Meet Will Ferguson, the On Site Program Director at Lorca Elementary in Chicago’s Avondale community. During the day Mr. Ferguson teaches Special Education Math and Science, as well as an Advisory and a Life Skills Course. But at 7 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays he helps over 30 students start their schools days with some…
One of UI’s most committed supporters, Stock candy company, helped celebrate another amazing Work to Play season by hosting the annual Storck-Urban Initiatives Game Day at Chicago Indoor Sports last Wednesday. Their group of 20 volunteers coached our kids on the field, distributed special edition Storck Game Day t-shirts, and served a deliciously healthy post-game…
Meet Cesar H. and Ceasar G. or as they like to call themselves, Cesar². They are the best and only Team Captains at Nathaniel Greene Elementary located in Chicago’s McKinley Park community, They’re such good friends that they finish each other sentences, tell funny stories, or just say the most random but interesting facts! They…
On December 6th, 60 Take the Lead Team Captains came together from across Chicago for the annual Captains’ Classic at Chicago Indoor Sports. Take the Lead Team Captains act as leaders for their Work to Play teams who are made up of 1st to 4th graders. Not only is the Captains’ Classic is an opportunity…
Urban Initiatives is pleased to announce our continued partnership with the MAXIMUS Foundation for the 2016-2017 school year! Support from the MAXIMUS Foundation will subsidize costs of nutritious snacks for the Work to Play team at Greene Elementary located in the McKinley Park community. The MAXIMUS Foundation is committed to supporting organizations and programs that promote personal growth and self-sufficiency…
REC Coordinators are vital to Urban Initiatives’ mission of empowering Chicago’s youth to become agents of community change through academic success, healthy living, and leadership development. They drive systematic change by connecting stakeholders and strengthening the social fabric of the community. Meet KyJuan, one of UI’s newest REC Coordinators! Basic info: Name, birthday, where you last went…
Urban Initiatives’ Community Resource Coordinator William Green is helping kids and families in Englewood take ownership of their school. For the last 13 years Urban Initiatives has provided many opportunities to make change in Chicago through academic success, healthy living, and leadership development. At the start of the 2016 – 2017 academic year for Chicago…
Program Associates are vital to Urban Initiatives’ mission of empowering Chicago’s youth to become agents of community change through academic success, healthy living, and leadership development. They drive systematic change by connecting stakeholders and strengthening the social fabric of the community. Meet Victoria, one of UI’s newest Program Associates! Basic info: Name, birthday, where you last went…
The Fourth Annual Urban Initiatives (UI) Associate Board (AB) Pizza Party was held on Thursday, November 17th at the law firm, Kirkland & Ellis. Students from Beethoven, Greene, and Davis Elementary all attended this year’s pizza party. As Associate Board member Shreya Canakapalli puts it, “The Pizza Party is a fun evening that provides Associate…
Coach Cecilia shares highlights from her parent/player scrimmages at Stevenson Elementary! The primary goal at Urban Initiatives is to empower Chicago’s youth to become agents of community change through academic success, healthy living, and leadership development. Family involvement within the Work to Play program is very important at Urban Initiatives. During the course of the last…
The morning after the election, coaches from the Chicagoland area came together for the 2nd annual Sports-Based Youth Development Practitioners’ Summit at the Breakthrough FamilyPlex on the west side. This event will take place annually as a social-professional opportunity for program staff to learn about how their work fits into the larger landscape of sports…
