About us

Built Different was founded in 2021 by a group of college students at the University of Illinois. Many of us have experienced locational inequality which had made it harder for us to excel in this world. We have made it our mission to eliminate these boundaries for the next generations. We have now grown into a multinational organization with members from all parts of the United States and Canada. We are lucky to have so many motivated and talented members to help reach our goals.

With meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to excellence, we provide the much needed services that inspire, elevate, and enrich the lives of the youth who accept them.

We have envisioned a world where everyone is allowed the same opportunities regardless of their location and upbringing. We want to deliver on this by supporting the innocent who feel trapped and unable to advance into society. We want to open a path for these individuals and broaden their horizons through opportunities that were once foreign to them.

We have taken a revitalized approach by targeting our aid to youth in low-income neighborhoods and school districts. We focus on those who the bureaucracy has forgotten. We refuse to allow any child to made into a statistic and placed directly into a system of labeling and inequality. We will do all we can so that our beneficiaries may succeed.

The results speak for themselves.

We teach children the skills we wish we were taught. We continue to hold seminars in schools and community centers which we feel may help lay the foundation for cognitive growth and social awareness. Working with our generous partners, we are able to introduce children to the trades, sports and other fun activities all free of charge. With skill-based learning, we have found that children try to also continue to grow in other areas. This is because someone actually gave them the chance and time to blossom. It requires an interpersonal connection to be made to inspire change. We have found the most success when we have focused on smaller groups. We will work to ensure all of our beneficiaries grow and prosper.

Meet our team

Our comprehensive collection of professionals offers a diverse team, ranging from academics to seasoned community leaders.

Josh Elin

Founder, CEO

Parkeet Dusharia

Founder, Head Counselor

Erick Vonsa

Founder, CFO

Duphran Singh

Founder, HR

Alex Kubiak

Founder, Creative Director

Zhuoyan Wu

Founder, Research Analyst

Barinder Mann

Founder, IT Specialist

Devonta Johnson

Founder, Social Media Director

We’ve worked with some of the best companies.

FAQs

How can I get involved?

It is best to make an account with us so that we may add you to our newsletter. We will be hosting more events in the future. We are looking for more motivated members and organizers!

Why support our cause?

Research has shown that providing alternatives to developing youth allows them the option to escape their undesirable circumstances. We find most of our beneficiaries from large and forgotten parts of inner cities. In most of our cases we find that these youth have more potential than their environment allows. We want to supply these children with the ability to make a choice. Other organizations prefer to target the issue on a larger scale in hopes of changing more lives. However, this rarely works. An interpersonal connection is required to ensure an effective change can be made. We offer this ability by personally visiting and establishing a plan for each and every child we help.

Are you hiring?

We will not be supplying any wages to any of the staff associated with this non-profit. We are all motivated volunteers only. All of us work for the good of the public. We are looking for individuals with experience in youth counseling or education for permanent positions. If you have any connections within the public works sector we would love to get in touch and see how you may support the cause!

What is the best way to get in touch?

We are currently establishing a headquarters in Chicago, IL. We will be able to provide a business telephone and address within the coming months. The best way to reach us currently is through signing up and writing us through our website. We are sorry for the inconvenience.