KidsMatter’s Senior High Board continues history of giving voice to students to address their challenges

Panel planning Two-Week Wellness Challenge to help peers focus on wellbeing

NAPERVILLE, ILL. — The KidsMatter Senior High Board has a history of giving voice to high school students to help address the challenges they face — and this month is a prime example.

Students involved with this year’s Senior High Board are planning a Two-Week Wellness Challenge, an idea they developed themselves to provide teens with time to focus inwardly on their own physical, mental or nutritional health and wellbeing. The event begins with a kickoff from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22 in room WSC 101 at North Central College’s Wentz Science Center, 132 S. Loomis St., and all high school students are invited to attend.

Participants will break into groups and work with an expert on each topic to discuss ways to implement positive lifestyle changes to their eating habits, exercise routines or mental health. Each group will develop a project to complete during the Two-Week Challenge and present at the closing celebration, scheduled for 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 8, also in room WSC 101 at Wentz Science Center.

This is the fourth year that KidsMatter’s Senior High Board members have planned and hosted a community event geared at their peers, providing teens the chance to engage with a topic of interest that promotes resilience and positive choices. Senior High Board members gain leadership experience and organizational skills while planning the events — and advise professionals invested in youth development with insights into the supports students need.

The Senior High Board was established in 2004 and has been a positive addition to KidsMatter during the organization’s 25-year history. The student group evolved from KidsMatter’s Board of Asset Trustees when former Naperville Police Chief Bob Marshall realized something was missing from the panel’s discussions about programs to help youth build developmental assets and avoid destructive choices.

“I remember looking around the table, and it was all full of adults, and we were talking about some of the needs of the young people in our community — ideas to address bullying, alcohol use, drug use, the need for a positive space for teens to gather, and the pressure to achieve perfection. But what was missing?” Marshall said. “The youth. How are we going to decide on programs that would benefit the youth in our community if we’re not including them to get their input?”

KidsMatter’s then-Executive Director IdaLynn Wenhold worked to establish the board, recruiting students with an interest in building socially and emotionally healthy peers and having a voice to proactively address the issues most relevant to them.

The board has continued to involve passionate and positive students to this day, providing volunteer opportunities and the chance to organize community initiatives to generate solutions to the pressing challenges youth face.

Later this spring, KidsMatter’s Senior High Board will invite rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors to apply for board membership during the 2026-27 school year. For details on past Senior High Board Events and when to apply, follow KidsMatter on Facebook at facebook.com/KidsMatter2us or Instagram at instagram.com/kidsmatter2us/ or contact Director of Programs Sherilyn Hebel at sherilyn@kidsmatter2us.org.

About KidsMatter: Recognized as Naperville’s proactive, youth-oriented human services organization, KidsMatter’s mission is to build resilient kids who say “no” to destructive choices and “yes” to endless possibilities. Established in 2001, and now celebrating its 25th year, KidsMatter empowers kids to realize their purpose, know their value, and discover their pathway through programs addressing youth mental health, leadership development and career exploration. A leader among nonprofits, KidsMatter harnesses the power of partnerships to help young people build developmental assets, including positive values, healthy relationships and self-esteem. KidsMatter has been highlighted by NBC 5 Chicago’s Making a Difference in 2024 for providing Youth Mental Health First Aid courses and by CBS News Chicago in 2023 for the Kindness Counts Campaign. With programming focused on preventing problems in the lives of youth before they start — and an extensive network of parents, educators and resources — KidsMatter equips youth and families with essential tools to manage the societal pressures and stresses of everyday life.