The Vine Focuses on Student Voice and Ownership
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We’ve enjoyed seeing the students build community through video games as they compete side by side instead of zoning out on their phones. We had our first cooking class this month where we made open-faced sandwiches with chocolate chip peanut butter and apple slices. We are looking forward to seeing more student engagement as we continue empower them.
Giving and Building Community Thanksgiving Weekend
Tuesday before Thanksgiving Day, Pan de Vida gave out over 6,000 turkeys, 2,000 hams, 2,000 chickens, and all the sides for Thanksgiving-on top of the regular 90 pounds of food they give families every week! We are thankful for all of our volunteers and staff who spent hours distributing food. We couldn't have done it without them!
TURKEY BOWL
The week of Thanksgiving, our Street Outreach team held three Turkey Bowls including the 1st Annual Turkey Bowl in Brighton Park's Kelly Park. They were able to give out free turkeys, tamales and champurrado all while youth competed in a game of flag football. Despite the cold temperatures and a little bit of snow, we enjoyed this time creating the beloved community.
Conquering Fears Through Rock Climbing
We concluded the session with a debrief and a deep talk with questions such as:
YEP is a safe space for youth to experience life through a different lens. Youth learn to develop soft skills and are opened up to opportunities outside of what they are used to. This program is designed for 7th-12th grade young women and men.
New Life Centers joins Choose to Change
We are currently hiring and putting a team together who will be in-school mentors at different CPS schools in Little Village. Our goal is to have a total of 8 mentors. This effort comes in collaboration with CPS who expanded their Choose to Change program and will implement a new, hyperlocal pilot version of it with New Life Centers in Little Village, Lifeline to Hope in West Garfield Park, and BUILD Chicago in Humboldt Park. Together we will reach 300 students.
The program will serve a total of 1,000 students who may have school attendance challenges, involvement with the justice system, and/or have been exposed to violence and trauma. The program provides intensive youth and family support and weekly behavioral health sessions.
“The impressive results of the Choose to Change program demonstrate that it will be an important strategy to safeguard our students from the harmful effects of trauma,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “While we are overjoyed to have returned to in-person learning, we know that our students are coping with issues beyond the classroom and it is imperative that we look to programs like Choose to Change to help ensure that we are supporting all of our students, especially in the area of promoting their emotional well-being.”
Crosstown Classic 2021: Playing for Peace
Throughout the summer we hosted a summer softball league on the west side of Little Village with a total of 8 teams and another one on the East side with a total 13 teams. Each night we had kids games, food, music and hundreds of people coming out to build community. This is what peacemaking and building the beloved community looks like. It’s hot dogs, softball, kids games, laughter, music and love.
In the coming weeks, we are having the top 3 teams from each side compete against each other for the Crosstown Classic Softball Game. We will soon be announcing the time and date on our social media platforms! The purpose is to “play for peace” and break down walls between neighborhood divisions through sports.
Justice Rising: Project 77 Partnership
Recently we announced a new partnership with local organizations: Breakthrough, BUILD, and Lawndale Christian Legal Center with the purpose of strengthening public safety via holistic social services and restorative justice. This initiative is called Justice Rising: Project 77. The goal is to break the cycle of arrest, incarceration and recidivism by addressing underlying issues that can lead to negative behavior – and ultimately expand this model to all 77 Chicago neighborhoods
The partnership will assign free attorneys to clients who have pending cases in the juvenile and adult courts of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Clients will be connected to services for employment, school, trauma counseling, health care, mental health, entrepreneurship, mentoring, housing, spiritual guidance, sports, violence prevention and substance use.
“The past 18 months have been extremely difficult. Our neighborhoods have been hit hard by COVID-19, violence and injustice. Our young people need hope, healing, restoration and justice. Justice Rising will work to transform the systems around us, focus on wrapping around young people under 25 caught up in the criminal justice system, and build something new for the future. New Life Centers is excited to be part of the Justice Rising movement," said Matt DeMateo, Executive Director at New Life Centers.
Benny Estrada Commemorated by Chicago Cubs
Family and friends accompanied Benny to the game and many describe him as an amazing dad, coach, and mentor.
Watch the full video here!
Intervening During a Mental Health Crisis
Elías Román, part of New Life Centers’ street outreach team was featured on a WBEZ article where he talks about how he found himself stepping between a Chicago police SWAT team and a young neighbor experiencing a mental health crisis recently. He was able to persuade the youth to come out of his barricade and was later transported safely to the hospital.
“Román is not a mental health professional but the officers eventually allowed him to try to talk the young man out of the basement. Román said he put his youth mentoring skills to work: “ ‘You got a crowd out here waiting for you,’ I told him, playing around. And he’s like, ‘Yeah, man, they want to get me.’ I’m like, ‘They don’t want to get you. It’s just that everybody’s concerned because you said there are guns. … Come on, man, don’t do that to yourself or your family. Think about your safety.’ That’s what I was telling him."
The Importance of Staff Wellness
"New Life Centers practices what they preach. Not only is caring the driving force for the youth and community but also towards the staff. It’s been a long summer of serving so our day of rest, fun activities, and reconnecting was a breath of fresh air. So grateful to be part of an organization that cares so much for all who are around us and for us"
Our summer programming has officially concluded and we are gearing up for the Fall! Throughout the summer we have enjoyed in-person interaction. However, especially with the weight of the work, we recognize the importance of staff wellness. Thanks to one of partners we were able to provide every team at New Life Centers a budget to do something fun and relaxing. Some chose boating, others zip-lining and indoor kart racing!
"New Life Centers practices what they preach. Not only is caring the driving force for the youth and community but also towards the staff. It’s been a long summer of serving so our day of rest, fun activities, and reconnecting was a breath of fresh air. So grateful to be part of an organization that cares so much for all who are around us and for us," said Ken Alvarado, Associate Director of Partner Engagement.
Copa La Villita 2021
Our Copa La Villita 2021 soccer tournament championship game took place this past Friday at Gary Elementary School, as part of our Light in the Night programming. It was Team Chuy versus Club Cuervos, with Team Chuy taking home the trophy. Soccer is a new program we added this year, led by Ivan Alvarado. La Villita Club de Fútbol (LVCF) is a sports program for youth ages 12-16 that strives to create life changing experiences and opportunities through soccer. We believe soccer is more than just a game; it’s a tool for change, an artifact of culture, and a gateway into extraordinary opportunities to the world around us.
