400 Attend Little League Opening Day
Little Village Little League (LVLL) Opening Day was the biggest so far with 400 attendees. During the opening ceremony sponsors were thanked as they made the baseball league possible, mariachi played and parents of players were recognized for their time commitment and support. For the rest of the day, players and families enjoyed games, food and getting their baseball pictures taken.
God provided a beautiful day for the start of a great baseball season!
Bright Colors & Fun for Running Forward First Run of the Season
This was the 2nd year that Running Forward youth participated in the 5K Color Run in Wheaton. Our runners finished looking more colorful than ever. This was the first run of the season; the youth had a lot of fun and are excited for the next race that will be the Cinco de Miler race which will be a 5 mile race. Stay tuned!
[fusion_gallery layout="" picture_size="" columns="" column_spacing="10" gallery_masonry_grid_ratio="" gallery_masonry_width_double="" hover_type="" lightbox="yes" lightbox_content="" bordersize="" bordercolor="" border_radius="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id=""][fusion_gallery_image image="https://newlifecenters.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/colorrun2-300x300.jpg" image_id="3490|medium" link="" linktarget="_self" /][fusion_gallery_image image="https://newlifecenters.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/colorrun-300x300.jpg" image_id="3489|medium" link="" linktarget="_self" /][fusion_gallery_image image="https://newlifecenters.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/color-run3-300x300.jpg" image_id="3487|medium" link="" linktarget="_self" /][fusion_gallery_image image="https://newlifecenters.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190413_092607-300x225.jpg" image_id="3486|medium" link="" linktarget="_self" /][fusion_gallery_image image="https://newlifecenters.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190413_090758-300x225.jpg" image_id="3485|medium" link="" linktarget="_self" /][fusion_gallery_image image="https://newlifecenters.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/color-run4-300x300.jpg" image_id="3488|medium" link="" linktarget="_self" /][fusion_gallery_image image="https://newlifecenters.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/FullSizeR-300x225.jpg" image_id="3493|medium" link="" linktarget="_self" /][fusion_gallery_image image="https://newlifecenters.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/imagejpeg_0-300x225.jpg" image_id="3494|medium" link="" linktarget="_self" /][fusion_gallery_image image="https://newlifecenters.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/FullSizeR2-300x225.jpg" image_id="3492|medium" link="" linktarget="_self" /][/fusion_gallery]
Little League Expands This Year with New Age Division
Little Village Little League season has officially started! The players are practicing every week preparing for opening day on May 4th. This is the first year that we have a Junior division for ages 13-15 and we were able to create 3 teams for that division. There are a total of 230 youth playing in our division this year, an increase of 50 players from last year! We are excited for this 2019 season and are grateful to be able to provide safe spaces for youth in the Little Village neighborhood.
Teaching Restorative Justice In St. Louis
NLC staff were able to facilitate two workshops at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. The workshops highlighted the restorative justice and alternative to detention programming that NLC staff administers to young people in the city of Chicago. Students and practitioners from St. Louis and southern Illinois were able to walk away with practical tools they can use when working with youth and emerging adults in their agencies and communities.
[fusion_gallery image_ids="3454,3453,3452,3451,3450,3449" layout="grid" picture_size="fixed" columns="" column_spacing="10" gallery_masonry_grid_ratio="" gallery_masonry_width_double="" hover_type="" lightbox="yes" lightbox_content="" bordersize="" bordercolor="" border_radius="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id=""][/fusion_gallery]
NLC Staff Members Graduate from Metropolitan Peace Academy
NLC staff members, Andre and Victoria, were part of the Metropolitan Peace Academy, a citywide Training academy for street outreach workers, in partnership with Metropolitan Family Services and Communities Partnering for Peace. This 144 hour training focuses on the field of street outreach and how to become a better outreach worker. Andre and Victoria worked hard for months and went above and beyond as they grew together with the second cohort of this new initiative. We are excited to continue to build a citywide coalition of street outreach workers and to see our own team become stronger. Please pray for our outreach team as they run to the places of violence and walk with some of our most disconnected young people.
NLC Youth On Stage with Obama at MBK Rising
New Life Centers was chosen as a seed grant winner with the Obama Foundation’s My Brothers Keeper Initiative. Last week we headed to Oakland for MBK Rising, a national summit for young men of color and organizations serving them across the US. It was an energizing time where Matt DeMateo, our Executive Director, and Jorge Roque, Director of Mentoring, took two young people to Oakland. Alex, one of our young people, was able to be on the stage with President Obama and Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors. We spent time with President Obama, other national partners, and talked about building a movement of youth mentoring and violence prevention work. We were honored to be a voice at the table and are excited to see what doors open in 2019 and beyond!
[fusion_gallery image_ids="3438,3437,3436" layout="grid" picture_size="fixed" columns="" column_spacing="10" gallery_masonry_grid_ratio="" gallery_masonry_width_double="" hover_type="" lightbox="yes" lightbox_content="" bordersize="" bordercolor="" border_radius="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id=""][/fusion_gallery]
Coat of Arms Help La Semilla Students Learn More About One Another
One of the goals for La Semilla after school program has been to help the students get to know one another. An activity that has helped us work towards achieving this goal was creating and sharing their “Coat of Arms.” Within each section of their Coat of Arms are different prompts where they can share about their goals, family, favorites, unique experiences and motto. Two students have shared their Coat of Arms since the start of the year. Many people bring in photos to share, and after they present their Coat of Arms, their classmates ask them questions about their lives. The students have surpassed our expectations by asking questions, both serious and comical, that really help them get to know one another.
Breaking Down Chicago Neighborhood Barriers
Mentors from Humboldt Park and Little Village collaborated to bring youth from both neighborhoods together. Youth that normally do not venture out of their neighborhood were able to interact with other youth that are the same age as them but from a different cultural background. They were able to share a meal together, get to know each other and attend an improvised comedy show at local venue called Comedy Sportz in the city’s northside. Youth shared laughs and were able to meet someone they would have otherwise never had a chance to interact with, broadening their understanding of the diversity they can experience in Chicago.
Helping youth think outside "the box" for career options
Youth in the mentoring program at Piccolo Elementary explored different career paths by filling out a career cluster survey. Prior to this activity, they were all certain on what they would be when they grow up. Some wanted to be professional athletes or dancers and one in particular wanted to be a professional gamer. Demarion Russell is a mastermind at Fortnite. He spends almost 7 hours a night trying to perfect this craft. He was set on his life goals but after taking the survey, his career results said he would be good with his hands. Doing jobs like construction, a mechanic etc. He was furious and did not want to listen. When mentors asked him did he like cars and doing things outside he thought about it and realized that he did. While he was still not very happy with his outcome, most of the class were not bothered by the results and some felt like theirs aligned with that they wanted to do. We ended this activity by letting the youth know that the survey wasn't saying that they could not pursue their dreams outside of their results, nor do they have to pursue any of those careers but it is important to always have options.
Cubs Charities Awards NLC $150,000 Grant!
Cubs Charities has awarded New Life Centers a 2018 Diamond Project grant to help improve youth baseball and softball fields and facilities across Chicago’s neighborhoods!
This $150,000 grant will pay for lights to be installed at the two softball and baseball fields at La Villita Park in Little Village. This installment will allow the community to play more games as play will no longer have to stop once the sun goes down.
Since 2014, the Diamond Project has invested more than $7.3 million to fund 60 investment capital projects, distributed equipment to 14 organizations and provided operating support to 45 youth leagues. Of the capital projects supported to date, 66% are located in under-resourced communities representing more than half of Chicago’s 50 wards.
The Diamond Project provides funds to nonprofit, neighborhood-based organizations to expand opportunities for children to play baseball and softball and improve the quality, safety and accessibility of local baseball fields or indoor training facilities.
Cubs Charities, with assistance from Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Chicago, selected 14 local capital improvement projects in 2018 to receive Diamond Project grants to support field surfaces, indoor training amenities, general field and stadium support and field maintenance.