression through art. Encouraging youth and seniors to interact through drawing, painting, and collage they are given the canvas to tell the story of their lives and inner visions. This sharing cultural diversity bridges past and present, endeavoring a foundation on which all participants can develop future vision.