Youth Communication Chicago Collection, 1977-2010

Collection

Identifier: RG 1000.16

Staff Only

About the Collection

The Youth Communication Chicago Collection dates from 1997 to 2010 in 8.44 cubic feet (12 boxes). The collection strength lies in the complete run of New Expression, the YCC publication from 1977 to 2010. Other collection material includes negatives, proof sheets, information sheets, and photographs produced for articles and a small amount of office files containing manuals and other paperwork.

Dates

1977 - 2010

Terms of Access

The entirety of the Youth Communication Chicago collection is available to all users.

Terms of Use

Materials are the property of Columbia College Chicago. Intellectual property rights of work belong to the original creators. Materials within the collection that are published and copyrighted maintain their copyright protections and must be used according to United States Copyright Law. Use of this collection and its materials is understood to be primarily for research, teaching, and creative study; additional uses, such as publication, exhibition, or other appropriate purposes may be considered upon consultation with the Archivist.

History - Youth Communication Chicago

A federal study on the state of high school journalism conducted in 1974 found that urban minority students were underrepresented and did not have a strong voice. These findings caused Sister Ann Heintz, a Chicago school teacher, to establish Youth Communication, a non-profit organization, in 1976.

Now known as Youth Communication Chicago (YCC), the organization continues to serve urban high school journalists by offering a forum in which to be heard and has worked with more than 3,750 Chicago students since it was founded.

The Chicago high school journalists research, contribute, write, and edit articles to produce the news publication, New Expression, that reports on current events, issues, college and career news, business, entertainment and sports. The publication is circulated throughout the Chicago-land area and is available at high schools and other locations.

For its early years, New Expression was funded by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial, Urban Dynamics/Inner City Fund, Leo Burnett USA, and the Continental Bank Foundation.

“Youth must be heard and understood. The expression and sharing of their experiences, concerns, and solutions is critical to their ability to shape their present and future worlds. Youth Communication provides Chicago area youth with mass media vehicles to voice their ideas” is the organization’s mission.

Extent

8.44 Cubic Feet (Four (4) record boxes, Eight (8) print boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Introduction

Youth Communication Chicago (YCC) is an non-profit organization established in 1976 to foster the art of journalism among urban minority high school students. Youth Communication Chicago offices were located at Columbia College Chicago until 2011. YCC collaborates with local college students and the Columbia College Chicago Journalism Department has served as a YCC collaborator. This collection contains the organization’s records and a run of the YCC publication, New Expression, from 1977 to 2010.

Collection Arrangement

The Youth Communication Chicago collection is arranged in four series:

Series 1: New Expression, 1977-2010
Series 2: New Expression Photography, 1977-1999
Series 3: New Expression Documents, 1977-2009
Series 4: Oversize Items, 1977-2009

The records of this collection have been separated into series by format. The first two series and the fourth series have been arranged chronologically and alphabetically. Series 3 has been arranged by subject and chronologically.

Requirements for Researcher’s Access

All physical materials and reformatted media must be viewed during a scheduled appointment time within the College Archives & Special Collections office. No materials are to be circulated unless otherwise consulted with the Archivist.

Technical Requirements for Researcher’s Access

Researchers viewing digitized, online material from this collection may access these materials from home via the World Wide Web 24/7.

Accessible Online Material from the Youth Communication Chicago Collection

While the entirety of this collection is available for research in person, portions of it have been digitized and made available online including:

New Expression, 1977-2008
View digitized issues of New Expression, a magazine published by Youth Communication Chicago that reported on current events, issues, college and career news, business, entertainment, and sports. The publication was circulated throughout the Chicago-land area and its primary audience was high school students.