EXPLORE & BUILD
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAMS • GRADES 6–8
DISCOVER INTERESTS • LEARN REAL-WORLD SKILLS • TRY SOMETHING NEW
Middle school is an important time for young people to begin discovering what they enjoy, what they’re good at and what possibilities exist for their future.
At Rockford Youth, Sports and Mentoring, our middle school program is designed to give students opportunities to actually DO things—not just hear someone talk about them.
Students can cook.
Build.
Create.
Work with tools.
Learn about cars.
Explore nature.
Visit new places.
Develop practical life skills.
And discover interests they may never have known they had.
100% FREE TO PARTICIPATE
Our goal is to provide participating youth with these opportunities 100% FREE OF CHARGE.
A family’s financial situation shouldn’t determine whether a child gets the opportunity to learn something new.
⸻
🍳 YOUNG CHEFS
COOKING & NUTRITION
Knowing how to prepare your own food is a skill that can last a lifetime.
Our Young Chefs program introduces middle-school students to cooking in a fun, supervised and hands-on environment.
Students may learn:
• Kitchen safety and sanitation
• Food preparation
• Measuring ingredients
• Following recipes
• Basic knife safety
• Stove and oven safety
• Nutrition
• Meal planning
• Grocery shopping
• Understanding food labels
• Food storage
• Preventing cross-contamination
• Preparing affordable meals
• Working together in a kitchen
Students won’t simply watch someone cook.
Whenever appropriate, we want them cooking.
THE FAMILY MEAL CHALLENGE
As students develop their skills, one of our goals is to have them plan and prepare a complete meal.
Students could receive a realistic grocery budget, develop a menu, determine what ingredients they need and prepare a meal.
Eventually, we would love to host a:
YOUNG CHEFS FAMILY DINNER
Students prepare and serve something they have learned to make for their families and mentors.
Learn it. Cook it. Share it.
⸻
🔧 AUTO BASICS
INTRODUCTION TO AUTOMOTIVE MAINTENANCE
You don’t have to become a mechanic to understand the basics of taking care of a vehicle.
Auto Basics introduces students to practical automotive knowledge that could benefit them for the rest of their lives.
Students may learn:
• How an automobile works
• Basic engine components
• How to check engine oil
• Why oil changes are important
• Introduction to performing an oil change
• Checking common vehicle fluids
• Checking tire pressure
• Understanding the numbers printed on tires
• Tire tread and tire safety
• Introduction to changing a flat tire
• Using a tire-pressure gauge
• Understanding dashboard warning lights
• Battery basics
• Jumper-cable safety
• Preventive maintenance
• Basic automotive tools
• How to speak with a mechanic
• Why regular maintenance can save money
SAFETY FIRST
Automotive activities will be age appropriate and supervised.
Students will not be expected to perform dangerous repairs or work underneath improperly supported vehicles.
The purpose is education, confidence and basic understanding—not turning children into professional mechanics overnight.
KNOW YOUR CAR. KNOW THE BASICS. DON’T BE AFRAID TO LEARN.
⸻
🎨 CREATIVE STUDIO
ARTS • CRAFTS • DESIGN • SELF-EXPRESSION
Not every young person’s talent is found on a field or inside a textbook.
Creative Studio gives students a place to imagine, design and create.
Activities may include:
• Drawing
• Painting
• Canvas art
• Arts and crafts
• T-shirt design
• Jewelry-making
• Photography
• Graphic design
• Poster design
• Seasonal projects
• Building and decorating projects
• Recycled-material projects
• Group art projects
• Community art
Students may eventually have opportunities to display their work at program events.
CREATE SOMETHING YOU’RE PROUD OF.
There isn’t always one correct answer in art.
Sometimes young people simply need a place where they have permission to create.
⸻
🌲 OUTDOOR EXPLORERS
NATURE • ADVENTURE • CONSERVATION
Some young people grow up without ever camping, fishing, hiking or spending meaningful time exploring nature.
We want to create those opportunities.
Outdoor activities may include:
• Hiking
• Fishing
• Camping
• Tent setup
• Camping equipment basics
• Outdoor cooking
• Nature walks
• Wildlife education
• Plant identification
• Gardening
• Conservation
• Environmental stewardship
• Weather awareness
• Navigation basics
• Outdoor safety
• Community cleanups
• Parks and nature-center visits
CAMPING EXPERIENCES
As funding, transportation, facilities and appropriate supervision allow, we would like to provide youth with supervised camping experiences.
Students could learn how to:
Set up a campsite.
Pitch a tent.
Prepare food outdoors.
Respect wildlife.
Stay safe outdoors.
Work together.
And experience an environment that may be completely new to them.
SOMETIMES CONFIDENCE IS BUILT BY DOING SOMETHING YOU’VE NEVER DONE BEFORE.
⸻
🛠️ FIX-IT & PRACTICAL SKILLS
THINGS EVERY YOUNG PERSON SHOULD HAVE A CHANCE TO LEARN
There are everyday skills that don’t always get taught in school.
We want to help fill that gap.
Students may learn:
• How to safely use common hand tools
• How to use a tape measure
• Basic household repairs
• How to hang or assemble simple items
• How to sew on a button
• Basic clothing care
• Laundry basics
• Organization
• Grocery shopping
• Basic budgeting
• Reading instructions
• Problem solving
• Time management
• Personal responsibility
We want students to become increasingly comfortable saying:
“I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT YET—BUT I CAN LEARN.”
⸻
🌱 GARDENING & GROWING
Students may have opportunities to learn where food comes from and what it takes to grow something themselves.
Activities may include:
• Planting seeds
• Growing vegetables
• Understanding soil
• Watering and plant care
• Composting basics
• Pollinators
• Healthy food
• Community gardening
• Harvesting
Whenever possible, food grown through the program could even be incorporated into our Young Chefs activities.
GROW IT → HARVEST IT → COOK IT → SHARE IT.
⸻
🚌 EXPLORE • EXPERIENCE • DISCOVER
THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
Learning doesn’t have to happen inside four walls.
As funding, transportation, partnerships, availability and appropriate supervision allow, middle-school participants may have opportunities to experience educational and recreational trips.
Potential experiences may include:
🐠 AQUARIUMS
Including opportunities such as Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium and other aquatic or science experiences when feasible.
🦁 ZOOS
Students can experience wildlife, conservation and animal education firsthand.
🏛️ MUSEUMS
Potential visits may include:
Science museums
History museums
Art museums
Children’s museums
Technology exhibits
Cultural institutions
🏕️ NATURE & CAMPING
Nature centers
State and local parks
Camping
Fishing
Hiking
Conservation programs
🔬 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Science centers
Technology demonstrations
STEM activities
Manufacturing tours
Hands-on exhibits
🏀 SPORTS & COMMUNITY EXPERIENCES
When opportunities become available, youth may also attend sporting events, community celebrations and other positive experiences.
WHY FIELD TRIPS MATTER
A field trip isn’t simply a day away from the program.
A museum can create curiosity.
An aquarium can create an interest in marine science.
A camping trip can create independence.
An automotive shop can create a career interest.
A nature center can introduce an environmental career.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHICH EXPERIENCE WILL SPARK A YOUNG PERSON’S FUTURE.
⸻
💡 CAREER SPOTLIGHTS
Even though serious career preparation will become a larger focus in high school, middle school is an excellent time to start showing students what’s possible.
We would like to introduce students to people working in areas such as:
• Automotive technology
• Culinary arts
• Skilled trades
• Construction
• Healthcare
• Technology
• Art and design
• Photography
• Manufacturing
• Parks and recreation
• Environmental careers
• Entrepreneurship
• Public service
Instead of asking:
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
We want to start asking:
“WHAT HAVE YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCOVER?”
⸻
🤝 MENTORSHIP
Mentorship will be woven throughout the program.
Age-appropriate discussions and activities may address:
• Confidence
• Respect
• Responsibility
• School
• Goal setting
• Decision-making
• Bullying
• Peer pressure
• Conflict resolution
• Social media
• Emotional regulation
• Communication
• Healthy friendships
• Leadership
• Consequences
• Helping others
Our goal is to provide young people with positive adults who listen, encourage, teach and help them think about their future.
⸻
🔄 HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS
Rather than trying to teach every subject simultaneously, programs may operate in multi-week rotations.
For example:
ROTATION 1
Young Chefs
ROTATION 2
Auto Basics
ROTATION 3
Creative Studio
ROTATION 4
Outdoor Explorers
ROTATION 5
Practical Life Skills
This allows students to experience multiple subjects throughout the year while allowing instructors to spend meaningful time developing each skill.
Special field trips, career speakers and community experiences can be added throughout the year.
⸻
🛡️ YOUR CHILD’S SAFETY MATTERS
The safety and well-being of participating youth is one of our highest priorities.
Volunteers who work directly with children are required to successfully complete applicable background screening and program safety requirements before being approved for youth-facing responsibilities.
Program leaders, instructors, mentors and volunteers are expected to follow:
• Youth-safety procedures
• Appropriate adult-youth boundaries
• Program code of conduct
• Activity-specific safety requirements
• Appropriate supervision procedures
Activities involving cooking, tools, automotive instruction, outdoor activities and field trips will have additional age-appropriate safety requirements and supervision as necessary.
⸻
EVERY CHILD HAS SOMETHING TO DISCOVER.
A young person doesn’t have to be an athlete.
They may be a future:
Chef.
Mechanic.
Artist.
Engineer.
Entrepreneur.
Photographer.
Electrician.
Environmental scientist.
Designer.
Carpenter.
Community leader.
Or something they haven’t discovered yet.
OUR JOB IS TO GIVE THEM OPPORTUNITIES TO FIND OUT.
⸻
100% FREE
NO PROGRAM FEES FOR PARTICIPATING YOUTH.
Our goal is to remove financial barriers so children can participate, learn and experience new opportunities regardless of their family’s ability to pay.
EXPLORE SOMETHING NEW.
BUILD SOMETHING REAL.
DISCOVER WHAT YOU CAN DO.
ROCKFORD YOUTH, SPORTS & MENTORING
Mr. Marko
Program Director
📞 779-513-2404
✉️ 815YOUTH@RYSMROCKFORD.ORG
📍 5970 E. State St., Unit 6
Rockford, IL 61108
MORE THAN A PROGRAM. A PATH TO SOMETHING MORE.