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Chicago Teens Spend Their Summer Beautifying the City 'One Block at a Time'

Aug 17, 2017 12:00:00 AM

by Mike "Orie" Mosley

A group of Chicago teens are spending their summer building and designing signs for their neighborhood block clubs. Traditional block clubs are groups of people who have homes and families on any given block in the city and have organized to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. While students plan to cover the span of the city, they've started with the South Side neighborhoods of Englewood and Chatham. Through the support of this six-week program taught by University of Chicago instructors, the students are hoping the signs will bring a new appearance to their local neighborhood. The project is part of an initiative called "One Block at A Time," which aims to seek change through communities one block at a time. According to DNA Info, the students have been learning about carpentry, font sizes, drawing and design studio skills, said Gabriel Moreno, an instructor who teaches the class year-round. But none of this would be possible without its organizers. Jahmal Cole, the founder of My Block, My Hood, My City played a crucial role in gathering the block club presidents to support the apprenticeship program. “All of the ideas are coming from the students, so we talk to them and lead them through the process,” he said, adding that "they are in charge." “It’s great to teach young people how to take the raw imagination they have and give them skills and the process to produce and put their imagination into the world.” What makes this program unique, is that it's run primarily by students. Sixteen-year-old Jamila came up with the idea to paint a sign for her local block club located at 76th and Indiana, while 15-year-old Malik Clay has been meeting with clients and designing the building signs. It's a great way to keep the kids busy during the summertime, while also helping beautify some of the communities that often go overlooked in funding and resources. Take a look at some of the signs the students have created below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGeORO1k7CQ
Photo by Andrea V. Watson/DNA Info.

Mike "Orie" Mosley

Mike "Orie" Mosley was most recently a social media associate for Education Post. Orie also contributes to websites such as TheGrio.com, TheRoot.com and CurlyNikki.com where he focuses on writing editorial and news-style content highlighting positive African-American culture. He has also served as a social media manager for CurlyNikki.com. Orie is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago and holds a master of arts in higher education administration from Louisiana State University. Raised in St. Louis, he is a Cardinals fan and a lover of St. Louis-style pizza.

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