GPLXC

Gage Park Latinx Council 

Gage Park Latinx Council named- 

"Best New Latinx Organization" 

-SouthSide Weekly 

Annual Best of the SouthSide Issue.

"In many ways, GPLXC represents a community coming together to empower itself and its youth. Rather than allowing us to feel like Gage Park is merely a space we occupy, GPLXC is actively fighting for us to have a neighborhood that is truly nuestra tierra and ushering in a future where residents will never doubt they have a home." - Alejandro Ruizesparza, 

                  SouthSide Weekly, 2019

Youth Art Programs 

Free Youth Art Programs

Programas de arte juvenil gratuitos 
 

 Our Free Art programs are designed to engage youth in learning and community building with a focus on highlighting Latinx culture and celebrating creativity.  

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Nuestros programas de arte son gratuitos y diseñados para involucrar a jóvenes de la comunidad en el aprendizaje y la creatividad, con un enfoque en la cultura latinx. 

Community Education 

Community Education

 Educación Comunitaria

Creating space for community is at the forefront of our work. Our Community Education spaces create opportunities to share lived experiences and knowledge while creating community networks for success.( Programs listed below )

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Crear espacios para nuestra comunidad esta a la vanguardia de nuestro trabajo. Nuestros espacios ayudan a crear oportunidades para que miembros de nuestra comunidad compartan sus expereincias y conocimientos mientras crean redes para el éxito.  

(Programas enumerados a continuación)

Community Care

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Cuidado Comunitario

We work to provide the Gage Park Community with resources and services directly. This includes distributing everyday necessities directly to our neighbors and connecting them with support through our partner organizations and resources fairs.  

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Trabajamos para proveer a nuestra comunidad de Gage Park con recursos y servicios directamente. Esto incluye distribuir necesidades/suministros a nuestros vecinos y conectarlos con el apoyo que requieren a través de organizaciones asociadas y ferias de recursos.

Community Service 

servicio comunitario

Occupation of public space is, unfortunately, a privilege often denied to marginalized communities of color. Our reoccurring Community Clean-Up Day is a small step toward reclaiming public space in our communities.We question why Gage Park has such low access to city-funded trash bins and other basic resources and offer to solve the problem as a community while drawing attention to the larger issue: lack of resources allocated to our community.

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La ocupación del espacio publico es, desafortunadamente, un privilegio a menudo negado a nuestras comunidades de color. Nuestro recurrente Día de Limpieza Comunitaria es un pequeño paso hacia la recuperación del espacio público en nuestras comunidades. Nos preguntamos por qué Gage Park tiene un acceso tan bajo a los contenedores de basura y otros recursos básicos financiados por la cuidad, mientras que ofrecemos resolver el problema como comunidad y llamar la atención a el problema principal: la falta de recursos asignados a nuestra comunidad.

Antonio D. Santos

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Director 

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Antonio Domingo Santos is a founding member and serves as the Director of the Gage Park Latinx Council. As a lifelong resident of Gage Park and a first generation Queer Latinx his work has focused on creating space and visability for marginalized communities on the southwest side. In addition to his work at GPLXC Antonio creates and facilitates LGBTQIA+ curriculum, programs and workshops at the Gender and Sexuality Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he wrote a campus wide educational workshop on LGBTQIA+ issues for students, faculty and staff offered on the main campus, medical school and John Marshall Law school. He is committed to opening an LGBTQIA+ center in Gage Park through the Gage Park Latinx Council to serve an under resourced community that is often seen as invisible on the southwest side.

Samantha A. Martinez 

Outreach Coordinator

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Samantha A. Martinez is a founding member and serves as the Outreach Coordinator at the Gage Park Latinx Council. Samantha was born in Mexico but grew up and continues to reside in the Southwest side of Chicago. In 2018, Samantha graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Roosevelt University and is pursuing a Social Work degree, with the goal of opening up a wellness clinic through the Gage Park Latinx Council to offer bilingual therapy and mental health services to Southwest side residents. Samantha is passionate about advocating and practicing community care, bridging available resources to marginalized communities, and disrupting systems that continue to oppress Chicago’s residents.

Katia Martinez ​

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Program Coordinator

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Katia A. Martinez is a founding member and serves as the Program Coordinator at the Gage Park Latinx Council. Katia graduated from Roosevelt University with a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology and was part of the Young Leaders Training Cohort through the Chicago Freedom School. As a first generation student from immigrant parents, Katia empathises with the hardships of first generation students and works to mobilize her community and bring mental health awareness. At the moment Katia is pursuing her Clinical Social Work degree with the hopes of practicing trauma informed care and healing justice in Southwest side communities.