For the sixth year, the Illinois Humanities Council is enrolling students in a college program that takes care of all the extras: baby-sitting, transportation, books–and even tuition.
“Our main goal is to give people the same quality education as people who have more resources can get,” said Angel Ysaguirre, director of programs for the council. “Initially we’d hoped to help them participate more in public life.”
But the 28-week college-level humanities program has led many students to college.
One student, Ysaguirre said, began in the program three years ago–just after being released from jail–and is now earning a 4.0 grade-point average at a community college.
Students in the program, called the Odyssey Project, study history, literature and philosophy, but they can also get tutoring in writing skills.
Students earn a certificate of achievement, as well as six credit hours from Bard College. They must be at least 18, able to read an English-language newspaper and earn no more than 50 percent over the standard poverty level. To qualify for the program, a family of four must have an income of no more than $25,000. Classes begin in September at either the Ariel Community Academy on the South Side or the Howard Area Community Center in Rogers Park.
Tuition is free, and the program provides transportation vouchers, child care and books.
For more information about the Odyssey Project, or to request an application for the South Side program, call Amy Thomas Elder at 773-550-9406. For an application for the North Side course, call Catherine Zurybida at 773-995-8411.
