UP To Youth
UP to Youth provides our youth with dynamic learning opportunities that are typically not provided in traditional classroom settings. Universidad Popular’s approach to education is one anchored by the concept of popular education. Thus, UP to Youth offers a safe and accepting environment that favors peer to peer and experiential learning. The focus of the program includes increasing Little Village youths’ civic engagement, cultivating a positive self-image and healthy living, improving academic performance and achievement, fostering creative problem-solving skills, and expanding parent involvement.
UP to Youth staff members and participants will work together to develop the program into an experience-based learning hub where Youth can acquire the experiences, insight, and support needed to transform themselves and their community.
We Run Juntos
We Run Juntos strives to help Little Village youth develop pro-social behavior, positive life style habits, and general life skills by using running as a medium.
WRJ is in part made possible by contributions from Shoe Carnival, Store 568.
We Move Juntos
We Move Juntos is a club designed to ecourage youth to spend time out of their stressful enviroment doing things to promote metal and physical well being. The youth partake in activities like yoga, dance and more. It allows them to clear their main take a breather from their chaotic day to day life.
We Bike Juntos offers participants an environment for skill and identity development through cycling. Adults facilitate activities that provide youth knowledge about cycling and bike mechanics, as well as leadership experience through the understanding of and contribution to community and city circumstances. WBJ is open to all youth ages 11-17 and has a spring, summer, and fall session. It is recommended that youth bring their own bikes, though there are bikes available for youth to borrow from our bike loaner program.
We Code Juntos (WCJ) is a year-long, three phase computer science initiative endeavoring to help girls view technology as a viable educational focus and career path by cultivating their computer science interests and proficiencies.
WCJ is made possible by The Boeing Company, the Motorola Solutions Foundation, the Chicago Learning Exchange (CLX), and the Dart Foundation.
We Weeb Juntos
We Weeb Juntos is a group of geeks that love to watch anime and share what we are watching with our friends, family, and one another. The group provides a safespace for all youth to engage with anime as a form of literature that teaches critical thinking and analytic skills. Through its many themes and characters.
We Write Juntos
A writing group for all youth, ages 11-17, that focuses on viewing writing as a tool for expression. Youth explore different types of wriying styles and forms, specifically poetry and fiction, through activites and are able to create their own with the goal of capturing their voices.
Boys Talk
Boys talk is a group designed to create a safe space for young boys to share their expereinces and participate in conversations that stimulates thought and open mindness
Girls Talk
A socioemotional group for female identifying youth, ages 11-17, that focuses on female empowerment. The group provides a safe space for female youth to partake in a variety of conversations and activities that encompass the model of empowerment through understanding and learning.
We Clean Juntos
A civic engagement group for all youth, ages 11-17, that focuses on skillbuilding. Through actively engaging in the maintainence of our space. Youth through cleaning and maintainence of our garden and community center, build work related skills that transfer to the community and to their resume.