A Project of YAOTL

Through My Eyes – By Breli October 14, 2009

Making my way out my front door I see my elementary school where I experienced many good and bad things. A school that didn’t give me the equal education other kids got. I see cars passing by and tired people heading for another day of hard work. I see a CTA bus passing down 31st, a bus that we have been fighting to get back in service. As I pass Avers I can see the Crawford coal power plant and the big smoke stacks coming out. On my ride to school I see the Coal power plant from a closer view. My school hours are spent in another neighborhood very different from mine; there I don’t have to come across the Coal power plant that marked me with asthma.
At the end of the school day however I must return to intoxicating air again. On my way back my from school my eyes come across the coal power plant once again, it’s as if it follows me everywhere. I can’t get rid of it. To me it is like a nightmare you can not wake up from, no matter how much you try.
It only reminds me of the hardships it’s brought to me, the nights when my parents would stay up checking if I was breathing, the day I was put on an inhaler. I owe it all to Midwest Generation who causes 41 premature deaths, 2,800 asthma attacks and 500 emergency room visits annually.
More than frequently I hear ambulances and cop cars passing by, and to no surprise it will 99.9% of the time be a teen losing their life to gun violence. It’s the real life I see on a daily basis and you’d have to be blind not to see it. I dare you to put yourself in my shoes…

Current Events by Jazzy

Native Americans mark Columbus Day from an indigenous perspective

By: Nancy Maes        Source: Chicago Tribune

This article talks about how the Native Americans mark Columbus Day from an indigenous perspective, so an association decided to have a “pre-Columbus Day” gathering. The gathering was held in several different locations, all depending to what part of the gathering you wanted to attend. The public was invited to this gathering of course. During people were taught all about the Native Americans. People learned about the culture and customs. Other people learned and made Native American arts and crafts. In addition a lot of these workshops included a talk about Native Americans and Evolution. Some of the admissions were free, others just ranged between 2 and 10 dollars.
In my opinion, I would have attended this Pre-Columbus Day event. It seems like a very interesting event. I think a lot of people were attracted to this gathering. Learning about another culture is always amazing, especially when arts and crafts are included. This truly sounds like an experience worth having. I also think the prices were just right. None were to pricy. One of the workshops I would go to was about how the Native Americans lived in harmony and peace.
This article is relevant to evolution. One of the workshops, as mentioned, was about the evolution of Native Americans and art. The Native American culture and art continues to evolve. If anyone wants to learn about the Evolution of Native American and the arts/culture, they would go see the Trickster Gallery.

YOUTH AND EL CILANTRO MEETINGS October 8, 2009

YAOTL youth meetings are every Tuesday at 5: 30 pm

EL Cilantro Newsletter Meetings are every Thursday at 5:30 pm.

Come out and volunteer! See you there!

Adress: 2856 S. Millard

Phone: (773)762 – 6991

When do I use this language stuff?

Language is a blessing that most people are able to use and take advantage of. But even though we have this incredible gift it can be a weapon against anyone. It just seems that language evolves every day.  With it changing many people just have a different way of expressing it. In society we are brainwashed with this idea of a perfect language or in other words as we call it today “proper English”.

In society fear in language has people using a false voice on the telephone. If you don’t recognize a number or don’t have caller I.D people choose to use their false professional voice when they answer. It’s like we’re so scared of being judged we have to become something we’re not. That’s how brainwashed society is on how to speak and not to have an accent or so many other things. Why go through this disguised voice if there isn’t a set way on how to speak?

When you listen to the world there’s so many ways for a language to be spoken. Like in my neighborhood there’s a lot of slang being used. Words as “raw”, “bunk”, and “that shit was lame” can be heard throughout the blocks. This can be a secretive language that most young adults use to communicate or it can be considered improper language. In comparison with an essay I read called if Black English isn’t a language, what is? By James Baldwin. It seems to say that when African Americans used certain terms in jazz or in public Whites twisted their meaning to become a proper language, So Black English was just a secretive language to say things that many African Americans could not say in public unless they used codes that they knew the meaning to. Today that’s what everyone seems to do.

This idea shall continue…

MvMbLe

Farragut Do’s and Don’ts

Farragut Career Academy High School located in Little Village, on Christiana and 23^rd, has a reputation of bad kids with bad behavior. It may not have been a lie a couple of years ago. Every school has its problems but Farragut does not know how to handle them. I am a student at this school and I get the inside views. I can say that the staff misbehaves along with some students.

Some of the ways that the school uses to control the kids are overboard. It is true that discipline is necessary but not a system that is used for jails. Farragut Does: They force us, the students, to pass through metal detectors every morning. If something on a student rings he or she must be searched. This can even lead up to taking off their shoes. Besides that we must put everything we have through x-ray machines. I forgot to mention that we carry around clear backpacks by requirement.

Farragut Does not: At Farragut if you are late even by one second you must get a detention, that you have to pay three dollars for. This means you can’t go to lunch and instead attend the detention room. Here you are not allowed to talk or interact with anyone. You are told to be quiet, read or write, or to pretend to do so. At Farragut detention you don’t get fed if they happen to run out of school lunches.

Farragut does: In school they seem to have no other method to keep students in the right path so they put them on a bad one. No faculty actually tries to help you out if you have an issue. For example if you got in a fight the first thing that happens is suspension, without a doubt. If you cut class, it is in school suspension, or if you disagree and voice your opinion you’re in trouble. These things happen on a regular daily basis at Farragut high school. Kids might stop cutting class if you put them in “the hole” constantly, but what happens to their self-esteem? To be treated as a prisoner is no joke or any fun. These “grownups” need to start acting so and coming up with real “grownup” solutions.

Farragut does not: The administrators at school do not prepare themselves for the time school starts in September. Every year the schedules are messed up and it is not only for a few kids. Most kids are forced to retake classes for a month. These are classes they have already taken and passed. If the school wants to hold us, the students accountable for our actions so should we. We should hold them accountable for not feeding us, for not having our classes correct, for loosing our things etc.

I can go on about the school kids in my neighborhood attend. Yes, they are trying to better attendance and lower violence but it is not the right way to do it. How can they lower violence and rage inside of us when they make us feel like prisoners? How can we not want to escape from a jail like atmosphere? There are other forms of discipline. I am saying we need to at least meet each other half way.

ARTS FEST 09′ September 28, 2009

There is a Little Village Arts Fest being held on Oct. 2nd – 4th 2009

Come out and spend your weekend attending FREE art exhibits, workshops, and performances.

For more information visit www.myspace.com/littlevillageartsfest

or contact Jose Aleman 773.450.9624 | littlevillageartsfest@gmail.com

Laura Nuñez  312.972.3808

SEE YOU THERE!

Lvejo article in Hoy Newspaper September 16, 2009

Check out the article that came out on the front page of Hoy September 16, 2009

http://www.vivelohoy.com/noticias/localidades/chicago/vvl2-pp._4_y_5_parquesep16,0,1742158.story