Southwest Organizing Project - Latest news

Chicago Lawn Ceasefire Update

1/3/2012, 1:35 PM

Rabbi Joshua Salter

We welcome back our Ceasefire Anti Violence Program! We are fortunate to have this State of Illinois funded program that allows Chicago Lawn to reduce shootings and murders in our Gage Park Community. Our funding supports and allows Southwest Organizing Project to employ a Program Manager, a Supervisor, a Violence Interruptor and 3 Outreach Workers to directly impact youth violence. Ceasefire is a scientifically proven Anti-Violence program to reduce shootings based on five working components.

Direct Youth Outreach
Public Education around Violence and its Consequences
Community Mobilization
Faith Based Leader Involvement
Police Relations

We would like to invite you to assist us with implementing the program; attend Anti -Violence Meetings and shooting responses to violent acts.

For more information please contact Rabbi Joshua Salter at 773-471-8202 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 773-471-8202 end_of_the_skype_highlighting Ex. 15.

500 attend SWOP’s holiday party at Maria High School

1/1/2012, 10:29 AM

Monday, December 19, 2011

In what has become an annual tradition on the Southwest side, more than 500 people joined together on December 13^th at Maria High School to celebrate the holidays together as members of the Southwest Organizing Project.

As people began arriving at 6pm they were welcomed by youth leaders from Morrill Elementary School and Gage Park High schools who gave everyone a “Human Bingo” card. The bingo cards had a series of statements like “I have lived in a foreign country” and “I have been to Springfield, IL,” and people were encouraged to find someone at the party for whom each statement was true. The first to ask enough people to fill the card out successfully were a parent and two students.

The short program began at 6:30 and was co-chaired by David Castro, who leads the TeenReach program at Morrill School and Mayra Sarabia, SWOP Strategy Team member and Parent Mentor Coordinator at Eberhart School. Father Tony Pizzo of St. Rita of Cascia Catholic Church, Rabbi Joshua Salter, a member of Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, and Gemali Ibrahim from the Inner-city Muslim Action Network opened the festivities with prayers from their various faith traditions.

Betty Gutierrez, SWOP Strategy Team member and St Mary Star of the Sea parishioner led the room in recognition of Maureen Fitzpatrick. Maureen worked as an organizer with SWOP on immigration and education issues since 2006 and left us this year to complete her studies for her Masters of Public Policy at The University of Chicago. The program ended with the Talman Elementary School Mariachi Band in only their second public performance serenading the enthusiastic crowd with versions of Las Mañanitas and Feliz Navidad.

After the program, everyone dove into the chicken and fish provided by Holy Cross Hospital and IMAN and the many side dishes and deserts brought by other member institutions and individual leaders.

All in all it was a very successful action.

Alabama – Here we come!!!

1/1/2012, 10:26 AM

Rabbi Joshua Salter

A Reflection from Rabbi Joshua Salter on traveling to Alabama for the FIRM Summit and Immigrant National Convention

On December 14, 2011 a delegation of Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) leaders and Organizers left to attend the 2011 Fair Immigrant Reform Movement (FIRM), a national collaboration of organizations addressing the Immigration Reform movement. As a organizer at SWOP, which is a member institution of ICIRR, I was delighted to be a part of this significant convening in historic Montgomery, Alabama - the face of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950’s and 60’s for African Americans.

Our evening departure begun with a rounds question of what did we hope to take from this trip. My answer is such that I was hoping to grasp the spirit of the “civil rights” struggle and walk the same “paths” that my fore-parents walked. Upon our arrival we were given a proper understanding of Alabama history past and presentation by Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer with Equal Justice Initiative, who spelled out for us where we were. He explained that we were in “the Heart of the Confederacy” and you can find this “heart of Dixie” on the Alabama license plates even today.

ICIRR by far had the largest group of delegates than any other organization from around the country and is well respected and recognized for its work both inIllinoisand nationally around Secure Communities. Panel discussions were held featuring Civil Rights era leaders like Rev. C.T. Vivian, a heralded leader for many decades who survived vicious attacks for Freedom, Freedom Rider Catherine Burks-Brooks, Victor Palafox, a Courageous leader with Alabama Dreamers for the Future, Ali Noorani of the National Immigration Forum, Marvin Randolph of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Josh Hoyt of ICIRR and many other prominent leaders of the past and present who led us in fruitful conversations about the Immigrant Movement forward as it relates to struggle for civil and human rights.

On the morning of Saturday Dec. 17 a rally was held at the Alabama State Capitol building with more than 3,000 people to send a message to legislators that Alabama House Bill 56 is unacceptable in this Age to discriminate against people based on the color of their skin, which clearly this bill is intended to do. We were joined by a busload of ICIRR leaders including SWOP Organizers Sarah Mesick, Zerah Imam and SWOP leaders Esperanza Marrufo, Stephanie Alvarado and Timothy Anderson.

At the Rallies many stories were shared in regards to children not being able to attend school, renting or buying of homes not being allowed, home utilities being shut off and lack of ability to work or being fired. Again, fear and terrorism is alive and well again in Alabama; but on this day many who are undocumented showed up and showed out in the belief that this great country of Liberty and Dignity, should always stand for Freedom and should always be courageous in historic fights for the future of this country, and for me to stand with them in this time of need is what I live for.

Many times when go to places we think of what we can bring back; but on this trip it was better to leave some things.some good, some bad, some ugly, some beauty, some inspiring, some truth, some love, some perseverance, some tenacity, some care and some compassion for people seeking human dignity.

The Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) hosts a powerful immigration rally at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church

12/19/2011, 12:16 AM

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

On Saturday, April 30^th, over a thousand student, business, community, and religious leaders from around Illinois packed St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, a member institution of the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP), in support of the IL Dream Act, Smart Enforcement Act, the Immigrant Services Line Item and a fair legislative map that reflects immigrant communities.

SWOP, together with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights(ICIRR), organized the action which brought both Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton together in support of the new legislation and immigrant services. Senator Cullerton is the sponsor of the IL Dream Act, which would create private scholarships for undocumented students and provide training for high school counselors to better assist undocumented students continue their education.

Southwest side State Representative Dan Burke, who is the sponsor the Smart Enforcement Act, also attended the action along with State Representative Edward Acevedo and Senate William Delgado. The Smart Enforcement Act would track the local impact and costs of so-called “Secure Communities” programs, which requires local police to act as immigration enforcement agents. The Smart Enforcement Act would also allow counties to opt out of the program and would bar spending state resources on detaining and deporting non-criminal immigrants. This legislation would allow law enforcement to focus on catching serious criminals and prevent many innocent families from being separated.

Throughout the action at St Nicholas, community leaders passionately shared their testimonies to each issue. Carolina Rivera, SWOP leader from Talman Elementary School, spoke directly to Speaker Madigan and Senator Cullerton regarding the nightmare that families go through because of local police acting as immigration agents and asked the two powerful politicians for their support on the Smart Enforcement Act.

The event came at an opportune time with the IL Dream Act coming up for a vote four days later. The dream act, which had already passed the Illinois House, was passed in the Illinois Senate on Wednesday, May 4^th by a vote of 45 for and 11 against.

A group of SWOP leaders traveled down to Springfield to witness the vote. Immigrant rights supporters won a second victory that day when Governor Quinn signed an order terminating participation in Secure Communities in Illinois.The Smart Enforcement Act passed in the house 66-43 vote on Friday, May 6^th and is waiting action in the Illinois Senate.

Líderes de SWOP luchan para poner fin a “Comunidades Seguras”

8/24/2011, 11:33 AM

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Líderes del Proyecto Organizador del Suroeste (SWOP), miembro de la Coalición de Illinois pro Derechos de Inmigrantes y Refugiados (ICIRR), participaron en la audiencia del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional sobre Comunidades Seguras en el centro de Chicago. Comunidades Seguras es un programa que le permite a los agentes de la policía tomar las huellas digitales de las personas que son arrestadas para verificar sí están aquí legal o ilegalmente. Más de 1, 000, 000 personas han sido deportadas durante la administración de Obama a través de Comunidades Seguras. La mayoría de las personas deportadas no tenían antecedentes penales.

El 17 de agosto 2011 cerca de 900 personas asistieron a la Audiencia de Comunidades Seguras. Personas a favor y en contra del programa Comunidades Seguras tuvieron la oportunidad de compartir sus testimonios y opiniones.

Alaa Mukahhal, líder de Liga de Jóvenes Inmigrantes por la Justicia (IYJL), dio un discurso sobre cómo ha sido impactada por el programa de Comunidades Seguras. Al final del discurso salió junto con otros cinco estudiantes para llevar a cabo una desobediencia civil en las calles. Alaa pidió el apoyo de la comunidad. Una vez afuera los estudiantes y manifestantes bloquearon el tráfico. Diez personas fueron arrestadas entre ellos seis estudiantes.

Carolina Rivera, una líder de SWOP, está en contra del programa Comunidades Seguras. Carolina compartió como su familia ha sido afectada por este programa, incluyendo su esposo, quien estaba programado a salir al día siguiente debido a las deportaciones a través de Comunidades Seguras. El dejo atrás a su esposa y tres hijos jóvenes.

SWOP leaders fighting to put an end to “Secure Communities”

8/24/2011, 11:23 AM

Leaders with the Southwest Organizing Project, a member of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, participated in Department of Homeland Security's hearing on Secure Communities in downtown Chicago on Wednesday, August 17. Secure Communities is a program that allows police officers to take finger prints from people arrested to see if they are here legally or illegally. Over 1, 000, 000 people have been deported during the Obama administration through secure communities. Most of the people who were deported had no criminal records.

On August 17, 2011 about 900 people attended the Secure Communities Hearing. People who supported and were against Secure Communities had the opportunity to share their testimonies and opinions.

Alaa Mukahhal, leader with the Immigrant Youth Justice League, gave a speech on how she has been impacted by Secure Communities. At the end of the speech she left with five other students to conduct civil disobedience in the streets. Alaa asked for community's support. Once outside the students and demonstrators blocked traffic. Ten people were arrested including six students.

Carolina Rivera, a leader with SWOP, is against the program Secure Communities. Carolina shared how her family has been affected by this program, including her husband, who was scheduled to leave the next day due to deportations through Secure Communities. He left behind his wife and three young children.

The Southwest Organizing Project intends to apply to 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant

8/4/2011, 4:01 PM

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Shoshanah Yehudah

The Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) intends to apply for a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant in partnership with Talman Elementary School and Marquette Elementary School. The 21st CCLC will allow SWOP to expand educational, social-emotional, and enrichment opportunities and supports to Chicago Lawn families.

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers support the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. The program helps students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and math; offers students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children

Fighting for Immigrant Rights

5/17/2011, 1:06 PM

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Carlil Pittman

My name is Carlil Pittman. I am 18 years old living in the south side of Chicago. I am a senior in high school at Gage Park. I use to attend Kelly high school. While I was there I dated a Hispanic girl named Maria. Today we have a beautiful son together. His name is Carlil Pittman jr. or C J for short. He is 1 years old and he lives with his mother and her family. I sometimes wonder and worry about my son and his mother. My son’s mother Maria was not born in the United States she was born in Mexico.

Maria was brought here to the United States by her parents when she was two years old. She has been to school and done everything that American children do. She has grown up in Chicago. Maria became pregnant towards the end of her sophomore year and she started coming to school less and less. By the beginning of her junior year of high school she stopped going. She stays at home with our son all day. I have been having conversations with her about going back to school or at least getting a G.E.D. because like I tell her, you cannot do much in today’s society without a degree. She knows that I’m right. But then she told me something that I did not even take into consideration. A G.E.D will only take you so far. You’re going to need college and college is expensive. How is an undocumented Mexican girl with no social security number or financial aid supposed to pay for college? She cannot do it. She does not have the money to further pursue her education, all because she was not born here.

Maria has been in the United States for about seventeen years. She was brought here, not by her own will. She can’t get money for college? There are citizens here who do not even take advantage of that opportunity. I have high hopes for my son’s future. I

want him to be able to experience a lot of different things that a lot of children do not get to experience. Maria is afraid to go anywhere outside of Chicago because she is afraid that she will not be able to get back. It hurts me because I know that she deserves an opportunity just like any other child that lives in the United States.

When I heard about the Dream Act and what it does I could not wait to tell Maria about it. I went down to Springfield with SWOP to talk to some of the legislators and thank them and tell them about how we are affected by the bill. We recently went back to Springfield to watch the senate vote on the bill. It passed! I was excited for all immigrant children, especially Maria. These changes that are being made are also affecting me even though I’m not an immigrant. My current situation and knowledge of the things that immigrants must go through has given me a better understanding and has made my concern for immigrant rights grow. I’m glad that the Dream Act passed the Senate but in my opinion it’s still not enough. Until just recently Maria was given a medical card but when she turned eighteen they took it away.

As a teen father I will do what I can to provide for my family but it is frustrating to know that in this great nation that we live in these rights are denied to young people like Maria. I’m anxious to see when the changes to our laws will take place regarding immigration and not only in Illinois but to our whole Nation. But for now my focus is using the knowledge and the power to act that has been given to me and trying to get my son’s mother and many others their God given rights. I understand that if you want things to change you have to give them time, and when that time comes I want to be part of the reason why it happened.

Carlil with Senator Delgado

Students Ask Newly-elect Senator Kirk to Support DREAM Act

5/17/2011, 12:36 PM

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Becca

Student leaders from Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP)’s TeenReach Program at Morrill Elementary School made short videos to share with Senator Kirk about their dreams and why the DREAM Act is important to them. Mark Kirk the new Senator of Illinois was sworn in on November 29th. The DREAM Act will come to a vote on December 2nd. Students are flooding his office with videos, letters and calls to show him that Illinois supports immigration policies that reward hard work and education. The DREAM Act allows children of undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for at least five years, graduated from high school, and are of good moral character the opportunity to earn citizenship through at least two years of college or military service.

Actions
Phone Call with White House office of public engagement on DREAM Act: Call Number: (800)-398-9402 Title of the call: DREAM ACT Call.

Senator Kirk : 312.886.3506 and 202.224.2854.

To submit your own video, visit: http://icirr.org/en/node/5084.

Local Moms and Students Make a Big Push on Election Day

11/30/2010, 12:47 PM

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Becca

With a dead heat in the U.S. Senate and Illinois Governor’s races and polling indicating low voter turnout, 95 mom's from SWOP’s Parents as Mentors program at the five CPS elementary schools and students from Gage Park High School and Morrill Ellementary school were determined to deliver high turnout by knocking on thousands of doors around their schools on election day. They were energized to push for high turnout to make sure issues most important to their families and communities – education, safety, housing foreclosure, and immigration reform – are not ignored by elected officials.

Mayra Sarabia, Parents as Mentors Coordinator at Eberhart School recalled, "I encouraged my neighbors who are registered to vote to get out and have their voices heard. This election matters because it will affect my community, especially future decisions that will affect my family and my childrens’ school.”

After more than 12 hours of GOTV, SWOP parents and youth leaders made a huge difference by knocking on over 3,500 doors and personally talking to close to 1,000 voters in 3 wards and 22 precincts.

SWOP featured in local news media regarding signing of foreclosure grace period legislation

4/14/2009, 1:52 PM

SWOP executive director Jeff Bartow was featured in Chicago news outlets on recent bill signing of foreclosure grace period legislation sponsored by State Senator Jacqueline Collins.

The law would give homeowners facing foreclosure an additional 90 days to remain in thier homes. Lenders would be required to inform borrowers that they are delinquent in their payments in the first 30 days, then send a letter to borrowers informing them that they have an additional 30 days to seek counseling from a HUD certified counseling agency. Borrowers would then have an additional 30 days to report this information on a payment plan back to their lender. SWOP has worked on the issue of foreclosures and predatory lending for more than a decade. To view these articles, please click on the links below:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=6746289

http://cbs2chicago.com/video/?id=57173@wbbm.dayport.com

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Homeowners-Safety-Net-.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-quinn-foreclosureapr06,0,1044366.story

Leaders Gather for Candlelight Posada Highlighting Plight of Families Facing Foreclosures

12/22/2008, 1:31 PM

Neighbors and community members gathered for prayer and a “posada” to highlight the plight of families facing foreclosures in one of Chicago’s hardest hit neighborhoods this holiday season. Families formed a procession through the neighborhood, beginning at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Catholic Church, and stopping in front of vacant homes hit by the recent rise in foreclosures.

In a re-enactment of the journey of St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary going to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus, families asked for “posada” or lodging for families affected by foreclosures. In traditional posadas, the chorus asks for lodging for the Holy Family with stanzas played by the inn-keepers who refuse them a room. In this posada, southwest side families affected by foreclosures were requesting additional time to stay in their homes and were refused by the banks.

“Compassion I ask of you, beloved Banker, for only some time for my family that I love,” sang the families.

“Sorry, I am simply doing what I am being asked to do, since after all, they pay my salary,” responded the bankers.

The Southwest Organizing Project is engaged in a long-term housing campaign to develop solutions for families facing foreclosures. The Keep Our Homes Campaign, funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is in collaboration with Neighborhood Housing Services, the Greater Southwest Development Corporation and the Southwest REACH Center to provide outreach, counseling, intervention and organize remedies for families facing foreclosure.

The neighborhood of Chicago Lawn is at the epicenter of a national foreclosure crisis. In the first eleven months of 2008, an estimated 1,459 foreclosures were initiated in the 60629 zip code alone.

In June, the Southwest Organizing Project conducted a survey of St. Nicholas of Tolentine parishioners to gauge the impact of the foreclosure crisis on families in the neighborhood. Through these surveys, SWOP learned that 179 families were worried about making their monthly mortgage payments, 116 had boarded up homes on their block, 11 families were in foreclosure and 34 had fallen behind in their mortgage payments.

“We want to convey the message that St. Nick’s stands in solidarity with the families facing foreclosures,” said Letty Sanchez, a parishioner at St. Nicholas of Tolentine and a member of the church’s housing team. “As a church we refuse to cast them away. We are working for solutions to face this issue together.”

More than 200 ESL and GED Students Complete Fall Semester

12/11/2008, 1:21 PM

Students of the Southwest Organizing Project’s ESL and GED program participated in a special ceremony and potluck dinner celebrating their completion of the Fall 2008 semester. The Southwest Organizing Project, working in partnership with Malcolm X College, recognized the achievements of two-hundred forty-six students who completed the sixteen week fall semester. Family members and friends cheered in the Maria High School auditorium as teachers read the names of their students and they walked across the stage to receive their certificate.

The Southwest Organizing Project has been working with Malcolm X College since January 2008 to offer free adult education classes in the mornings and evenings at Maria High School. The number of registered students has steadily increased over the last three semesters with 347 students registered for the fall semester. Maria High School is currently the largest satellite location for Malcolm X College’s Continuing Adult Education program.

SWOP leaders ran a "We Want to Learn English" campaign, resulting in the partnership with Malcolm X College. Leaders organized listening campaigns within their churches and schools to assess the growing need for accessible adult education classes in Southwest Chicago. In August, leaders hosted a fundraiser dance at St. Gall to maintain funds for the program and continue to subsidize costs for a childcare program which enables many mothers to attend the classes.Aracely Perez, leader with SWOP’s ESL Committee, shared that “at this time, we are very proud that we brought classes here and all of our accomplishments this year.”

Senator Durbin Features SWOP in a Senate Subcommittee Hearing in Chicago

12/5/2008, 2:36 PM

Illinois US Senator Richard Durbin held up SWOP and our neighborhoods as an example of the tremendous local suffering caused by the national mortgage crisis during a federal hearing on December 4th at the Dirsken Federal Building in Chicago.

Two days earlier, the Senator was visibly moved by seeing the huge number of foreclosures on maps produced by SWOP at a meeting with our staff and leaders. Father Stan Rataj from St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, Livia Villarreal from the Southwest Reach Center, Mike Reardon from Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) and SWOP staff Jeff Bartow and David McDowell had arranged the meeting to speak with the Senator about our work fighting the foreclosures on the southwest side. As Father Stan laid out the impact of the crisis on his parish and Villarreal and Reardon shared information about the “Keep Our Homes” campaign recently begun by SWOP, SW Reach Center and NHS, the Senator began thinking with us on ways to bring the key decision makers from the top foreclosing banks to the table to speak with our leaders about local solutions to save our homes.

At the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing on December 4th, Senator Durbin pointed to two enlargements of the SWOP foreclosure maps that SWOP had shared with him, spoke about the devastating effects of foreclosures on zip code 60629 and related the stories that Father Stan had told him about St. Nicholas parish. He then questioned Neel Kashkari, Interim Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability, Department of the Treasury about what the Treasury Department was doing to specifically help families stay in their homes and heard testimony from Michael Krimminger, Special Advisor to the Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on the FDIC plan to save homes.

Also testifying at the hearing were Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General; Matthew Scire, Director, Financial Markets and Community Investment, U.S. Government Accountability Office; Bruce Gottschall, Executive Director, Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago; and Marguerite E. Sheehan, Senior Vice President and Home Lending Senior Executive, JPMorgan Chase.

SWOP leader Katie Van Tiem from Neighborhood Housing Services, and SWOP Staff Jeff Bartow and David McDowell were present at the hearing and had the opportunity to speak with the Senator and his staff about a continuing partnership to keep our families in their homes in our neighborhood.

Stay tuned to our website for further developments.

VOYCE leaders announce partnership with CPS on Youth-Led Pilot Projects; Release report detailing solutions to Dropout Crisis

12/4/2008, 6:07 PM

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students and CPS CEO Arne Duncan announced the creation of a new student-led pilot project aimed at reducing the city's high dropout rate. The program was launched at a breakfast gathering of the education community in downtown Chicago convened by Voices of Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE), a coalition of youth leaders from seven community organizations, including the Southwest Organizing Project, and 12 high schools throughout Chicago. VOYCE worked with CPS to develop the pilot project, one of several recommendations made in the VOYCE report released today detailing solutions to stem the CPS dropout crisis.

“Each CPS high school student faces a unique situation and we believe that the better we understand our students, the more effective we can be at helping students stay on track for graduation,” Duncan said. “We are excited to partner with VOYCE because it gives us another opportunity to have a direct dialog with students and engage them in transforming the Chicago Public Schools.”

Based upon the importance of student input, in its report released today VOYCE details specific initiatives to address the dropout crisis and increase college-readiness. As part of its first phase of implementing the student-led reforms, CPS is committed to work with VOYCE on a pilot-project basis. Among the project's elements:

• Struggling freshmen at eight of the CPS high schools participating in the VOYCE coalition will receive personalized, four-year graduation plans, and will be offered guidance retreats three times a year.

• CPS will also develop a process for all students to give input into ongoing CPS curriculum reform efforts and professional development. This will begin with a set of discussions including students from VOYCE high schools. CPS schools participating in the pilot project include Roosevelt, Kelly, Dyett, Kelvyn Park, Perspectives Tech, Gage Park, Kenwood Academy and Senn high schools.

In addition, VOYCE leaders, themselves, will undertake the following efforts at several of the 12 partner schools:

• The creation of student-led leadership teams with teachers and administrators as adult allies.

• The development of a VOYCE leadership academy to train leadership team members to be effective agents of change on school reform issues.

• Community orientations for teachers as part of ongoing professional development activities aimed at giving teachers a stronger understanding of the wisdom, values, and struggles of the areas in which they teach.

• Potential other pilot projects that promote positive peer to peer influence to keep students in school, improve safety and security, and further develop a college-going culture in the schools.

"This process of engaging youth in their own educational futures is what VOYCE is all about," said Maria DeGillo, a VOYCE student leader and CPS student at Truman Middle College. "Our goal is for CPS to eventually adopt the full spectrum of our student-led initiatives."

The VOYCE collaborative believes the engagement of CPS students, themselves, is vital in helping resolve high dropout and low college-enrollment rates that continue to plague Chicago public high schools. Supported with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Communities for Public Education Reform, the group's student leaders undertook a year-long study of the reasons for these problems and potential solutions that included a statistically significant survey of 1,325 CPS students, in-depth interviews with 208 additional students, 110 teachers, and 65 parents, and site visits to successful schools in six states.

The VOYCE schools include: Dyett High School, Gage Park High School, Kelly High School, Kelvyn Park High School, Kenwood Academy, Mather High School, North Grand High School, Perspectives Calumet High School/Perspectives Calumet Institute of Technology, Roosevelt High School, Senn High School, and Uplift Community High School.

The national site visits were held in the following six states: California at Kearney Digital Media and Design School (San Diego) and Animo Leadership Charter High School (Los Angeles); Illinois at the Al Raby High School and North Side College Prep (Chicago); New Jersey at Science Park Magnet High School (Newark); New York at Paul Robeson High School (Brooklyn, NY); Texas at Hidalgo Early College High School (Hidalgo), Yes College Prep (Houston), and from the South Texas Independent School District: The Science Academy of South Texas, South Texas High School for Health Professions, and Business Education and Technology Academy (BETA); Washington at Garfield High School (Seattle), Mariner High School (Everett), and Clover Park High School (Lakewood).

During the youth-led process, student leaders and researchers envisioned improved schools and learning environments, developed survey questions based on their own educational experiences, identified appropriate data collection methods, performed ethnographic mapping of school communities, made site visits to successful school in Illinois and across the country, reviewed relevant literature, and collated all data and responses to identify common themes and perspectives.

Among the coalition's findings:

• Students in Chicago Public Schools have internalized the problem of the dropout rate and believe that they are the ones to blame for the failures of the school system. It is only through a deeper critical analysis that students come to realize the systemic problems impacting public education.

• Additionally, youth researchers found that dropping out is not something that students plan or anticipate. It is something that happens slowly over time.

• VOYCE found that while teachers, parents, and students agree that relevance in curriculum is critical to students’ engagement in school, students feel that relevance is largely missing in their schools. This lack of relevance leaves students without a clear sense of purpose when it comes to their education.

• Through school site visits in Chicago and nationally, the student researchers came to understand that curriculum needs to both relate to students’ culture and real-life situations, and explicitly make the connection that school is a stepping stone to college and future careers.

• Students state that family and friends influence them the most, above teachers and counselors. 58% of students said that the best thing about their school were the students. This shows the importance of increasing the influence that teachers and counselors have on students, and also highlights the importance of peer-to-peer influence in motivating students to stay in school.

• For a learning environment to be safe, students must not only feel physically safe, but also feel safe to express themselves. In order to create a physically and emotionally safe environment in schools, strong relationships, high expectations, and challenging coursework must be in place.

"It's unfortunate that any student would believe they are the cause of a nationwide problem," said VOYCE leader Hennessy Williams, a VOYCE student leader and CPS student at Kenwood Academy. "It is the mission of VOYCE to help students realize they are instead part of the solution."

Voices of Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE) is a citywide youth organizing initiative created to address the high dropout rate and low college enrollment rate for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students. VOYCE’s leadership includes students from seven community-based organizations and 12 CPS high schools who have committed themselves to organizing their schools and communities to create lasting change. VOYCE's organizational partners include Albany Park Neighborhood Council, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Organization of the NorthEast, Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, Logan Square Neighborhood Association, Target Area Development Corporation, and Southwest Organizing Project. For more information, please visit www.voyceproject.org.

To download a copy of the report, please click here.

Access to Religious Ministry Passes Illinois General Assembly

11/24/2008, 4:41 PM

On November 20, HB 4613, the Access to Religious Ministry Act unanimously passed the Illinois General Assembly. The Access to Religious Ministry Act (HB 4613), ensures access of religious workers to immigrant detainees in county jails across the state.

HB 4613, sponsored by State Representatives Daniel Burke (D-Chicago) and Julie Hamos (D-Evanston) and State Senators Iris Martinez (D-Chicago) and Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago), has the support of religious institutions and leaders including the Sisters of Mercy, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), Southwest Organizing Project, and the Resurrection Project.

The Access to Religious Ministry Act would ensure that immigration detainees in county jails have the same access to priests, nuns, ministers, rabbis, imams, and other clergy as the criminal populations in these jails. Religious workers would be able to meet with immigration detainees who wish to consult with the religious workers regarding their spiritual and other needs.

The jails would need to provide religious workers with reasonable access to immigration detainees during scheduled times. Such ministries would not count against any visitation to which the detainees would otherwise be entitled. The facility would work to bring in religious workers from various faiths that reflect the religious diversity of the facility’s immigration detained population.

“Access to religious ministry is a basic human right that we all deserve, especially in times of need,” said Rep. Burke. “The passage of this bill is a step forward towards compassion for the most needed and it will provide some relief for the spiritual needs of thousands of immigrants held in detention for days or months.”

Immigration authorities are detaining increasing numbers of immigrants throughout the country, requiring more space to house the detainees. Many of these detainees are seeking asylum and are being detained while awaiting their day in court. Others are there solely for lacking immigration status, without having been charged with any criminal offense.

“Immigrants are suffering after being separated from their families and communities, with very limited access to spiritual counseling,” said Rep. Hamos. “Enabling ministry to these immigrants is a basic but compassionate improvement in the conditions that they face.”

“We want to recognize the work of the sponsors Reps. Burke, Hamos and Senators Martinez and Collins,” said Lawrence Benito, ICIRR Associate Director. “Especially now that raids and deportations had increased tremendously, the passage of HB 4613 marks a huge victory against the politics of fear in our state, and a signal that our state stands for humane detention practices.”

SWOP Organizer Receives Cardinal Bernadin New Leadership Award

11/24/2008, 3:04 PM

Organizer Stephanie Garza, 25, was chosen as this year’s recipient of the Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award for her remarkable work with immigrant parents through the Southwest Organizing Project in Chicago. Bishop Roger P. Morin, Chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, praised the choice.

"Stephanie is a clear example of a young leader who is inspired by her faith to empower low-income people to work together to address the root causes of poverty in their communities. Her example and witness inspires us all, and I congratulate Stephanie and her family for the achievements that have led to this important honor," Morin said.

Stephanie has worked with the Southwest Organizing Project since 2005 where she runs the Parents as Mentors Program, an initiative in four Chicago public elementary schools that facilitates parent involvement in their children’s schools with the goal of engaging parents in addressing community issues.

The daughter of an immigrant father and a Mexican-American mother, Stephanie has a special connection with the program participants, most of whom are immigrant mothers. Stephanie described her work at SWOP as "developing leaders to speak and act on their own behalf, so low income people can bring change to their communities."

Stephanie is also an active leader in the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform in the Archdiocese of Chicago. She regularly leads educational workshops for parishes on the need for comprehensive immigration reform based on Gospel and Catholic social teaching values. Stephanie has played a leadership role in diocesan campaign events such as a bi-lingual retreat, a Corpus Christi celebration, and a postcard exchange between immigrant and non-immigrant parishes.

Elena Segura, director of the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform in the Archdiocese of Chicago, said, "We're blessed to count on Stephanie as one of our volunteers who inspires others with her commitment to bring the kingdom of God to our society, to build relationships, and to accompany undocumented immigrants, in a very pastoral way, in their quest for immigration reform."

Stephanie said of her own work, "A lot of immigrant families feel really isolated. The process to find solutions starts with creating relationships. As Catholics, we need to support families and communities. We need to act on our faith as advocates for one another."

CCHD presented Stephanie with the award on Monday, November 10, in Baltimore, during the Fall General Assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership award honors a Catholic between the ages of 18 and 30 who demonstrates leadership in fighting poverty and injustice in the United States through community-based solutions. It is named for the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, former archbishop of Chicago and a leading voice on behalf of poor and low-income people, who understood the need to build bridges across ethnic, economic, class and age barriers.

The award was established in 1998 by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, a national program of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. CCHD is one of the nation’s largest supporters of self-help, community-based programs initiated and led by the poor. Funded by an annual collection in Catholic parishes across the country, CCHD has distributed more than $280 million to more than 8,000 self-help projects over its 38 years. This year, CCHD announced almost $9.4 million in grants to support 301 local projects, selected without regard to religious affiliation, in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Marquette Parents Kick off Organizing Drive

9/26/2008, 4:10 PM

Maureen Kelleher

Parent organizing efforts at Marquette Elementary are starting to pay off. On September 17, more than 100 parents showed up for open house. Though a hundred-some parents in a school with nearly 1700 students may seem like a drop in the bucket, in previous years "we only got a quarter this many," said Principal Paul O' Toole.

At least 20 of them expressed interest in joining the school's Parents as Mentors program, in which parents work in classrooms for two hours, four days a week, while furthering their own knowledge and skills. Unlike previous years, this year's open house orientation was planned and run by parents themselves. Preparations began back in the summer, when the Southwest Organizing Project sponsored three barbecues in the homes of Marquette families during July and August to help parents connect with each other. In late August, about 20 parents met in Marquette's courtyard and heard from peers about the importance of joining groups like the Local School Council, Parent Advisory Council and the Bilingual Advisory Council.

They also heard testimonies about the power of the Parents as Mentors program to change lives. "When I started here I didn't have no set goals for myself. I didn't even know how to set goals."said Ida Pullum.

Photo: Maureen Kelleher

Through Parents as Mentors, "I did go back and get a high school diploma. That taught me how to help my children and grandchildren set goals, too." Pullum plans to return to Parents as Mentors this year, as the program expands to work with young people in grades six through eight. She knows what it takes to reach middle-schoolers from working in Marquette's after-school program. "You have to listen more," she said. "You cannot talk to them like they are five years old. They are the ones with the most problems. Peer pressure is real bad."

At September's open house, parents showed they need someone to listen, too. Parents in the audience asked questions ranging from how to manage students safely as they arrive at one of the largest elementary schools in the city to why Spanish-speaking students learn English in the earliest grades while English-speaking students have to wait until 6th grade to learn Spanish. At times, the questions grew heated.

Local School Council vice chair Maria Mena responded to parents' concerns by sharing her own story. When she first came to Marquette, she too complained about safety. Over time, she got involved in solving the problem by joining a group of parents who succeeded in bringing 32 security cameras into the school.

"I can see the difference they have made in security. I hope parents here today will not only complain, but will come to parent meetings and get involved in helping the school," she said to applause.

Later, Local School Council chair Jamanika Chillis told the story of how a drop in her son's grades brought her into Marquette, where she learned more about how to help him succeed in school. "I learned the importance of homework, quality time, keeping track of who is my child's teacher. What classroom is he in? What is he going to be learning this year? We have to be faithful like that for our children."

After the meeting, while most parents went to observe their children's classrooms and meet their teachers, about a dozen of the most vocal parents stayed to speak with O'Toole and Chillis. "I heard people saying, 'They should do this every month,'" she said afterwards. She told them, "We do do it every month! Come to the PAC meeting."

Marquette staff were delighted to have parents take on the job of orienting their peers. "This is the first year the parents organized the auditorium portion [of open house]," said O'Toole. "Parents really took charge and they did a great job."

SWOP Grow Your Own Teachers Initiative Highlighted in Local Media

6/16/2008, 10:50 AM

For a full text of the article visit: http://www.impre.com/laraza/noticias/2008/6/15/mas-maestros-calificados-60785-1.html

Más maestros calificados

Innovadora asociación entre organizaciones comunitarias, de estudio superior y escuelas ofrece apoyo a interesados en ser maestros

La fórmula opera en nuestro estado ante las evidentes dificultades de algunas áreas de escasos recursos para retener maestros calificados en las aulas de enseñanza.

En un perfecto ejemplo del poder democrático, varias organizaciones comunitarias y otros estamentos sociales se unieron para presionar ante los legisladores su creación, la cual tuvo efecto en la 2004 Grown Your Own Teacher (GYO) Education Act.

Como explica la guatemalteca Imelda Salazar, coordinadora de este programa en el Proyecto Organizador del Sur Oeste (SWOP), la creación de estos grupos de trabajo da la oportunidad de tener muchos más maestros. "Para el 2016 es ley que tengamos mil maestros de color (latinos y afroamericanos ), dentro de esos, no sabemos cuántos se gradúen bilingües pero creemos que son la mayoría".

El sistema promueve la asociación de una organización comunitaria, una universidad, y una escuela de distrito. En medio de un panorama de recortes presupuestales y escasez de recursos, GYO arroja resultados esperanzadores para las comunidades: 545 candidatos a maestros estudian actualmente, 44 de los cuales reclutados por SWOP.

Foreclosure Crisis: Local Impact, Local Response

6/13/2008, 4:33 PM

With national attention focused on the impending foreclosure crisis, local community organizations have decided to take action. The most recent statistics tell us that in the first four months of 2008 nearly 600 foreclosures have been initiated in the 60629 zip code alone.

Foreclosures initiated January through April, 2008 in zip code 60629.

On Sunday, June 15, Fr. Stan Rataj, Pastor of St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish dedicated his homily to the crisis hitting families in the neighborhood, as part of a larger SWOP effort to tackle this issue.

“If several hundred families lost their homes to a fire or a tornado, we would rush to help them,” said Fr. Stan. “This tragedy is just as serious, yet people feel that they have to face it by themselves. Hundreds of people losing their homes because they were lied to is simply not acceptable. We will face this crisis together, as we have so many others through the years.”

After each of the masses, the Southwest Organizing Project conducted a survey of parishioners to gauge the impact of the foreclosure crisis on families in the neighborhood. This research action is one of several planned for the neighborhood with other churches slated to participate.

This effort, funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is part of a larger housing campaign in collaboration with Neighborhood Housing Services, the Greater Southwest Development Corporation and the Southwest REACH Center to provide outreach, counseling, intervention and organize remedies for families facing foreclosure.

To learn more about these efforts or how you can get involved in the solution, please contact SWOP at (773) 471-8208.