Youth leader: Guaranteed Impact winner Giovanni Felix
Living in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood, Giovanni Felix is well aware of the problems residents in his community face.
In 2015, the Richards Career Academy student decided to do something about it. He got involved with U.N.I.O.N. Impact Center’s Social Justice Leadership Institute and volunteered just about every chance he got, whether that meant cleaning the community garden or monitoring his school’s hallways and local parks to make them safe and secure.
His efforts did not go unnoticed—two years later, he was elected by his peers as president of the Social Justice Leadership Institute, a testament to his leadership, dedication and compassion. For his actions, Giovanni has been selected as one of ten Guaranteed Impact winners.
The Social Justice Leadership Institute is a youth leadership development program for students 5th through 12th grade. Participants meet weekly to discuss ways youth can be empowered to discover and pursue their passions and dreams.
For Giovanni, that’s meant several impactful experiences, from helping ensure U.N.I.O.N. Impact Center soccer program participants are safe to organizing annual events that honor the heroes and victims of 9/11 to advocating for a more peaceful existence in his community.
“Giovanni is respected by the entire leadership group,” says Dr. Rafael Yanez, executive director of the U.N.I.O.N. Impact Center. “His strengths are continuously delivered with love, respect and compassion towards others. He conducts himself in a professional manner and expresses himself with respect and compassion.”
This season, Rate and the Chicago White Sox are teaming up to put heroic kids and teens in the spotlight. The Guaranteed Impact Program celebrates young people who are making a positive difference in their schools and communities. The program’s goal is to encourage and empower kids and teens who are working to improve the lives of those around them. Recipients will be treated to a well-deserved day at Rate Field for a White Sox home game in a suite with 15 friends and family.
