CHICAGO RISES

Uplifting Chicagoans with positive resources, organizations, and stories that inspire us to take initiative

What Chicagoans want to share

Our vision is to change the conversation in Chicago to focus on the positives of the city and its residents. Chicago Rises is a place to connect.

We want to foster an interactive community of fellow Chicagoans that shares information and resources with the common goal of improving our city and communities. From individuals to organizations, we are all neighbors, and we all have the ability to help make Chicago better.

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OUR STORIES

CPSchools’ Professionals Series

The CPSchools’ Professionals Series is a collection of experiences lived and relayed by teachers and education professionals who work in Chicago public schools. Here, teachers, guidance counselors, specialists, coaches, administration, and other professionals in CPS...

Students in Chicago Take to the Gardens

It’s officially gardening season, and all around the city, Chicagoans are out tending to their plants. We all know the benefits of gardening: getting outside, engaging in moderate physical exercise, and, of course, growing your own veggies. Through the...

awakenings

Pablo Picasso. Vincent van Gogh. Frida Kahlo. Three of the most renowned painters of all time transformed years, and decades, of pain into the most iconic paintings in history. In Chicago, Awakenings encourages their artists to do the same. Awakenings empowers...

Game-Changing Mentoring

Being a mentor can be incredibly rewarding on both ends, but as many professionals know, time is a valuable commodity. Spark, a career exploration and self-discovery program that brings middle-schoolers to local companies and organizations, has found a way to combat...

Chicago Students Take Action to Promote Change

Between its beaches, museums, restaurants, and malls, there's no shortage of attractions that Chicago has to offer college students. But what can these students offer Chicago? The People's Lobby is a grassroots movement focused on fighting structural inequalities by...

This nonprofit has been promoting justice for 116 years

We all know what prisons are, but do we really know what goes on inside these facilities? Are they actually successful in reducing crime and making Chicago a safer city? And most importantly, who is responsible for monitoring that? John Howard Association [JHA]...

Back 2 School Illinois Helps Underserved Youth Get the Most Out of Class-time

It’s no secret that public schools in Chicago have struggled to meet the needs of their most vulnerable students. Ever since the 2013 closings of 47 underutilized Chicago Public Schools [CPS] elementary schools—the largest number of schools closed in one year by any...

The Night Ministry: Bringing Support to the Streets of Chicago

Instead of waiting for people to come to them, The Night Ministry is taking to the streets of Chicago. The Night Ministry is a non-profit which provides housing and support for those confronting homelessness. Unlike many similar organizations throughout...

Uplifting Youth and Families Confronting Homelessness

La Casa Norte is a non-profit that aims is to uplift Chicagoans who find themselves facing a period of homelessness. Serving youth and families, their mission states, “We provide access to stable housing and deliver comprehensive services that act as a catalyst to...