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New Impact Grants Support Newcomer Youth in Chicago

July 24, 2024  |  beyond the ball, chicago, grantmaking, greenspace, impact grants, newcomer youth, outdoor recreation, public space, REACH, recreation philanthropy, working bikes
Kids in bright vests play together on a field
Photo courtesy of Beyond the Ball

The Chicago area is now home to a significant number of newcomer families who have recently arrived in the United States. While it can be difficult to track exactly how many new arrivals have landed in Chicago, some estimates suggest that over 44,000 people have arrived in Chicago over the past two years after crossing into the United States at the southern border. This number includes up to 17,000 youth who have entered Chicago Public Schools during the same time period. NRF recently awarded three new Impact Grants to organizations extending services to newcomer youth and families in the Chicago area: Beyond the Ball, Working Bikes, and Refugee Education and Adventure Challenge (REACH).

A large group of youth sit on an outdoor field looking at an adult
Photo courtesy of Beyond the Ball

Beyond the Ball uses public spaces for group recreation that ultimately aims to build community and reduce public violence in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago. The Impact Grant from NRF supports two initiatives from Beyond the Ball – Project Play and Our Little Village. Both programs activate community parks and ensure that youth have positive ways to spend their time while connecting families to create networks of support within Little Village. Specifically, Beyond the Ball invests in park infrastructure and encourages use of the park by community members across age and gender categories. Both of these factors have been proven to decrease crime in public outdoor spaces.

A warehouse holds lots of bikes lined up together
Photo of Working Bikes

Working Bikes increases access to bicycle ownership, repair services, and mechanical training in Chicago. NRF’s grant supports the Welcome, Let’s Roll / Bienvenidos, Vamos a Rodar initiative, which assists newcomer populations with transportation and social connection. Having a bike is a means to move throughout the city, allowing new arrivals to travel efficiently and cheaply to and from work, school, or any other destination. Working Bikes also offers regular community rides and workshops which help newcomers meet new people, gain confidence in their new home setting, and build skills around mechanical bike knowledge. 

A young person stands over a mountain bike and smiles
Photo courtesy of REACH

REACH works to boost access to nature among newcomer families in Chicago through transformative outdoor learning experiences. The grant from NRF supports summer and weekend Adventure Camps. At camp, youth are engaged in hiking, fishing, biking, kayaking, and birdwatching among other activities. REACH approaches connection to the outdoors as a channel to American culture and language. Alongside traditional camp programming, REACH staff are also responsive to the specific needs of new arrivals. This means REACH programming aims to bridge cultural gaps, increase awareness of safe recreational spaces, and build connections between families.

Adults and children sit in kayaks holding paddles
Photo courtesy of REACH

Communities in and around Chicago are working fast to address the short-term needs of newcomer families. It is important, however, to develop steady, long-term interventions to support newcomer youth as they settle into their new home in addition to this immediate action. Young people face many challenges when they move to the United States. Beyond the typical emotional hardships of childhood and adolescence, newcomer youth must also navigate multiple cultures, separation from family and friends, and new social dynamics at school. Beyond the Ball, Working Bikes, and REACH are extending their work to ensure that new arrivals in Chicago can be safe, feel welcome, and access both essential services and opportunities for fun in their new home. NRF is proud to support all three of these organizations doing this important work in the Chicago area.