The city of Chicago has been labeled by youth violence and the harsh crimes that involve our youth. But one organization on the Southwest side of Chicago has taken a stand in order to help the youth to look forward to a brighter future. The Southwest Youth Collaborative on 63rd and Kedzie's job is to further inspire the youth to move forward towards their dreams. Where one child is looking for an outlet that will allow him/her the freedom to dance or paint, another child is just looking to talk to a role-model that will help them to pursue their dreams---and the Southwest Youth Collaborative offers the youth these options.
The youth of the Southwest Youth Collaborative have covered the inside and outside walls of the Collaborative with murals that represent their hopes and dreams. In the middle of one of the most gang and crime infested areas in the city of Chicago, the Collaborative is helping to change the mentalities of the youth by keeping them busy with positve assignments. The current assignment that the youth are working on is the Recurrent Dream Event. This event will allow the youth to display their master pieces of art in an art exibit at the ARC Gallery and Educational Foundation on Saturday April 16th from 4PM until 6PM, through an innitiaitve called the University of Hip Hop. The youth are offering their art work for donations in order to help keep the University of Hip Hop alive. Executive Director Camille Odeh says that the Univerity of Hip Hop is one of the prized innitiatives of the Southwest Youth Collaborative and allows the youth to express themselves through the art of dance and graffiti. The University of Hip Hop has spreaded it's wings throughout high schools in the city of Chicago and the goal is to help the youth to use graffiti, dance, and emceeing as positive alternatives to negative life styles and as well to help change the city in a positve way through the art forms.
Florence Johnson Development Director of the Southwest Youth Collaborative says that it is important that all who are able to attend the "Recurrent Dream" event---come out to support the youth in order to further inspire them and keep them on a positive path. Florence adds "This is a free event and there are no RSVP's needed." The youth of the Southwest Youth Collaborative will dance, and display their art to allow the city of Chicago to know that they are not victims but are inspired by art. So if you would like to support the effort of the youth from the Southwest Youth Collaborative, they are inviting you to a Saturday of extreme beauty and exitement in order to dream on, inspire their peers, and create innovative ways to stay academically abreast.
For more information about this event contact Florence Johnson at 773-476-3534 ext. 257
Location
ARC Gallery and Educational Foundation
832 W. Superior Suite # 402
Chicago, IL 60624
If you would like to make a donation log on to:
http://www.swyc.org/donate/online-donation
Posted By: Talibah Bakhit
Saturday, April 16th 2011 at 12:58AM
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