On June 7, all of Chicago came together to celebrate the end of the school year. All over Chicago, neighborhood organizations organized block parties for over 10 different at-risk blocks in Chicago. They collectively promoted non-violence and spread joy to children in at-risk neighborhoods. PlayStreets powered every block party in the city. It is a city-wide grant program dedicated to the betterment of Chicago neighborhoods, according to a Chicago government website.
PlayStreets in Chicago is a collaborative initiative for healthier and stronger communities by creating safe and accessible residential play areas for kids to be active, to learn, and for neighbors to come together.
Furthermore, this great event provided children and young people the opportunity to play and relax without fear of being harmed by the violence in the city of Chicago. Streets were blocked off so the event could take place and to keep the children safe. Furthermore, the event tried to bring a spirit of togetherness to communities that needed it the most.
For the Kids
These are the very same neighborhoods where the event on June 7 took place in. Additionally, the block party organizers wanted to make sure they were reaching the right kids and the right neighborhoods because it was always about the children and the neighborhoods that needed it the most. “I thank a lot of the organizations for the work that they are doing to create these safe spaces for young people,” stated State Representative Lakesia Collins. Organizing block parties can be a great way to help relieve tension and stress within a community and instill values of community and belonging.
One of the major themes of the many block parties that day was violence prevention. Unfortunately, Chicago is known across the country for its violence and crime. Moreover, children across Chicago are impacted by the violence within the city. Many times, they themselves are victimized or have to grieve a friend or family who was harmed.
Furthermore, this heavy trauma can be a lot for any person, especially a child. The children of the city carry a heavy burden. Yet, it is up to events like these to heal the wounds, instead of the city of Chicago, which has ample resources to handle the problem.
Anti Violence
This is why it is all the more important to keep pushing non-violent narratives to protect the children and people of Chicago. Violence impacts every member of the victim’s family. With that in mind, the children of Chicago have been drenched in trauma and pain for the past decade.
Many of them have watched friends and family die right in front of them. Furthermore, these violent conditions in Chicago have created a generation of traumatized children and young people.
Therefore, it is important that the communities that these children and young people live in are trying their best to take care of them. Moreover, if children are the future, then society must focus on healing trauma in order for Chicago to heal as well.
Perseverance for the Children of Chicago
Furthermore, the fact that these events happened in the first place is a feat of massive proportions. Sometimes, events just don’t happen as a result of bureaucracy or they simply don’t have enough funds. Yet, the organizers managed to make it happen for the kids. At the end of the day, most of these organizations, no matter what their primary goal, are simply doing it for the kids of Chicago. Moreover, these people see the need and are trying to cater to their work toward the marginalized youth.
All in all, the PlayStreets summer kick-off was a great day for Chicagoans. Children got to play in the streets for the first time in a long time. “I think that the narrative about the west side of Chicago is about to change. We have a mayor with a west side address, we are seeing more and more community organizations start up, and we are seeing more funding and more programs coming back to the west side,” Lakesia Collins added.
Written by Kenneth Mazerat
Sources
Austin Weekly News: Local orgs, faith leaders, police collaborate for a safe summer by
Interview with Lakeisha Collins on June 7, 2023
Chicago Gov: Playstreets Chicago
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Sarah Hina’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image by by Pfc. Georgina Gray, Pfc. Steven Ho, Jessica Ryan and Lee, Hye-young Courtesy of USAG- Humphreys’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
