Kingdom Avenue Inc. · Summer 2026
B.U.I.L.D.E.R.S.
Summer Program
Building Up Innovative Leaders Dedicated to Education, Recreation & Service
About the Program
More Than an Internship —
A Leadership Pipeline
B.U.I.L.D.E.R.S. is Kingdom Avenue’s signature nine-week summer youth development program designed to take young people from potential to purpose. Participants don’t just learn about community work — they do it. Alongside practitioners, organizers, and village builders, B.U.I.L.D.E.R.S. equip young people with the skills, values, and confidence to lead in Englewood and beyond.
Every element of the program is intentional. Every week builds on the last. And at the end of nine weeks, participants don’t just have a certificate — they have a track record.
Program Pillars
Three Pillars.
One Village Builder.
Every week, participants rotate through three interconnected pillars — each one building a different dimension of leadership. By the end of the program, they bring all three together in a closing community activation they plan and execute themselves.
Pillar 01
Education
Participants get hands-on training in community service from those actively doing the work. No textbooks. Real practitioners. Real neighborhoods. Real stakes.
Pillar 02
Recreation
Kingdom Avenue has organized the largest youth event in Englewood. Participants learn how to activate safe, joyful spaces — then plan and execute their own mini activation as a closing project.
Pillar 03
Service
Everything we do is rooted in service — to ourselves and to the community. Participants learn to center their own wellness while showing up fully for the village around them.
The Capstone
You Don’t Just Learn It.
You Lead It.
Every B.U.I.L.D.E.R.S. cohort closes the summer with a community activation — a real event, planned and executed by participants from start to finish. This is where everything comes together: the education, the recreation training, the service mindset.
Closing Project · Week 9
Your Mini Activation
Participants identify a need in their community, design a response, build a team, and activate. This is not a simulation. Real community. Real impact. Real leadership on display.
Past cohorts have run resource fairs, youth panels, community clean-ups, and block celebrations.
What You Walk Away With
A nine-week track record of showing up. Relationships with community practitioners. A completed community project. A network inside Kingdom Avenue’s village. And the confidence that comes from actually doing the work.
Summer 2026 Schedule
Mark Your Calendar —
The Summer Starts Here
Applications Open
Apply now — spots are limited. Priority given to Englewood residents ages 14–24.
Program Begins
Day one of nine weeks. Monday through Friday, Englewood, Chicago.
ESTY 2026 — Englewood Stomp The Yard
B.U.I.L.D.E.R.S. participants help power Englewood’s biggest free community event. 63rd & Halsted.
Closing Activation & Celebration
Participants present their community projects. Families, partners, and the village are invited to witness.
