Urban Initiatives uses sport and play as a key strategy to positively impact our program participants’ social emotional learning (SEL). Play can have profound impacts on youths’ SEL, and Urban Initiatives has intentionally developed its recess curriculum and overall program approach to positively impact SEL outcomes through intentional, active games and SEL skill-building.
Although pop culture has led many to believe that leadership is a talent or a set of innate skills possessed by few, leadership skills are practicable. By breaking down what it means to be a leader and what specific skills and capacities it takes to lead, we can encourage leaders from all backgrounds, experiences, and…
Our coaches and families are two of the most committed groups of stakeholders Urban Initiatives has and without their support our programs wouldn’t work. The Family & Coach Appreciation Party allows us to spend an evening with them, thank them, and share a meal.
all Urban Initiatives coaches receive regular training to ensure that our participants are receiving the highest quality programming possible. In March, Urban Initiatives hosted two spring training sessions on the south and west sides. These trainings kick off our spring seasons and provide an opportunity for our Work to Play soccer coaches to come together,…
On Friday, February 1st, our Team Captains in our leadership development program — Take the Lead- participated in a leadership retreat at MB Ice Arena. MB Ice Arena is the Chicago Blackhawks’ official practice arena and we were so grateful for the Blackhawks partnership in executing an incredibly successful retreat.
Urban Initiatives and Allstate Insurance presented the 2019 Soccer Ball at Rockwell on The River on Friday, January 25, 2019. Featuring fundraising, dancing, cocktails and delicious appetizers, Soccer Ball 2019 was a complete success!
Every year, we look forward to this event as a way for the UI staff, Associate Board and participants to genuinely connect and get to know each other through an evening of games, team building exercises, and, of course, pizza.
The Urban Initiatives Associate Board is a group of approximately 150 young professionals who dedicate their time to volunteering with UI participants, helping to plan UI events, and raising funds to support our work. Our members come from all over the greater Chicago area to support the kids and families that we serve. Although their…
Urban Initiatives is excited to announce that our 2017-2018 data and evaluation results are complete and our programs have once again showed strong results in physical activity, academic success, and social emotional learning. Urban Initiatives is committed to being a proven organization that continually evaluates our programs to determine success and to make curriculum and…
Workforce development is critical to the success of our organization, our city, and our employees. Here’s how we are prioritizing the development of our staff.
As we approach the start of a new school year, high school juniors and seniors are contemplating their future — whether headed towards the workforce or a college experience — and they are weighing their grades, extracurricular activities, and test scores to determine next steps to reach their goals. Regardless of their SAT scores, their…