Learning, Preforming, and Having Fun: CCOL Back 2 School Jam

On Saturday Sept. 19, kids and teens from around the city of Chicago attended Chicago City of Learning’s Back 2 School Jam.

Chicago City of Learning’s Back 2 School Jam allowed students to showcase what they learned over the summer along with opportunities to participate in hands-on activities, earn digital badges, enter in raffles and sign up for fall programming.

Over 40 organizations took part in the Back 2 School Jam. Attendees were able to participate in activities like the maker party, the NASA Mars Rover Challenge, where they got to design wheels for mini rovers, and play games with Games for Change Video Arcades, where they participated in games about environmental issues and anti-bullying.

Students were also given the opportunity to play with Microsoft Surface tablets and during the Mikva Challenge, they were able to write questions to presidential candidates that were posted to social media.

The event also included a teen only lounge where there was Donda’s House Sound Lounge, Curate/Style: Fashion Suite, and an open mic mixer. They were able to take part in spoken word poetry performances and zine making, put on by You Media. The teen only lounge was a new addition this year as an effort to have more activities and space for teens.

Kids and teens also took part in youth performances hosted by the Chicago based rap group, Huey Gang. Numerous youth engagement organizations participated like youth from Donda’s House, the Holy Family Dancers, and Happiness Club.

There was also a gallery that showcased summer achievements made by the students in coordination with the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Students also got to experience activities put on by the Chicago Park District’s Trace group and the Peggy Noebaert Nature Musuem’s Chicago Academy of Science’s table where students learned about insects and creatures native to Chicago.