Blog
What do you get when you mix our YMEN guys, brand-new, boxed bikes, and some no-nonsense know-how? A whole lot of fun! Last Wednesday, some of our guys got together with Alex Wilson of West Town Bikes and Frank Whiting, one of our esteemed board members and built 15 brand new Schwins. The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC-Chicago) generously provided the dollars and we worked with Pacific Cycle to get a great price on the bikes.
These bikes will provide the opportunity for our guys to experience the city in a whole new way. We can learn about basic bike maintenance, traffic safety, and get fit — all while having fun. We already have some experienced “fixers” in our midst, but having these wonderful bikes will enable us to ride down Lake Shore Drive together in style. We have trips to some of the local suburban trails in the works and may even sneak a trip in to Lake Shore Drive before the Chicago hawk begins blowing its unbearable breezes.
Thanks to Keri Blackwell of LISC Chicago, Frank Whiting of our board and Alex Wilson of West Town Bikes for helping us make this possible.
Frank & Alex with the guys
Curtis works on the front tire
Darvel & Jordan with a finished bike
We had a great event to kick off our fall season of programs. Get a sneak peek of part of Mike’s talk here.
And here are a couple of our staff members having a little fun:
Click here to find your picture.
What happens when you mix Spring Break, spiritual challenges and fun? You get young men making commitments to lead their lives in fruitful ways. Visiting Dickson Valley Camp last week proved to be just that kind of experience. We challenged our young men to reflect on the mixed messages they receive daily: that they are less than nothing, on one hand, or that they are “the man,” on the other. Either everything or nothing. We pushed them toward interdependence and helped them see that neither response is true; that we all have a responsibility before God to be the best we can be, and that God helps us.
Part of that challenge came through obstacle courses and climbing walls (see pictures in our photo gallery), but part of that challenge was simply in encouraging one another and in being on time for meetings and meals. As you will be able to tell from the climbing and smiles — overcoming obstacles can build a greater confidence, especially when you know that the person belaying you has (literally) got your back.
For the second summer in a row, YMEN has the privilege of working with After School Matters, a Chicago-based non-profit coordinating summer apprenticeships for youth all over the city. We will be hosting 15 of those apprenticeships this summer!
Last summer we produced a beautiful mosaic (pictured above) which is now displayed on the south-facing wall of our building. This summer our theme is “Pictures of Hope” — an opportunity to reflect on Obama’s election and upon the signs of hope in North Lawndale and in our world.
If you are a young person (between 14-19) interested in applying for one of our openings, be sure to fill out the online application. And return later this summer for photos of our projects as the summer continues!
Recent Updates
- Thank You WGN!
- We often labor in anonymity. And while we don’t do the work that we do for public recognition, it still feels good to get some. So we are grateful to WGN for sending us some shine. And of course, we are grateful to God for the privilege of doing this work. If you didn’t see the [...] Read More
- Hard work on the mural
- We have continued to work on the mural projects this summer, led by our trusty-dusty DJ! He’s done a great job corraling our kids and helping them design, create and implement works of art — and of leading them around the city of Chicago by bicycle. The video above is an example of the in-house, [...] Read More
- This is how we do it!
- The photo above shows the smiling faces of our youth as we traveled from YMEN to the Puerto Rican flags of Humboldt Park by bike. I’m glad they were smiling when we arrived, because some of them weren’t smiling in route. It turned out to be a fantastic day with great weather. And we continue [...] Read More
