Give Chances

Our mission is to ‘give chances’ to underprivileged individuals and make changes in our communities through education and job training designed to be effective, efficient, and accessible.

Give Chances provides educational opportunities and job training for underprivileged communities -- including children, youth, and people with disabilities. We provide free after-school programs for children of low-income families, art and job training programs for people of disabilities, and leadership programs for youth, alongside various volunteer opportunities.

We currently operate four core program areas: Child & Youth Education, Youth Programs, Disability Support, and Community Work.

I. The Joyful Learning After-School Program aims to provide disadvantaged students quality out-of-school educational experiences. With three in-person learning centers and online classes, we currently serve over 150 students and 200 volunteers. We hope to expand to become a nationwide effort in the coming years. During the school year, the program runs from Monday-Friday 4-6 PM. The summer school program during the months of July and August are on Monday-Thursday, 1-3 PM. We offer both online and in-person classes.

II. Our current youth programs aim to support the growth of our youth volunteers, through leadership activities and participation in philanthropic service. In our Youth Programs, we hope to enhance our advocacy initiatives as well as provide an environment to promote the culture of sharing. We currently have two active Youth Development projects. One is the ‘Trampoline Project’ and the other is a Youth Volunteer Council called ‘Chance Makers’. 

“Chance Makers” is a council made up of our Give Chances volunteers. Our volunteers support the community by spreading awareness about educational inequality and actions that need to be taken to address it. Our council members are inspired and determined to better the world around us -- starting with their respective communities. Their hope is to cultivate and become the intersection of change, aspiration, and action. During program hours, Give Chances’ volunteers strive to provide quality educational opportunities as tutors. Outside of program hours, they become council members and are committed to community-based outreach, social action and advocacy.

The Trampoline Project allows teenagers with dysfunctional families and less than desirable living conditions the opportunity to travel to the United States. For 10 days, these individuals will not only learn about politics, the United States economy, but also visit cultural landmarks, and see how others live, in order to expand their view of the world and its people. Most importantly, participants make meaningful connections with people who they can talk to, as well as learn and grow from. After they go back to their families, we continue to mentor and provide counseling to the students.

III. The DDartists Program provides participants with developmental disabilities support and training for future job placement, as well as internal employment opportunities for career development. Currently only 14.7 % of adults with developmental disabilities are employed. DDartists particularly pays attention to those who have interests and talents in art. We found an approach to use their artistic talents and developed a work-education model for people with developmental disabilities. The artworks that they produced in the classes are developed to be used within products in collaboration with professional industrial designers.

IV. As an extension of our Joyful Learning After-School Program, the Dream and Hope Program supports our students' families and local communities through grocery deliveries, school supplies, and scholarships.

Give Chances hopes to ensure the stability of our programs and bolster efficiency in relation to students’ academic progress. 

To best expand our services, Give Chances requires a Headquarters in the Northeast region. To secure building space and hire necessary staff members (educational consultants, operations leads, etc), we must procure reliable funding streams. 

Through this funding, we will be well equipped to expand our services nationwide to reach low-income students from a more diverse array of backgrounds.