Community Ambassadors Engaging Communities and Enhancing Partnerships
IMAN’s Community Ambassadors working in the area of Arts and Culture have been trying to engage Chicago’s diverse communities through interfaith events including Community Café: Healing Planet Rock which was held at the Chicago Urban Art Society on February 25th and Healthy Eats, Conscious Beats held at Garifuna Flava Restaurant in Chicago Lawn on April 16th.
Last month, Community Ambassadors also supported the work of the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP), of which IMAN is a member institution, by helping to map and document the status of neighborhood properties facing foreclosure. Gathering this information is part of SWOP’s community response to the current foreclosure crisis affecting many families in the neighborhood and critical to an emerging initiative of SWOP, IMAN and the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA).
On April 30th, Community Ambassadors joined hundreds of people in a rally for immigrant rights at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish in West Lawn, in support of the passage of immigrant rights legislation including the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act in Illinois.
Throughout their experience with IMAN, Community Ambassadors have also supported the projects of fellow Interfaith Youth Core Community Ambassadors including Café Finjan (organized by the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, with OCON Community Ambassadors Jay Frank, Kayla Higgins and Tawfiq Farraj) and Are you smarter than a fifth grader? (organized by OCON Community Ambassador Khaleelah Muhammad).
In June, Community Ambassadors will help organize the upcoming Community Café planned for Friday, June 17th. Mark your calendars now and sign up for updates at IMAN to get details on this and other exciting events!