Category Archive
Urban Initiatives’ Adult Learning service line uses 20 years of research-based play to equip thousands of caregivers and educators with trauma-informed strategies, achieving a 95% satisfaction rate as participants learn to manage their own well-being while supporting the 70,000 youth they serve.
A $1,750 grant from the MDRT Foundation is supporting Urban Initiatives’ citywide suite of play-based social-emotional learning programs, providing students with essential outlets to relieve stress, build life skills, and strengthen connections with peers and caring adults.
Urban Initiatives is serving as a critical protective factor for 100,000 students by driving attendance through joyful engagement, achieving early fundraising milestones, and scaling impact through staff-led recess models and national award-winning innovation.
After 15 years with UI, Cesar Hernandez has come full circle from student to coach, using the “Five Finger Values” and quiet mentorship to inspire the next generation of Chicago leaders.
140 middle school Captains gathered at Wintrust Arena for a free leadership retreat to build communication skills and take initiative by committing to help their teammates and communities.
The Springboard Foundation served as Urban Initiatives’ first-ever foundation partner, providing the critical early funding and mentorship that helped a small grassroots program grow into a sustainable, citywide organization.
The 20th Anniversary Soccer Ball celebrated two decades of community by bringing together 600 guests to raise over $730,000, ensuring Chicago’s youth remain connected to the vital mentorship and safe spaces they need to thrive.
This blog honors the J.R. Albert Foundation as a cornerstone partner whose early, unrestricted support and long-term trust helped transform Urban Initiatives from its earliest chapters into a citywide force for Chicago’s youth.
Through a transformative visit to Mesirow Financial, Zapata Academy’s Urban Initiatives team demonstrated how professional exposure and meaningful mentorship build the social capital necessary for students to envision and achieve their brightest futures.
This blog encourages people to use simple, festive games like The Winter Wonder Guess, Holiday Two Truths and a Lie, and Snowball Toss Challenge as icebreakers to find calm, connect with others, and relieve stress during the busy holiday season.
