Support the Mission

S'More Amour

February's Peace Love and Hostelling Happy Hour

benefiting education at the hostel

Friday, February 11, 2011, 8.00p - 11.00p

at the Mad River Bar & Grille

2909 N Sheffield, just north of Diversey, in Chicago

Link to pingg invitation page, click here to rsvp at pingg.com

Link to our facebook invitation page, click here to rsvp on facebook

You are invited to Peace, Love, and Hostelling: S'More Amour soiree. Come out on Friday to enjoy a fun north side bar filled with fun-loving, internationally-minded friends. Remember, it is all for a good cause, because you will be supporting the peace-building education work of the hostel and its partner teachers in schools throughout the Chicago area. Have fun, meet new friends and support education.

Bring your friends to Mad River Bar and Grille on Friday, February 11th and enjoy an open bar and buffet from 8-11pm. Mad River is located at 2909 N Sheffield, just north of Diversey. The closest L stops are Diversey and Wellington.

Entry is $30 at the door and will benefit youth from Chicago Public Schools who participate in the hostel's award winning cultural awareness building programs.

Past Event

Chicago World Citizen Award Luncheon 2010

benefiting education at the hostel

Friday, December 3, 2010, 11.30a - 1.30p

at the J.Ira & Nicki Harris Family Hostel

24 East Congress Parkway, Chicago

Hostelling International Chicago is our local nonprofit hostel that teaches and promotes cultural understanding through travel and education. What could be more important in our diverse and endlessly interconnected world than respect and understanding of cultures.

During the 10th Anniversary of the opening of HI-Chicago in 2000, we take this opportunity to honor the work of our fellow Chicagoans in building a more peaceful planet through cultural understanding.

Together we can create a more peaceful planet one student and one traveler at a time.

HI-Chicago opened its doors in the fall of 2000, and on December 3, 2010 we celebrate 10 years of serving Chicago with the first annual Chicago World Citizen Awards. Recipients will be Chicagoans who exemplify in their own way the peace-building mission of Hostelling International, "to help all, especially the young, gain a greater understanding of the world and its people through hostelling."

We hope that you will join us for this celebration.

Tickets are limited, purchase them now online at Eventbrite, click the link below:

Chicago World Citizen Awards Luncheon tickets

Our educational model is to partner directly with schools, their teachers, students and administrators, to deliver curricula developed by the education team at the hostel. We train and support our partner teachers in learning and delivering our curricula, and we are proud to have a retention rate for teachers of over 90%. In fact, our high retention rate means that many teachers spend years on the waiting list waiting for additional funding so that they can join the program.

You can find out more about our educational programs by following these links:

Cultural Kitchen, connecting classrooms to countries and their cultures around the world

Exchange Neighborhoods, sharing cultures among high school classrooms here in Chicago

Photos of our wonderful students 

Help the hostel bring the world to Chicago!

Our downtown hostel serves our Chicago community in two major ways:

• Accommodations : serving Chicago with over 80,000 overnights per year, all at an inexpensive price that opens Chicago to more travelers, especially young travelers
• Education : serving Chicago's youth through education that teaches cultural understanding and open-mindedness to over 1800 local students per year 

Your support is needed to help the hostel reach its goals for service to Chicago.

The mission of Hostelling International-USA
"to help all, especially the young, gain a greater understanding of the world and its people through hostelling."

This mission for greater understanding has seldom been more vital to the world we live in then it is today. By facilitating and inspiring exploration of the world, its peoples and its cultures, we build the foundation for a more peaceful future.

Hostelling International-Chicago is an Illinois nonprofit corporation and an IRS 501(C)(3) qualified organization. We welcome your support of our efforts.

Education Programs Need Your Support
You can open the minds of our youth to the world. Cultural Kitchen serves over 700 Chicago youth bringing them into the hostel to learn about a country of their choice and meet travelers from around the world. Each classroom of 20 - 25 students costs the hostel $2000.

Bridge the cultural isolation of 's high schools by supporting Exchange Neighborhoods. The hostel works with Chicago Public School high schools on this strong educational standards based education program. Two high school classrooms, one each from two different high schools, come together at the hostel to share cultures and learn to bridge their differences. Each exchange of 50 students costs the hostel $5000.

For more information about supporting the 's education efforts, please contact:
Thomas Applegate, Executive Director.
direct: 312-583-2229
fax: 312-583-2219
email: tapplegate@hichicago.org

Give Your Time
Hostelling International-Chicago thrives through the work of our ever-growing team of volunteers. Volunteers interact with travelers from around the world and around the country by providing insider information about Chicago and joining travelers for exploration around the city. For volunteer information, click here.