Pilsen Neighborhood Tour by Jeni Kanis and Grace Snyder

Today, we took a program-wide trip to the diverse and culturally rich neighborhood of Pilsen. First, we split up into separate group tours around the neighborhood to see the amazing murals located on the sides of buildings and to visit different influential sites. We also met back together and went to the National Museum of Mexican Art for a tour of the Day of Dead exhibit. Lastly, we went to the Instituto Del Progreso Latino (IDPL) for a presentation and our program community dinner. 

On my (Grace’s) small group tour, we visited an arts education and career-training program called, Yollocalli Arts Reach. This is a youth initiative of the National Museum of Mexican Art that provides a safe and nurturing environment for the youth of Pilsen. As is expressed in their mission statement, Yollocalli is a space for experiential learning, collaboration with emerging artists, and the autonomy for youth to realize their own vision. This youth initiative provides free classes, exhibitions, visiting artists, video screenings, workshops and more!  It was so interesting to see this space and to look at some of the art that was produced by the youth involved. Yollocalli Arts Reach is just one impactful example of the communal and cultural resources for the Pilsen neighborhood. 

At the end of the day, we all met at IDPL. To me (Jeni), the institute just seemed like a school when we arrived. However, after we met with a couple of their staff members, it was obvious that their work included so much more. They work with adults and students in order to give them the experiences they need in order to succeed in the job market. For adults, this means that they find out from employers what skills they need and then they do trainings with the adults. The institute also houses an alternative high school where students can take extra science and math classes in order to prepare for careers in the medical field. The speaker told us that they emphasize and require these extra classes so that students are prepared, not overwhelmed, when they reach college. The organization also works with businesses and other organizations in the community. In addition, people also receive help with applying for and taking classes for citizenship and in all this work IDPL is working for a better community, not just changing individual lives. It was challenging to see the high quality and comprehensive work they are doing in the neighborhood of Pilsen.

This was such a great opportunity to see the rich culture of Pilsen and to learn more about organizations working there to encourage the community to thrive.