Ghetto Streets to Gym Beats: Finding Heart and Home

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Little Village has been a Mexican immigrant portal since the 1950’s. The Mexican majority population often conflicts with African-American residents from within the community and from surrounding neighborhoods that are predominately African-American. The neighborhood is divided by two well-organized gangs that make it difficult for youth to traverse freely.

Little Village also has the least amount of green space per capita of any Chicago neighborhood. Drug activity is commonplace. The area high schools rank extremely low in school retention, with more than 50% of youth dropping out before graduation. The youth in the program are primarily second-generation Mexican immigrants whose parents have limited English proficiency, limited educational attainment, and often work long hours. Many of the CYBC youth members are undocumented immigrants, or come from undocumented or mixed-status households.

The CYBC gym offers a familial environment in which youth can escape the pressures of gang recruitment, drug activity, racial tension, and strained family and school environments. Boxing engages these youth because of its culture of physical toughness, individual honor, and bodily performance. At the same time, the controlled rigor of boxing provides an alternative to the unpredictable and unbounded confrontations of the street.