The AmeriCorps member at Urban Initiatives will serve as a Youth Program Associate to create and engage youth and their families in health, education, and character development activities throughout the course of the service term. The member serving in this capacity will:
The program will offer to the member an $18,000 stipend, training and professional development opportunities. Upon the completion of the service term and the required 1700 worked hours; the members will become eligible for a $5,350 education award.
Please apply by mail or email no later than August 1, 2010. Your application should include your email address, a copy of your resume, as well as a cover letter describing any related experience and an explanation as to why you think you would make a great Program Associate at Urban Initiatives. A personal interview will be required. Submit to: Jim Dower, jim.dower@urbaninitiatives.org.
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Please join UI in celebrating soccer and art in Chicago this Saturday at Six Points, 1529 N. Milwaukee. The event will feature music from Johnny Fonseca and have free food and drinks. Space is limited. Please RSVP to nikesportswear@experient.net.
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On July 7th, Nike and Six Points hosted UI participants from Jenner, Libby and Reavis to watch Spain play Germany in the World Cup Semi Finals. Overall, the event was incredible. The kids came to Six Points to enjoy lunch, watch the game, and play several exciting rounds of foosball. Nike provided vuvuzelas for the kids so that they could cheer on the teams as if they were in the stadium in South Africa.
At halftime, the participants engaged in a Skype conversation with South African youth who were watching the game in the home country. The kids took turns asking questions to learn about differences across the globe. The South African children even taught our kids the South African celebration dance and the UI participants sang the United States National Anthem. Great times were had by all!
Thank you to Six Points and Nike for their ongoing generosity!
]]> Here is background on our new friends in South Africa:Every weekend the Chris Campbell Memorial Field in Khayelitsha hosts some 2000 Khayelitsha young people in 5-a-side league tournaments. The Chris Campbell field is a project of the CTC Ten Foundation, and it was setup to use soccer as a means of empowering young people in Khayelitsha through sport and life skills development. Khayelitsha is South Africa's fastest growing urban centre, and also Cape Town's biggest township, home to some 1.5million people. Khayelitsha is a suburb young in age, and young in population, with very little available to entertain and occupy young minds.
The CTC Ten Foundation's various football centered projects fill a large vacuum and is making a significant impact. The field itself is a Fifa level 2 grade artificial pitch, with a clubhouse. On Saturdays and Sundays the project, coordinated by a young man called Ryan McGongigle, run 5-a-side leagues for young children, and in the evenings they run a night league aimed at the older teenagers and young adults as part of an anti-crime campaign.
The teenagers that will be participating in the Nike exchange event on Wed 7 July are all teenagers that during the World Cup school holidays have been involved in daily football workshops, education and tournaments. More information can be found here.
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Good news! Urban Initiatives is partnering with a social commerce company called Mulamu, a new and unique fundraising tool that will help us meet our fundraising goals.
Mulamu offers deeply-discounted daily deals from local businesses --primarily restaurants, spas, theaters and other fun opportunities in the North Shore and Northwest Suburbs. And each day, Mulamu will send out these daily deals in an email blast campaign to our supporters and the local community. Each time one of our registered Mulamu users (this means you) purchases one of the deals, a percentage of the proceeds will be supporting Urban Initiatives. Everybody wins!
To sign up and support Urban Initiatives, please enter your email address at this web page:
www.mulamu.com/urbaninitiatives
Thank you for supporting us! Thank you to Mulamu for giving back to their community!
Urban Initiatives would invite you to the Pelada Premier Series at Nike's Six Points World Cup Store (1529 N. Milwaukee). Please RSVP, because these events will sell out. Feel free to forward on to friends, family, or colleagues.
Pelada is an all-around inspiring documentary that focuses on the Beautiful Game away from the professional stadiums and manicured fields, there's another side of soccer, in Brazil, the word for pick-up is "pelada," which literally means "naked" - the game stripped down to its core.
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MEXICO v. SOUTH AFRICA vs. Soccer Match on June 11, 2010Six Points opens its doors to the fifth and sixth graders of Chicago Public School, Goethe Middle School, for a private viewing of the World Cup match up of Mexico vs. South Africa. The live viewing party takes place from 8:30am – 11am. The attending students will be asked to write a paragraph on what Mexico and Soccer mean to them, and provide 1-3 visuals to help with the t-shirt design.
At the end of the match, the winner of the essay contest will be presented with an award from NIKE.
The display of World Cup Team uniforms, foosball tables, Xbox 360 with FIFA soccer will provide supplemental entertainment during the event.
Potentially, Nike will connect Goethe students with South Africa via live webcast with students. The experience may be extended into the classroom to help teach geography, culture and sport. The hope is the soccer viewing event will extend into a pen pal program and bridge the gap between countries.
6.11.10 SPECIAL EVENT ELEMENTS
On June 26th, Chicago Indoor Sports will begin hosting the Chicago Indoor World Cup. 32 Men's teams will compete in a 6v6 tournament for the chance to win $500 and a World Cup replica trophy.2010 World Cup games will be played live on a giant 12x12ft screen. Food and beer specials will be provided all month. Click here to learn more or register your team for the event.
]]> Chicago Indoor Sports generously donates indoor playspace at their incredible facility during every season of Urban Initiatives' programming. We are extremely grateful for their ongoing support!]]>
The event is self-timed offering walkers and runners of all abilities a great opportunity to get out and get moving. Bring your dog, bring your kids, and bring yourself to this 3.1 mile walk/run. Download a map of the course now.
Participation is FREE! Go go signmeup.com to register. Click here for additional information.
]]>We hopped off the bus and were warmly greeted by "Coach Stephanie." Stephanie and the rest of the Northbrook parents/coaches were wonderful hosts. They quickly helped our players get involved in small-sided games on the fields with the Spartan FC players.
As we always do when playing other teams or schools, the Prieto team held a meeting to discuss sportsmanship and respect no matter who our opponents might be. Aylin, one of our more outspoken players, ran up to me during her game and said, "It's easy being a good sport with these kids. They are all so nice!"
Throughout the afternoon, I could hear words of encouragement from Northbrook players to ours, and vice versa. The entire group had a great opportunity to bond and play some soccer together with each other.
At the end of the games, we were graciously provided with pizza, Rice Krispie treats, water, and apples. The kids were thrilled, and the Northbrook parents and coaches made sure all our players had plenty to eat before our bus ride back home. The event was a great experience for all our players, and it provided them with a chance to make some great friends while playing some great soccer.
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Urban Initiatives is proud to be one of four incredible nonprofit organizations selected to be beneficiaries of the @properties Friends and Neighbors Community Fund. On June 5th, @properties will be hosting Chicago Revealed: A Pursuit of Chicago's Hidden Treasures in support of their community fund.Click hereto download the PDF invitation.
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Chicago's Historic Saddle and Cycle Club Ballroom and Terrace - 900 West Foster Avenue
The VIP Pursuit: 5:00-7:30pm, followed by The Party @ $150
Participate in the pursuit of Chicagpo's landmarks while competing against other teams. Tea,s will ride in stylish limos and enjoy refreshments while solving challenging clues to reach their destinations.
The Party: 7:30pm @ $100
Enjoy hors d'oeuvres and dancing with live entertainment by Spoken Four (presented by Maggie Speaks). Live and silent auction.
The event is going to be a blast. We hope to see you there!
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The U.S. Soccer Foundation, the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States, made an equipment donation to our program in recognition of Chicago Fire midfielder, Logan Pause, who was honored last year as a U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year.The equipment donation of 6 Pop-Up Goals, 3 Ball Bags, 24 Soccer Balls, and 100 backpacks, was made at a World Cup Celebration we hosted along with Pause on Friday, May 21st for program participants from Jahn and Reavis at the Lincoln Park Fields.
]]> “Logan’s passion and commitment for serving his community is truly inspirational and he serves as a perfect example to others looking for ways to give back,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “We are proud to honor his achievements both on and off the field through this donation to Urban Initiatives.”Thank you to Pause for selecting Urban Initiatives as the beneficiary of his award and for coming out to play with our kids. They had a ball! Also thank you to the U.S. Soccer Foundation for their donation and for their commitment to honoring soccer players who give back to their communities.
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Summer Rummage Sale: June 5, 2010 from 8 a.m. to NoonChrist Church has once again selected Urban Initiatives as a beneficiary of their Summer Rummage Sale. We are thrilled to have their support and hope that you will come out to Winnetka to support us and 60 other organizations.
Treasures will be open for the first time during the summer sale! In lieu of the Community House Antique Sale.
Click here to download a flyer for the event and share the opportunity with friends
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This national event was designed to help develop new programs and strengthen already existing ones who are using soccer as a tool for positive youth development in underserved communities. The event is the only national event that provides, resources, trainings, information, and networking opportunities specifically addressing the issues facing these programs.
]]> The overall greatest takeaway from the symposium for UI was the opportunity to share best practices with likeminded organizations. It was incredible to be in the same room with so many other people who share UI's passion for soccer-based youth development. There were organizations doing great work from Honduras to California and from Kenya to New Jersey. We look forward to partnering with many of these fabulous organizations in the future.The Urban Soccer Collaborative and the U.S. Soccer Foundation have joined forces to develop strategies, practices, and resources that will yield measurable and sustainable results among the populations of children they strive to serve. UI is grateful to both of these incredible organizations for giving us the opportunity to take the work we are doing in Chicago and put in into a national perspective. Thank you for mobilizing a movement to use soccer to impact positive social change.
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