Mayor Lightfoot, City Departments, And Amazon Announce Expansion of 'Summer Kickback Series'

Chicago is investing nearly $1,000,000 to give youth in communities across the south and west sides a safe, fun summer experience.

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Summertime Chicago is full of many things, from boat rides on Lake Michigan to concerts and food fests. However, it's also full of violence that prohibits residents, specifically youth in violence-filled neighborhoods, from enjoying these perks of living in the windy city.

The Summer Kickback Series's mission is to ensure youth across Chicago have access to engaging activities and necessary resources within their communities. Initially providing safe fun on Friday nights, Mayor Lightfoot and First Lady Amy Eshleman are now expanding programming to Saturday evenings to ensure more weekend opportunities for youth are available.

What does this mean for teens? Summer weekends will be full of laughter, music, food, and more. The two-part Summer Kickback Series programming includes Friday events designed by teens for teens and City-led Saturday night events.

In a press release, Lightfoot highlighted what this summer series means for teens and their benefit using the latest youth app, 'My CHI. My Future.'

"This year, First Lady Amy Eshleman and I will continue to deepen our focus on ensuring Chicago's families and young people have access to enriching opportunities this summer while simultaneously addressing the lack of safe, productive spaces for youth," Lightfoot said. "Through the launch of the My CHI. My Future. app, which contains thousands of opportunities, and the second year of the Summer Kickback series, our youth will have several safe and fun activities to choose from.

Here is a list of upcoming lowkey kickbacks with entertainment from DJs, steppers and breakers, sporting events, a selfie station, art activations, and free COVID-19 vaccination sites.

• July 23 at Grand Crossing Park
• July 30 at Franklin Park
• August 6 at Ogden Park
• August 16 at Humboldt Park
• August 20 at West Pullman Park
• August 27 at Abbot Park
• September 3 at Garfield Park
• September 10 at Foster Park
• September 10 at Cornell Square Park

To learn more about the Summer Kickback Series, visit Chicago.gov.