By Caitlyn Gudmundsen, Senior Manager of Program Development and Outreach
Today’s Front Line Hero is Concordia Place, which is helping young people find purpose and direction.
Concordia Place believes that all people deserve to reach their full potential, and provides growth and opportunity to 800 children, teens, and adults each year. Located in Chicago, Concordia’s programs for teens aim to help build confident, civic-minded teens, and 100% of teens served graduate from high school and go on to college or post-secondary education.
The programs offered by Concordia make a big difference in the lives of teens, and the staff was not willing to close down programming when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Community Programs Manager Gwyn Moss quickly and effectively executed a plan to move the Emerging Leaders summer program online. The teens were able to engage with the program virtually, and safely complete activities like community engagement, arts and crafts, and nutritional cooking.
Concordia Place is proud of the teens who go on to do great things, and publicly congratulated Valery Trigsted, who was selected as a Thrive Teen Advisory Board member. Valery began participating in Concordia’s programs when she was 13, and has continued engaging with its many offerings for the last five years. Valery shared that the programs gave her confidence in her own abilities, and reshaped her life so that she now feels like she is part of something bigger. The friendships and skills Valery gained through Concordia programs have been formative.
Thank you to Concordia Place for your ongoing commitment to teens’ development!
