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 150,000 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 four leadership programs providing need-based and merit-based scholarships for youth in Chicago and around the globe. We walk alongside our participants from high school to adulthood, empowering the next generation of change-makers in all six inhabited continents.
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 high school to adulthood, celebrating their growth and championing their future.
Through the various stops along the Odyssey, our participants develop leadership and professional skills to make an impact back in their home communities. Projects our alumni have completed include building libraries in the Philippines, Uganda, and Baltimore and providing computer resource centers to rural areas of Jamaica.
