2002 Celebration
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2002 Celebration |
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Programs Child-to-Child Program Program Descriptions Child-to-Child Program Celine Woznica The mission of the Child-to-Child Program of Alivio Medical Center is to provide inner-city Latino children with an opportunity to link learning about health and safety with direct action in the home or the community, enhancing children’s perception that they can affect their situation and improve their lives. Alivio Medical Center is a nonprofit community health center that provides bilingual comprehensive health services to a low-income, predominantly Mexican community in southwest Chicago. Child-to-Child is an international health program designed to promote health through children. Begun in 1979 during the International Year of the Child, the program has spread to more than 80 nations. In 1993, Alivio Medical Center initiated the first U.S. program in response to the need for a year-round, proactive health and safety promotion program for elementary and junior high students. Young Latinos in the Pilsen/Little Village/Back of the Yards area of Chicago face serious health risks and stresses, including poverty, drug abuse, gang activity, a high dropout rate, racism, sexual abuse, and violence. The enormous and complex nature of these issues can give rise to a fatalism and hopelessness that leads to poor life choices and self-destructive behavior. Child-to-Child provides an opportunity for youth to be proactive about the issues that directly affect them and helps them develop a sense of empowerment. Children set the agenda by prioritizing the health and safety issues that most concern them—and in naming the problem, they take the first step in attaining social consciousness. They initiate a variety of health activities, such as educational campaigns, screenings, and litter cleanups. They teach others in ways that are age-appropriate, fun, and participatory. Techniques include puppet shows, skits, songs, and demonstrations. In some schools, the program is team taught by the health teacher and the Alivio Medical Center program coordinator as part of the regular health course. In other schools, the program is part of after-school activities, such as the Girl Scouts or an after-school center. A variety of health and safety themes have been studied as part of the program. Many are traditional health subjects, while other issues reflect the reality of the community. Some concerns mirror the breakdown of family and community, such as gangs, child abuse, alcoholism, and divorce. Many programs have undertaken issues of violence prevention and conflict resolution as primary health concerns. Cocobalé Music and Dance Ensemble Contact Cocobalé is an Afro-Antillian musical workshop and dance troupe composed of students from the Aspira’s Antonia Pantoya High School. Cocobalé’s mission is to provide youth with the basis for self-identity, self-discovery, and the development of self-esteem. At the same time, youth develop artistic leadership. Students study Puerto Rican folk art and their own cultural background. A parallel is established between past (slavery) and present (gangs) issues in an attempt to understand some of the community’s ills. “Cocobalé” means war, battle, or struggle. In performances, participants take up the Puerto Rican musical heritage handed down from the diverse peoples of the island. In February 1995 students were introduced to the arts through cultural workshops that were designed to supplement Puerto Rican and Spanish classes. Students demanded that the workshops continue within their classroom curriculum, and the program was established. Cocobalé incorporates Caribbean rhythms produced by the descendants of slaves, including Bomba, music that the slaves and the maroons enjoyed in their free time. It is clearly a music of African descent, based on the rhythm of drums and the call-and-response chant. Besides expressing the emotions of daily life, Bomba was also part of ceremonies calling for rebellion against slavery. Another musical genre, Plena, originated with the urban laborers of Puerto Rico at the beginning of the twentieth century, and its sung messages tell stories of the people’s daily lives It combines African, Taino, and Spanish musical influences into one national rhythm of Puerto Rico. The program meets once a week for four hours. Students learn history, oral tradition, music, dance, body movement, theater techniques, songs, and choreography. They also design and create the costumes, masks, jewelry, and props for performances. The students utilize Spanish through storytelling, historical interpretation of songs, poetry, and specific vocabulary pertaining to different time periods. Through dance, students learn body language as another means of communication. Nobleza Azteca Contact The mission of the Nobleza Azteca folkloric dance group is to instill knowledge and pride in the students’ culture and native language through music and dance, and to promote learning so students can master marketable skills and contribute to society. Nobleza Azteca, which was established in 1985 with a group of 10 students, is dedicated to providing an alternative for young Latinos that nurtures inner strengths, which will in turn help them make wise decisions that may affect their lives tremendously. The group is part of a multicultural studies program integrated into the curriculum of Gerald Delgado Kanoon Magnet School, a public school in Chicago that offers dual-language instruction that is extended to the dance practice sessions. Promoting second language acquisition to all of the program's students is a priority. It is made up of two groups, beginning and advanced, with approximately 70 students ranging from kindergarten through eighth grade. Sessions are held before school three times a week and after school four times a week. When necessary, weekend practices are also arranged. Because the school is located in a community that lacks recreational facilities and is inundated with gang violence, drugs, poverty, and few employment opportunities, it is critical that students have avenues to explore their heritage in a positive, healthy way. Students are initially taught the fundamentals of dance: rhythm, synchronization, and directional moves. Then they learn basic azteca steps, along with the history related to that period. Gradually dancers are introduced to the elaborate footwork required for the more popular dances from Michoacán, El Norte, Veracruz, and Jalisco. As they learn about the great contributions made by indigenous Latinos, participants begin to appreciate their background and express their cultural pride in the execution of the dances. At the beginning of the year, children who are interested in joining have the opportunity to try out for the group. Students must submit their report cards regularly; based on their academic status, they are allowed to perform at local, state, and national events. Tocar el Futuro/Touch the Future Contact El Valor is a grassroots organization that strives for excellence and inclusion of all people including those with disabilities. For the past 15 years El Valor has worked with Latino children with disabilities from birth to age three in Pilsen. After years of working with families in Chicago’s Latino community, El Valor realized that dropout rates in the inner city were climbing and children continued to fail at an alarming rate. An innovative educational approach was needed in order to truly impact the quality of life for at-risk families. El Valor brought together a think tank that included leaders from universities, government, business, and the community. As a result of a yearlong planning process, the program developed Tocar el futuro/Touch the Future, a progrma that involves the child, family, and community in a comprehensive early education and family enrichment campaign. Tocar el Futuro demonstrates that inner-city children and their families can achieve excellence as a norm and that children with disabilities can be included to the benefit of all. Tocar el Futuro takes a holistic, family-centered approach to education that focuses on four key areas: enriching the lives of children; strengthening families; creating public awareness about the importance of early education; and building leaders. The program is founded on the idea that caring parents with high expectations of themselves and their children provide a foundation for future success. The program offers parenting classes, family support groups, early reading groups, fathers’ workshops, literacy training, and English as a second language classes. In conjunction with the volunteer media committee, El Valor has developed a series of six Spanish public service annoucements on the importance of parents reading, playing music, and playing with their children from the time they are born. And because there is a shortage of minorities in education and business, the program partners with local universities to offer courses at the centers; as a result, working families who might not otherwise pursue higher education participate in master’s and doctoral degree programs. |