Annual Report

As we approach the end of 2024, we are excited to share our Annual Report with you as a reflection of all the important and impactful work that we were able to do for our youth and families with your support!

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Holiday Giving

December is here and we’re excited to officially kick off the Season of Giving.

Together, we are creating a strong, brighter future for youth, families, and our community. Please consider supporting Project: VISION so that we can to continue to grow together to Reach New Heights in 2025

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Winter Newsletter

2024 is almost over, and Project: VISION wants to thank all of our supporters for helping us create incredible programs, events, and activities this year. As we look ahead to an amazing new year, let’s take a moment to celebrate some of the incredible memories we’ve made together.

OUR MISSION

Project: VISION’s mission is to help youth in Chicago’s Greater Chinatown community reach their full potential by providing them with tools for educational, personal, and civic development.

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Our overall goals include:

Helping youth overcome barriers to success and gain equal access to education and ultimately career opportunities.

Equipping youth with skills, confidence, and sense of social responsibility that empowers them to give back to the community and become future leaders.

Providing a safe space where community youth can come together to support each other and share in common identities and experiences.

Advocating for access to resources and opportunities our youth need to succeed.

Our Challenge

Our community is all too often overlooked as among the most underserved neighborhoods in Chicago due in part to the “model minority” stereotype. In reality, many of our youths, like those in many other Chicago neighborhoods, face barriers to succeeding in school and beyond:

%

are from lower-income families

%

are from first-generation immigrant families

%

would be first-generation college students

We know under-resourced youths face many challenges and are more vulnerable, often less likely to graduate high school and college. They are less college and workplace ready and therefore have limited career prospects. Project: VISION‘s programs aim to help level the playing field for all youth aspiring to reach their goals.

Our Approach

Project: VISION takes a holistic approach to youth development. Our programs help youth achieve academic success, develop personal strengths and 21st-century skills, and build positive attitudes and confidence, preparing them to become well-rounded, socially responsible community leaders. Three core program areas aim to help our youth LEARN, encourage them to SERVE, and finally LEAD.

LEARN

Support academic success by helping youth develop effective study skills and a love for learning through tutoring, enrichment, and college readiness activities.

SERVE

Foster a sense of community and social responsibility by encouraging community engagement and providing opportunities for meaningful service learning.

LEAD

Build character, confidence, positive attitudes, and leadership skills that empower youth to be positive examples for their peers, an asset to the community, and ready for the workplace.

THRIVE

Focus on mental and emotional well-being, self-care, and positive and healthy relationships with family and peers.

Our Impact

EMPOWERING YOUTH ONE AT A TIME

In 2003, a group of young professionals, students, and community volunteers saw a need for community youth to have a space to call their own. Project: VISION was brought to life by the group’s collective goals to provide youth with positive role models and positive activities that build a foundation for youth to reach their full potentials. Since then, Project: VISION has reached over 2,000 youth with its free after school programs. Last year, we served over a record 460 youth, providing over 87,000 hours of service and helping them succeed:

Learn more about our impact from the stories of current and past students.

Read their Stories