A Chance In Life
Offering a chance in life to children and youth around the world
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
150 million children live on the streets. We can change that.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Partners in Latin America
From the mountains inhabited by Tarahumaras in Chihuahua, Mexico, to the valleys in Cochabamba, Bolivia. We work in collaboration with local organizations who serve the most vulnerable children and youth.
Despite living in multidimensional poverty and challenging conditions, children and youth from the Americas have the resilience, creativity and potential to escape from the poverty trap. Our Partners' work has shown that children and youth can adapt to different circumstances and use their skills to break the vicious cycle of poverty.
Partners in Africa
Children and youth living in poverty in Africa experience the most harsh conditions of deprivation. We work in collaboration with five local organizations in Uganda and Ethiopia. These organizations offer a chance in life through the provision of opportunities where children and youth can thrive.
From the crowded streets in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to the small towns in the Central Region in Uganda; our Partners offer children and youth the tools to achieve their full potential. Despite tribal and political conflicts, natural disasters, health epidemics and current COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia and Uganda, A Chance In Life provides these local organizations with the financial resources needed to provide access to basic services for at-risk children and youth.
Partners in Asia
From Kerala, the south Spice Coast of India with its flavors an assortment of spices originating from the cultures of Jews, Christians, Muslims and merchants to the city Birthplace of Jesus Christ, Bethlehem in Palestine. Our Partners in India and Palestine serve orphan, tribal and children with disabilities.
Children and youth receive a chance in life, through our partnership with local organizations that have been working to improve the conditions of the most vulnerable boys and girls for decades.
Partners in Europe
Our roots are in Italy. Since 1945, we continue working in collaboration with local organizations who empower immigrant children and youth. Our Partners in Italy support immigrant youth to rebuild their lives, offering a caring environment where they can learn and grow into responsible citizens.
Our Partners provide a chance in life to male and female children and youth, covering their basic needs in order they complete their education, can access to technical/vocational training and, are able to find a job while transitioning into adulthood and independence. From a Positive Youth Development (self-government) approach, our Partners instill in them the values of responsibility and confidence.
The Village in New York City
New York City is one of the financial epicenters of the world with tremendous opportunity, but in Staten Island, known as the “forgotten borough” among residents, opportunity is limited. Staten Island’s North Shore has a poverty rate greater than New York City as a whole and is home to the most marginalized and underserved youth in the city. Approximately 21% of residents live in poverty, and the rate is even higher among children, standing at 33%. Furthermore, among Black and Latinx residents, the poverty rate is around 28%. Among youth, 17% of individuals ages 16-24 are disconnected from both school and employment. Community Board 1 on Staten Island has a meal gap of over 4 million meals annually, as per Data2Go.nyc, with 13% of residents reporting a lack of fruits and vegetables in their meals.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Better Business Bureau 2021
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of children who have access to education
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Adolescents
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
All children in our program have access to an education and/or extensive vocational training. Depending on the program, they may attend a local school, or the school may be part of where they live.
Number of children who have access to healthcare
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Adolescents
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
All children in our program are given access to healthcare services.
Number of youth who demonstrate leadership skills (e.g., organizing others, taking initiative, team-building)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Adolescents
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
All children in our programs practice our model of positive youth development, in which they make decisions to shape their communities.
Number of children and youth who have received access to stable housing
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Adolescents
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
All children in our programs are provided with stable homes. The majority reside within facilities belonging to our Towns. Children with relatives may live with them and attend our programs daily.
Number of children who have a sense of their own feelings and an ability to express empathy for others
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Adolescents
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Within the classroom, their dormitories, and community assemblies, the children in our programs are taught to share the obstacles they face and support each other in overcoming them.
Number of emergency meals provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Adults
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, A Chance In Life provided emergency hunger relief packets of food to 10,871 children and family members.
Number of people within the organization's service area accessing food aid
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The Village serves on average 85 households per week for 52 weeks through the Free Market Food Pantry. Each household represents on average 4 individuals.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
- Continue our 75-year tradition of serving at-risk youth around the world by ensuring they have access to an education, vocational training, and the opportunity to become responsible leaders through our approach of self-governance.
- Provide for the ongoing needs of the boys and girls in our special projects in Mexico and Uganda and our Towns in Italy, Ethiopia, India and Latin America.
- In partnership with other community-based organizations, provide high-quality programming to youth ages 12-24 of every race, ethnicity, gender expression, sexual orientation, ability, economic status and religion throughout New York City.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Increase brand recognition and visibility
Strengthen and diversify sources of funding
Increase employee engagement opportunities
Improve monthly donor program
Leverage new technology
Raise capital funds
Establish quality controls and standards for programs through monitoring, evaluation, and learning
Enhance capacity of program partners
Formalize relationship with the United Nations
Engage the Board to match aspirations and mission
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
- A Chance In Life has operated for 75 years years and its self-government approach has proven to be effective.
- In 2016, A Chance In Life underwent an extensive re-branding to highlight its full capabilities and reflect its newly inaugurated programs beyond Italy. This includes our new name, logo, and website.
- Beginning in 2015, A Chance In Life has accomplished its goals of starting a direct mail program, expanding its special events, and increasing our use of social media to reach new donors.
- A Chance In Life expanded to Ethiopia in 2015, India in 2016, and to Guatemala, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia in 2018, bringing our support and innovative model of self-government to over 4,000 youth. In 2019, we began supporting projects in Mexico and Uganda, in 2022 we have provided funding to a program in Palestine, and in 2023 we have started funding programs in Venezuela.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Today, changing political realities worldwide have broadened the demographic of the youth we serve, but our mission remains the same. By working alongside our partners on the ground in ten different countries, we serve at-risk youth around the world by providing them with a safe community and the tools needed to join democratic society as active, responsible adults.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
A Chance In Life
Board of directorsas of 12/12/2023
Mr. Robert Iommazzo
SEBA International
Term: 2019 -
Mauro C. Romita
Emilie Puzio
Lawrence Nibbi
Stephen Bellini
Robert Iommazzo
Jeanine Margiano
Roy Van Pelt
Kate Bullis
Gabriele Delmonaco
Gabriela Pera Piscopo
Tim Tynan
Guy Chiarello
Mark Quattrocchi
Srii Srinivasan
Phil Guarnieri
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as: