Category Archive

Urban Initiatives

  • Meet Coach Michelle!

    Coach Michelle Ramos dedicates her career to enhancing the sports experience for the youth she serves at Palmer, Lloyd and Barry Elementary Schools. Last year, Michelle started working at Palmer as a part-time Coach Across America and has since taken on a regular position facilitating recess during the school day and soccer-based youth development programming…

    Meet Coach Michelle!
  • UI’s Newest Work to Play Schools

    Urban Initiatives is happy to share with you an update from our three newest Work to Play Schools! Mahalia Jackson Elementary: Jackson is the Work to Play Team and Urban Initiatives’  41st partner school. In the Auburn Gresham neighborhood, the Jackson WTP team is excited to join the UI soccer family. Jackson participants, like Tayshaun and Marqise have already started…

    UI’s Newest Work to Play Schools
  • SBYD Program Staff Summit

    Chicago’s SBYD program staff have been working tirelessly this year to help kids cultivate a love of learning through sports, so Urban Initiatives honored this effort by hosting the first (and hopefully annual!) Program Staff Summit. The summit was an opportunity for them to learn about each other and learn from each other. Our goal was…

    SBYD Program Staff Summit
  • Soccer60 Warms Up Winter

    The 2016 Soccer60 season at Our Lady of Grace was EPIC! The kids learned and improved their soccer and life skills. The beginning of the season started off a little hectic. Once rules and guidelines were set, it was smooth sailing from there. Urban Initiatives new Player of the Week award was debuted. This award…

    Soccer60 Warms Up Winter
  • Meet Maria, UI’s Intern Extraordinaire

    Maria, our wonderful intern from Urban Alliances’ career and college preparedness program just won the “Intern of the Week” award, and we couldn’t agree more! Urban Initiatives partners with Urban Alliance to provide quality internship opportunities for high school seniors across the city. Maria comes to us from Farragut High School, in the Little Village…

    Meet Maria, UI’s Intern Extraordinaire
  • Mapping out their Future

    Team Captains are getting ready for the Spring Season! As you know, there is no off-season for Take the Lead participants! Last month, Team Captains across 27 schools participated in Huddle #5-Task Persistence. Middle schoolers discussed what it means to be persistent and committed to something, especially when times get tough. They started to discuss…

    Mapping out their Future
  • GSA Gets Out of Dodge for a Trip to D.C.

    Unfortunately for their ratings, ESPN 8 (the Ocho) missed a great sporting event last Friday at Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy. The Play with Potential squad, led by Coach Ruth and Mr. Glover, put on a dodgeball tournament to help raise money for the upcoming 8th grade trip to Washington DC. The middle school academies faced off in a…

  • The Best Job in the World

    Coach Kevin from Prieto joined the UI team last year as a Program Associate for the Work to Play program. Now he spends his entire day at Dr. Jorge Prieto Math and Science Academy as a School Based Program Coordinator. Check out what Coach Kevin has to say about his new role! I always explain…

    The Best Job in the World
  • Women On Call’s Meet & Match 2016

    Check out Katie Sullivan, UI’s Program Evaluation and Volunteer Manager blog from when she attended Women On Call’s 10th Anniversary Meet & Match event. Urban Initiatives has been involved with Women On Call since its inception in 2006. Over the last 10 years, a variety of departments have benefitted from Women On Call’s support in…

    Women On Call’s Meet & Match 2016