The gymnasium of Edgewater’s Alternatives, Inc. on a Tuesday night buzzes with happy activity. Off to the sides of the room, kids play ping-pong, get help with homework or work on their DJ skills at a live spin station. Meanwhile, on the floor, small clusters of young people in sweats and sneakers form a number of separate break-dance circles. They practice routines one at a time, giving each other feedback and teaching new moves.

The open gym is a production of Connect Force, a program which combines hip-hop culture with social justice, providing education and positive lifestyle alternatives to kids in this at-risk community where gangs like the Stones and Vice Lords actively recruit. Started by Justin Grey in 2003, Connect Force operates an afterschool program twice a week, offering mentoring and life-skills classes.

The cornerstone of Connect Force, however, is its hip-hop training, which encourages kids to participate in different aspects of the culture, such as break-dancing, music production, graff-art (graffiti and murals) and verse writing. Read the rest of this entry »

Mayor Daley will participate Saturday in the Farm Dedication and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of Uncommon Ground’s organic rooftop farm. The 2,500-square-foot farm, located above the Edgewater restaurant, is the first certified organic rooftop farm in the U.S. Uncommon Ground owners Helen and Michael Cameron use the farm to produce food for their Wrigleyville and Edgewater locations. “As a child we grew a vast array of fruits and vegetables. As a result, I’ve always enjoyed growing things,” Helen Cameron says. “The minute I saw this enormous, sunny space…I was like, ‘Oh my God, we could grow food up here.’” The farm was certified organic last October by the Midwest Organic Services Association. “To me, it’s perfectly natural to grow your own food in a small space,” Helen says. “We have a climate that works here in Chicago, and you can be very successful growing a great deal of food in the city.”