Imagine being 12 years old, lying awake all night while your parents scream at each other, break things, and slam doors. Your father is drunk and raging. You’re terrified someone might get hurt — or worse. You huddle with your siblings, trying to keep them safe. When morning comes, your mom has a black eye, […]
On a summer day in July, a group of high school girls from Chicago’s South and West sides gathers in a conference room at Croke Fairchild Durate & Beres. For many, it’s their first trip to River North — and their first time stepping inside one of the city’s prestigious corporate offices. They’ve come for […]
“There is a vast difference between knowing the right thing to do and actually doing the right thing,” Nobel-winning economist Thomas Schelling once said. The evidence is unequivocal: early childhood education is one of the most impactful investments a society can make. Ninety percent of brain development occurs before the age of five, and decades of […]
In the harbor town of Cedarville, Michigan, the Marine Trades Institute is tackling one of the country’s most urgent workforce challenges: the shortage of skilled trades professionals. Once known as the Great Lakes Boat Building School, the nonprofit educational institution has spent the past two decades training students for hands-on careers in boat building and […]
Great leaders don’t separate business success from community impact — they build careers where both grow together. For two longtime City Year Chicago board members, that means integrating mission-driven values into everything from launching companies to owning a professional sports team to making films that spark conversation. That dual impact — lifting others while growing […]
As sustainability efforts expand across the country, a growing number of initiatives are rethinking how packaging waste is handled in industries like wine and spirits — from glass bottles to shipping boxes and plastic wrap. In Northern California, one program is offering a practical, scalable model that reduces landfill waste while building green career skills […]
As a child growing up in New York City, I could always find escape and comfort in books. I didn’t know it then, but those stories would become my compass, guiding me through adversity, identity, and inequality. Today, as the founder of Read It and Leave It, I work to offer that same compass to […]
We often speak of our world’s vastness — a place of countless cultures, languages, and lived experiences. We emphasize the importance of cross-cultural understanding, of listening and learning from others. But too often, these ideals remain abstract. Now, imagine a way for young people around the world to connect directly — to share their thoughts, […]
Inclusion isn’t just being invited to the party — it’s being asked to dance. The metaphor is simple, but the message runs deep: real inclusion means making sure everyone feels seen, valued, and involved — not just present. And teaching that kind of inclusion starts early. Experts in child development, education, and disability advocacy agree: […]
Schools should be places that nourish dreams, not destroy them. Yet, on April 16, 2007, the unimaginable happened once again. It was another school shooting, this time on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). The first shooting was in a dormitory, then two and a half hours later in classrooms […]
