[e]speranza means "hope" when two neighborhoods listen to one another.

In Spanish, it is esperanza, a word you might hear at Animo Pat Brown High School, located in the largely Latino, urban neighborhood of Florence-Firestone in Los Angeles, California. In Italian, the word is speranza, something that might echo through the halls of Don Milani Middle School in the rural town of Occimiano, just outside of Turin in Northern Italy.

Starting in October 2012, these two schools will become partners as they ask their communities: "What do you hope for?" Fifty students will spend six weeks inviting their neighbors to share their hopes in a Hope Journal and exchanging those stories with their international pen-pals. In December, the stories go back to the community as we create an immersive, interactive, wonderful gallery in Italy. Here, people can literally step into the hopes of two neighborhoods, where they will become more understanding and grow in compassion.

We need your help to make this happen. Help bring [e]speranza to life, and you'll be a part of cultivating cross-cultural compassion in two very different communities, almost half a world apart.

Here's What We're Doing...

October

• Both classes are introduced to each other through stories, photos, and videos.
• Each student is paired up with a partner at the other school. Students will begin by sending a photo essay of their own hope and a letter to their new pen-pal.

November

• For the entire month, students will carry around a Hope Journal and invite family, friends, neighbors, and strangers to write their hopes in it. 
• Meanwhile, both classes will be exchanging hopes and stories with one another, giving them a chance to learn and reflect on what hope looks like on the other side of the world.

December

• Together with students, staff, and volunteers, we will create a Hope Gallery in Northern Italy. The local community will be invited to view all of the students' journals, photos, stories, and videos, all displayed in a first-class, well-designed gallery setting.

Here's What You're Funding...

• Materials and resources for our classroom Community Listening projects in both Los Angeles and Northern Italy.
• Everything we need to create a Hope Gallery in Northern Italy.
• A team of talented designers, artists, musicians, and creative types to bring the project to life.
• Travel expenses to send The Hope Chronicles to Italy for the final event.

Here's What You're Getting...

As a donor to the project, you can get all sorts of cool Hope Chronicles stuff!

• Awesome stickers to plaster on notebooks, t-shirts, and food trucks.
• Cool pins to attach to your briefcase, backpack, or jacket.
• Hope Journals so you can discover your own neighborhood's hopes.
• Incredible artwork created by our artists, all based on real hopes that we've heard during this project.
• Amazing photo albums that document the students and stories of [e]speranza every step of the way.
• Rad t-shirts from our designers so you can show off Hope Chronicles to the world.
• A "Project-In-A-Box" with shirts, journals, stickers, artwork and more, plus a step-by-step guide to creating your own Community Listening project.
• Speaking engagements with our founder Sam Lundquist, who will share The Hope Chronicles story with your organization.
• A project partnership to help you organize, design, and produce a one-of-a-kind Community Listening event.

Here's More About The Hope Chronicles...

The Hope Chronicles is dedicated to cultivating compassion through conversation.

We create Community Listening projects that invite individuals and organizations to listen to their neighbors respond to one question: “What do you hope for?” Through this process, they learn that everyone is worth listening to, and they begin to share compassion.

Our Vision

Our Story

Since 2010, The Hope Chronicles has been creating Community Listening projects all over the world, and each one has helped to cultivate compassion through conversation. We work not only with individuals who are curious about their community, but also schools, religions organizations, and neighborhood groups who want one-of-a-kind, compassion-building events. Over the years we have listened to thousands of hopes—from Tanzania to Vietnam to Washington DC—and we are proud to be part of building stronger, more understanding communities. Visit us online at thehopechronicles.org

Our Founder

Sam Lundquist is a West Coast transplant from Illinois and Iowa trying to bring a little bit of the heartland to Los Angeles. He spends his days as a freelance writer and creative director. His most recent project was Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter. He's a 2007 graduate of the University of Southern California with degrees in Political Science and Broadcast Journalism.

The Hope Chronicles grew out of Sam's own experience. After finding himself having the deepest conversations with strangers from everywhere—at bus stops, in lines, on planes, you name it—he got constant reminders that everyone had something to say and everyone was worth listening to. His own compassion was growing, and he wanted a way for others to share this experience. Thus, The Hope Chronicles was born.

When he's not exploring the people and places of Los Angeles (especially the food… yum!), you’ll probably find Sam watching Fantasmic or riding the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.