My neighborhood is…
We asked the girls to share their perspectives about their neighborhood, what they see in their environments and their experiences living on the west side of Chicago. 2 of our high school summer interns responded below.
Youth responses:
Hey guys, it’s Jayla again. I've been thinking about a few things about my neighborhood. First off I would like to say that I like my neighborhood and I love how each house looks so modern or cozy and that everyone has their little routines throughout the day. A lot of people like to walk their super cute dogs and it kind of makes me jealous because now I want a dog, but It’s okay I'm fine with my adorable kitten named Ruffle who I just got this summer. Though my neighborhood has positive sides to it, it also has its negatives. I've noticed that no one really hangs out in multicultural groups. I usually see everyone hanging out with their own race and this really bothers me as a girl who has many friends from different backgrounds. It’s so fun to hear about other cultures or traditions and even try it! You’ll find that you’ll have a lot more in common than you think! Today I challenge you all to mingle with at least 2 people who are not the same race! Perhaps take a walk, go to the grocery store, cafe, restaurant, or the 606 trail. Make new friends! I promise you it’s really fun.
I’m Gisselle, my neighborhood is calm but it can be not calm at the same time. Many of us know each other and we stay close as well. My family and I usually do cookouts on the weekends and we share our food with our neighborhood. My favorite thing about my neighborhood is that usually everyone walks around on nice days and just enjoys the weather. We do have to be careful though because it’s not that safe to walk around after it gets dark. It’s super fun to meet people who live by me, people who I've never met and have been living near me for years. It may seem like people just stay in the house and don’t really enjoy what we have around us, but it helps me to relax when I come outside to my backyard. I usually cut up some fruit and watch the sun go down and enjoy the breeze during the night.
