Pilsen Pushes for Success! Education Summit Provides Parents with Resources

On Saturday October 20th, The Resurrection Project and the Education Task Force of the Pilsen Planning Committee (PPC) hosted the first annual Pilsen Education Summit 2007, Camino al Éxito: Education as a Lifelong Process.  Hundreds of community members packed the cafeteria of Benito Juarez High School to learn about the community's resources, education opportunities and to hear city officials speak.  The summit was part of Pilsen's Quality of Life Plan, a five-year revitalization plan for the community laid out by a collaboration of over a dozen neighborhood organizations and agencies that are actively participating in the New Communities Program.

This all-day event offered parents and students a variety of workshops focused on higher education, developing better communications between parents and schools, financial aid and college admissions, career options and retention issues. Local universities representatives from the City of Chicago Colleges, Robert Morris, DePaul University, University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Loyola University as well as both the University of Chicago and Champaign-Urbana had a significant presence in this event as they also provided parents with information for putting their children on a successful educational track.

 “We see education as a never ending process that starts at birth and continues throughout the life of a child.  With this summit we are trying to establish a lifelong connection with the families attending this event,” said Alvaro Obregon, NCP manager at The Resurrection Project.  “Our goal is to help make the transitions between preschool, grade school, high school and college smoother for students and parents by connecting them with the resources in the neighborhood, ensuring the best educational experience possible.”

TRP's Program Coordinator Israel Vargas (left) with Arne Duncan CEO for Chicago Public Schools (right) and a TRP Volunteer

Some of the public figures and officials advocating for education on this day included: Arne Duncan Chief Executive Officer for Chicago Public Schools; Jesse Ruiz, Chair of Education of the Illinois State Board of Education; City Clerk Miguel Del Valle; Alderman Danny Solis; and Dr. Sylvia Ramos, president of Daley College.

As our youth of today become tomorrow’s leaders, TRP’s commitment to create healthy communities considers education as an imperative building block to community development. We expect this event to become a tradition as we continue on our Paragon Path to excellence.