Our Story
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Empower the next generation of global leaders.
Empower the next generation of global leaders.
In 1985, we launched our first international exchange program inspired by the idea that empowering youth to be global changemakers can transform our world. Thousands of partners, volunteers, and passionate young people answered the call to create social transformation through international education, environmental awareness, and citizen diplomacy. Since then, Greenheart International has grown to serve over 100,000 young leaders from more than 90 countries each year, equipping them on their journey towards personal and global transformation.
At the heart of our mission is the Greenheart Odyssey, a series of five leadership programs providing need-based and merit-based scholarships for youth in Chicago and around the globe. We walk alongside our participants from middle school to adulthood, empowering the next generation of change-makers in all six inhabited continents. As their final project, these bright young minds come together to address an urgent global issue on a local scale.
Our hybrid model of need-based and merit-based scholarships opens doors to a world of opportunity for youth in Chicago and around the globe. Greenheart Odyssey participants learn from a radically diverse cohort, hailing from all six inhabited continents.
Greenheart knows that transmitting values to youth takes years of dedication. That’s why we walk along side every step of the way from middle school to adulthood, celebrating their growth and championing their future.
As their final project, these bright young minds come together to address an urgent global issue on a local scale. Projects have included building libraries in the Philippines, Uganda, and Baltimore and providing computer resource centers to rural areas of Jamaica.
