Winter 2023 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

I am so proud that in 2023, A Chance In Life will serve more children than ever, reaching nearly 6,000 young people in 12 countries around the world. We could not have this reach or impact without our international program partners –grassroots, on-the-ground organizations in the countries where we work who provide day-today services to advance our mission We maintain rigorous standards for identifying and selecting our international program partners to ensure that each provides programming that is adherent to our educational philosophy of positive youth development; guarantees the safety and security of all child participants; and acts with financial accountability and transparency.

Throughout the year, our team conducts site visits of these partners to strengthen our relationships, assess additional needs, and ensure their adherence to our core values and standards. So far this year, our team has had the opportunity to visit partners new and old; I began the year with one of our oldest partners, La Repubblica dei Ragazzi, in Italy. In addition to meeting with some of the young men and women who are students there today, I also had the opportunity to be updated on the situation regarding the Ukrainian refugees we have been able to support at La Repubblica. Given the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, A Chance In Life is proud to continue to provide emergency housing and supportive services for families seeking safety and a better life in Italy; to date, we have be able to help more than 120 refugees fleeing Ukraine, providing shelter, food, education and dignity. You can learn more about one young woman who spent time at La Repubblica through this life-changing program inside this edition of the newsletter.

Our team also spent time visiting our program partners in Ethiopia, where A Chance In Life has been providing education, economic opportunity and leadership development programming since 2015. From urban Addis Ababa to rural Emdibir, this year we will impact more than 500 children and families, connecting them to school, nutrition, clean water, electricity, healthcare, vocational training and employment opportunities, and the chance the break the cycle of generational poverty. You can hear directly from one of our partners in Ethiopia, Friendship for Integrated Development Association (FIDA) inside

Lastly, our team visited our newest country partner, Venezuela Years of economic and civil unrest have made it increasingly difficult for Venezuelans to provide for their families and address basic needs Our partnerships with three local organizations come at a critical time for this country and will provide nutrition and vocational training to more than 800 children

These partnerships, and their impact, are made possible by your generosity Thank you for enabling us to give children around the world a chance in life

Grazie mille, Gabriele

Perspectives from our Partners

By Assegid Negash

Executive Director, FIDA, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

This article has been edited and condensed for space.

Friendship for Integrated Development Association (FIDA) is a local organization that operates in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, serving at-risk children and youth Since 2020, FIDA has partnered with A Chance In Life A Chance In Life’s approach to sustainable development integrates the global Sustainable Development Agenda (Sustainable Development Goals), the Positive Youth Development (PYD) approach, and addresses four cross-cutting issues that directly impact children and youth: Human Rights, Gender Equality, Digital Divide and Climate Action

FIDA is evaluated annually by governmental stakeholders such as the City Administration of Addis Ababa Women, Children’s and Social Affairs Bureau (WCSA). In February 2021 the project was evaluated by the WCSA office in partnership with other stakeholders. The monitoring and evaluation team highly appreciated the achievements of FIDA towards the improvement of conditions for at-risk children and youth, and that is thanks to the support from A Chance In Life

It was particularly important for the evaluators to see that FIDA is not only contributing with materials such as school supplies, food, medical expenses and other resources, but we are providing frameworks for children and youth where their major needs are being tackled (SDGs), where they are learning to grow and gain confidence (PYD) and where they gain skills and act in order to contribute within their community (Cross-cutting Issues). Working this way, we are contributing to the integral development of young men and women who, in return, will bring about the structural changes that need to be made in Ethiopia

“FIDA is becoming stronger and a vibrant organization that fosters sustainable development in Ethiopia,” said the officer after the evaluation. For FIDA, collaborating with A Chance In Life has been an opportunity to put us in the spotlight of governmental organizations, which consider us now as innovative We acknowledge and thank A Chance In Life for this partnership

¡Bienvenidos, Venezuela!

This year, A Chance In Life welcomes the twelfth country to our programmatic portfolio - Venezuela Through three local partners in two cities - Tinaquillo and Los Toques - A Chance In Life will bring education, youth leadership, nutrition and vocational training to more than 800 young people.

Our support comes at a critical time: ongoing economic and political unrest has displaced more than 7 million Venezuelas, and accelerating inflation rates make it increasing difficult for families to provide for their children. Through our Partners, A Chance In Life is not only addressing basic needs of young people, but helping them prepare for a more promising future

SAVE THE DATE

Youth Leadership Workshop

This winter our first class of students graduated from the Youth Leadership Workshop, presented by the Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation. During the ten-week program our students worked with industry leaders to learn and develop their professional skills. The Workshop focused on a variety of important topics including Networking and Professional Development, Collaboration and Working as a Team, Public Speaking and Cultural Competency in a Globalized World. Students had the opportunity to directly connect with and learn from business executives, educators, and leaders of cultural institutions through weekly moderated discussions and guided exercises focused on leadership development with an emphasis on opportunities and challenges for women as leaders They cultivated networking skills through identifying mentors and creating LinkedIn profiles; engaged in exercises focused on understanding multiple perspectives through field trips to the United Nations and the Staten Island Museum; and met with leaders from corporate partners including Google, JPMorgan Chase, Allspring Financial, Empire State Bank and others

The Workshop culminated in the Innovation Summit Students had the opportunity to present their creative solutions to a problem posed in a case study to a panel of guest judges. We are so proud to celebrate the growth and accomplishments of the young leaders graduating from the program!

Our next cohort of the Youth Leadership Workshop will launch on February 27th. We look forward to another exciting semester!

Save the Date: San Francisco Ball of the Year, Honoring Dick Ghilotti

Welcome to the Team

Our San Francisco Ball of the Year is fast approaching! We are thrilled to recognize longtime supporter Dick Ghilotti as our honoree of the year Dick's father Gino was a benefactor of Boys' Towns of Italy, and we are honored and touched that Dick has continued that family legacy

For tickets, tables, sponsorships and journal ads, visit www.achanceinlife.org/events.

A Chance In Life is thrilled to welcome Christopher Dowling as the Director of Community Engagement at The Village and Claire Walton as the new Communications and Development Manager.

"I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to work at A Chance In Life. After 3 successful years as the Director of the Staten Island Community Partnership and a lifelong resident I feel I am uniquely qualified to help The Village reach its full potential in serving the youth in Staten Island "

Chris joins the team with an extensive career working in retail, information technology, customer service and nonprofit management

"I am proud to contribute to an organization that leads with compassion and supports the education and empowerment of young people My background in research and experience with international organizations will support my work as the Communications and Development Manager"

Claire earned her BA from Cornell University and her Master’s degree from the University of Oxford in the History of War Programme

After war broke out in Ukraine in late winter 2022, 20 year-old Anna Ivanova and her family - like millions of Ukrainians who had the means - fled to Italy. Italy was already home to the second-largest Ukrainian population in Europe (after Poland). Gabriele Delmonaco, the President of A Chance In Life and Father Rafael, the director of La Repubblica dei Ragazzi, welcomed Anna, her mother and sister to our program in Civitavecchia, where we were prepared to offer support to families fleeing the conflict After living at La Repubblica for one month, Anna moved to New York to live with her godmother As a show of her deep gratitude to A Chance In Life, she spent time volunteering at The Village in Staten Island.

Anna graciously sat down with A Chance In Life's communication's intern, Sofia Slade, a junior at the Nightingale-Bamford School in New York City, for an interview about her experiences in Ukraine, in Civitavecchia and in New York. Thank you to Anna and Sofia for your contributions

This interview has been edited and condensed for space

Sofia: How did you connect with A Chance in Life and the program in Staten Island, The Village? Can you tell us about the work you are currently doing with A Chance in Life?

Anna: A Chance in Life gave me a second chance in life too I would never have believed in my life that war would be in my country This word I had only heard from my grandmother during my childhood But one day I woke up and found out that my country was being bombed by rockets and people were dying there, and I was not ready, no one was ready.

A Chance in Life gave a second chance in life for me and my family. Even before I came to the United States, when I was in Italy, I knew that I would volunteer for A Chance in life.

Sofia: Please tell us about your experience volunteering at The Village. What lessons or takeaways have you had from volunteering?

Anna: Volunteering is when people help other people who have a very long history and need it at a given time in their lives My family and I are refugees who were helped in a difficult time for us When I volunteer with A Chance in Life, I do it with love, not because I feel sorry for people, because I know what it’s like to be on the other side when you accept help and the most pleasant thing is when you receive it with love.

Sofia: What are you most looking forward to in the future?

Anna: I hope for only one thing in the future, that is peace. To have peace in every country, in the whole world. It pains me to realize that many children who have not yet really learned about the world will have to go through war.

Sofia: Do you hope to continue your education in the US? If so, what do you hope to study?

Anna: I really want to continue my studies in the US I’m still thinking about what I want to start learning

Anna (left) with her sister and mother

"I’m from a country that is now associated with the word Brave. I’m from Ukraine, from the city of Odesa."