Fieldwork+Day+-+Sept+17+-+Building+Alliances

On Monday, September 17th, we ventured to Seward Park for a morning of improv. and "getting started" activities. The kids received the morning well but were exhausted by the end. I was amazed at how much they simply went along and participated in every single game/activity. After a wonderful lunch on the lawn, we headed north to a bus stop; But, we were diverted temporarily by several kids who chose to give change to some kids who were begging for bus money. The bus trip was uneventful but we made it to the Center On Halsted about thirty minutes ahead of our tour. I told the kids ahead of time to be very polite, focused, and to ask lot of questions. Jeanine D. took us to the High School room where she explained its purpose. Kids from all over Chicago come here every afternoon for 3-4 hours to play pool, talk, eat dinner (free), and participate in various programs depending on their needs. Our kids began a series of questions on "what is transgendered?" This led to many thoughts or questions on the "T" of GLBT. The facility is palatial and I was amazed at their space and how different it is compared to their old center under the "El." We talked about the space for GLBT elderly and how they fill their meeting space daily. Their needs are enormous considering the fact that so many of them are single and unemployed, or retired in their late 70s and 80s. We entered the theatre/dance space which got the kids excited by the potential of the facility to bring together the GSAs from Lab, Latin, and Parker.

z