Our Impact - Global Shapers Chicago

IMPACT

While we value our connection to the World Economic Forum and the bonds we share with one another, we're laser-focused on getting things done. Each year, we align on impact projects that directly connect to improving the lives of Chicagoans. For instance, one of our impact projects entailed working with My Block, My Hood, My City to develop organizational capabilities, scale operations, and execute cross-neighborhood excursions for underserved Chicago students. Another had us partner with LeadersUp to develop training & curricula that empower youth interviewing for and navigating a new job. Find some of our other partners below.
 
Inclusive Technology Entrepreneurship
In recognition of the large and growing role that technology is playing in Chicago to shape the Future of Work, CGS is excited to release a report on inclusive technology entrepreneurship in Chicago, highlighting the viewpoint of young professionals in Chicago. We believe young professionals have an important contribution to make to - and are notably impacted by - both the challenges and the opportunities in this space.
See the report here.
 

Our Annual impact reports

Our Focus for 2021
Equity and diversity in the chicago workforce

In alignment with the World Economic Forum’s initiative of developing a more inclusive, equitable and diverse future of work, the Chicago Global Shapers’ 2021-22 impact projects will focus on building partnerships with organizations that are actively creating solutions to accelerate equity and diversity in the Chicago workforce.
 
If you are a potential partner for this year’s Chicago Global Shapers Impact Project Partnership Program, please review the Request for Proposals document here. *Deadline for submission of RFPs is rolling.
 
Provided your organization’s mission and proposed project, we hope that we can engage in a successful project that drives positive change for the future of work in the Chicago-land area. The Chicago Global Shapers have had over five years of successful impact projects through partnerships with Chicago organizations and hopefully with your organization in 2021.
 
In this RFP, we have shared more about who the Chicago Global Shapers are, the purpose of our impact projects and how they function, in addition to asking questions about your organization’s mission, capacity and the project you propose for our support and partnership.
 
CHICAGO GLOBAL SHAPERS COMMITMENTS
The Chicago Global Shapers team will make our best effort to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with our partner organization on the project. We will work to be transparent with processes and decisions and respect the opinions and ideas of our partners. To the best of our ability, we will leverage our assets and skillsets for mutual benefit including volunteer labor, marketing and publicity, etc.
 
We hope that you can be a partner in this effort and look forward to reviewing your proposal!

IMPACT PROJECTS

CHICAGO DIALOGUE PROJECT

2017-2018The 2017 US Presidential election centered race and religion as defining and dividing forces in American society. With that backdrop, our Hub used 2017 to develop the Chicago Dialogue Project, an initiative designed to create awareness, spark dialogue, and promote education about some of the most pertinent issues impacting Chicago youth. This yearlong series of facilitated discussions engaged Chicago teens on some of the most complex and divisive issues impacting their day-to-day, with conversations touching on community-police relations, immigration, and Islamophobia. Our goal was to empower young people to open up about how these issues impact them and eventually work alongside peers to develop actionable steps to address and remedy these issues. While hosting conversations was important, we believed that our work wouldn't be complete if we didn't equip and inspire young people to take immediate action. That's why we developed resource guides aimed at giving attendees a simple starting point. These resource guides were useful for students who:Wanted to learn more about topics of discussionWanted to identify community members to connect with to drive changeNeeded immediate help and/or assistance 
Check out our guides below:
Community Police Relations
Immigration

PASSPORT PROJECT

2016-2017
The passport project focused on 
 
1) preparing high schoolers for community engagement-focused international trips 
 
2) supporting them in identifying meaningful career opportunities post-trip. The project connected internationally-minded young professionals with youth from across Chicago.

Learn More About Global Glimpse

Pythagorean Rhythms

2017-2018
Pythagorean Rhythms takes a multi-faceted approach when addressing academic performance disparity in marginalized communities by 'stemming' music in children.
 
It is scientifically proven that children who practice musical instruments and/or listen to music from a young age show significantly greater ability to recognize patterns and have heightened spatial-reasoning skills compared to children who don't. Pythagorean Rhythms targets the youth who don't. Youth whose race, ethnicity and gender are disproportionately less represented in S.T.E.M working fields in America. This targeted program will instill children (from age 4) with the classical techniques and training they need to explore their musical and artistic talents while exposing them to an array of instruments and genres, including classical, jazz and contemporary.
 
This program also aims to make our 'disconnected' youth contributors in the music world by driving them to create and compose music, not just consume. Pythagorean Rhythms bridges the art divide by giving 'disconnected' youth an opportunity to express themselves and develop an alternative paradigm to heightening academic performance through music.

Parent Education Initiative

2017-2018
The goal of this impact project is to empower parents with knowledge which enables them to understand their child’s strengths and areas of growth, know the rights and support services to which their children are entitled, and communicate effectively with school staff.
 

LEADERS UP

2015-2016
As Opportunity Youth (youth between the ages of 18-24 that are not in work or school) represent a diverse population of especially vulnerable groups (i.e. homeless, foster care, high school dropouts, and reentry), the LeadersUp program seeks to develop and integrate key resources for preparing youth for the workforce and supporting their transition through the process. Our on-boarding process includes a two day LeadersUp empowerment training followed by a 5-day power skills training, to help youth 1) recognize their own agency in transitioning to work 2) prepare for interviews with employers and 3) develop a cohort of peer accountability to assist in transition. CGS would be involved in helping youth to build positive coping skills, resiliency, and coaching for sustained success in employment pathways. We envision a short-term project that consists of:
Skill Development Workshops for 3 training cohorts
Ongoing mentorship for up to 45 LeadersUp Hires
Participation in post placement professional development lunches

Learn More About Leaders Up

MY BLOCK, MY HOOD, MY CITY

2013-2014
For our inaugural impact project, the Chicago Global Shapers (CGS) selected a project that immersed our hub in Chicago’s rich and diverse communities. We wanted to learn about Chicago and understand why the city is so segregated, and then use this understanding to connect Chicagoans and help residents see our city as the sum of its rich neighborhoods.

Over the past 18 months, CGS collaborated with Chicago community activist Jahmal Cole’s My Block My Hood My City (MBMHMC), an organization focused on getting young people into differentneighborhoods across the city.

Primarily, Chicago Global Shapers and My Block My Hood My City revised
and expanded the “Explorers Club”, which brings ten different teenagers to
a newneighborhood every month. 
 
Explorations include visiting local
businesses, museums/cultural hubs, and restaurants that capture the
essence of theneighborhood.