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(312) 421-7185
Service
The vision of the Pilsen unit is to provide workers
for projects and organizations that further justice
and peace in the world and that work toward making
sure the basic needs and rights of society's most
vulnerable and least powerful are respected. Our ideal
is to place workers in positions that could not exist
through "regular" resources and structures;
e.g., in non-profit service agencies that cannot affort
to pay a regular employee. Pilsen unit members have
held positions as
- elementary and secondary school teachers
- teacher aides
- English as a Second Language teachers
- office workers
- public health workers
- Christian Peacemaker Team members
In the past several years, unit members have discussed
what, if any, actions to take in response to the problem
of gangs in the unit neighborhood. One outgrowth of
this struggle has been the Loomis Street Children's
Program, which was begun with the intent of getting
neighborhood children of the street and away from
the gang influence. A member of the unit serves as
a "designated neighbor," welcoming the children
into the house to get help with homework, to play
games, bake cookies or create art projects. The children
have also taken field trips to local museums and zoos.
Location
Volunteers in the Chicago MVS unit live
in the unit house in Pilsen, a Hispanic community
on Chicago's near southwest side. Pilsen is vibrant
and lively community, characteristic of the culture
of many of theMexican immigrants there. The work placement
is only one part of the service experience. Pilsen
volunteers are exposed to many new challenges from
the neighborhood in which they live. Gangs are prevalent
and it is not uncommon to hear gunshots. Yet it is
a neighborhood full of life and close-knit families.
During the summer, porches are filled with families
late into the evening, music pours from windows and
children play games along the walks.
Chicago is one of the Midwest's, and the country's,
largest cities and is rich in racial, ethnic and cultural
diversity. Places to go in the neighborhood include
- the Mexican
Fine Arts Center Museum (free admission)
- Harrison Park
- an Olympic-sized indoor pool with open swim times
- tennis and basketball courts
- fields for baseball, soccer and Ultimate®
Frisbee®
- the Jumping Bean, a small coffee shop where one
can go to get a bottomless cup of fresh plain or
flavored coffee and just relax
The #60 bus line runs directly from Pilsen to the
Loop (downtown Chicago), offering easy access to places
including
The Chicago Public Library offers "Check Us
Out" cards, which can be checked out and used
to get in free to such places as the Shedd
Aquarium, Adler
Planetarium and the Field
Museum of Natural History.
Church
Lincoln United
Methodist Church was the first congregation to sponsor
the unit, when it began in the early 1980s. Located
about six blocks from the unit house, Lincoln is a
small, bilingual (Spanish/English) congregation that
is deeply involved in the Pilsen community. Several
former and current MVSers have formed a house church
that meets in the neighborhood and welcomes visitors.
Attendance is around 8 people. Leadership is shared
and the mood is very informal and creative. Every
year, the church sponsors an Easter morning pilgrimage
from the MVS unit to Lake Michigan. Many other neighborhood
Mennonites trek out to Chicago Community Mennonite Church, the congregation which sponsors the MVS unit, for good hymn singing, intellectual
programming and a socially progressive atmosphere. MVSers
can get involved by joining small groups and participating
in the annual church retreat and canoe trip.
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