Refugee Education & Adventure Challenge (REACH), a Chicago-based nonprofit, serves refugee and asylum-seeking youth, ages 10–18, who are at-risk due to integration barriers (language, cultural adjustment, education) and other factors (gang recruitment, violent crime, discrimination/bullying). REACH engages refugee youth and their families in learning activities that help them to foster connections, enhance knowledge and leadership growth, improve health and fitness, and develop a sense of stewardship of public lands. Crucially, REACH helps integrate newcomers into the social fabric of their resettlement communities, focusing on developing social capital (networks, norms, access) to shift the marginal status that is often held by refugee youth and their families.

Our mission is to inspire leadership, academic success, and connections among refugee youth through active dynamic learning outside the traditional classroom. Our vision is to build a sense of place and learning through an engaged network of refugee youth, their families, and adult mentors.