LVEJO - El Cilantro No. 4

Helping Communities Grow

Don’t just think about calling the office. Do it!
Just give us a ring, an e-mail, a fax, or a letter saying that you want to get involved.

This Episode Features:

About the Staff
Teen Pregnancy ... Today's Epidemic
A Drone or Dead - and - Patriots VS the World
Super Facts and Random Thoughts
Discovering Your Sexuality
A Mom’s Point of View
Letters from Leo
Military Workshop
Militarization in Schools
Opinions & Final Notes (Poll question of the week)

Newsletter Quote of the Month:
“Feminism is the ‘crazy’ idea that women are people”

-Bumper Sticker-

Letters from Leo

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TEEN PREGNANCY ... TODAY’S EPIDEMIC

By: Daniela Velazquez A.K.A. whrlwnd

Say you are walking into a normal high school what do you see? Do you see happy faces, books, children laughing? Well what normal teens see every day is pregnant teens empty faces, why is this? `Why in a world of computers, entertainment, and cell phones must young children have babies?

In recent surveys taken by LVEJO... out of 40 surveyed, 25 people have had sex - and many do not even use condoms, but whose fault is it that these children are having babies? the girls? Or the guys? Or maybe the parent of these young adult not showing them the proper instruction for having sex?

Hopefully for future generations to come we can fully stop this epidemic.

A Drone or Dead

The government feeds you lies,
One man disbelieves and dies,
You’re a mindless drone you see,
You believe everything you see on TV,
It’s time to expose the government’s red hands,
As they try to take over other lands,
They say you’re free but you know you’re not,
But if you fight back you’ll surely get shot,
So believe what you want and fight if you must,
Just know that the government you can never trust.

Patriots vs. the World

The war rages on with no one listening,
The war must end to bring back the Christening,
They say that for peace there must first be war,
It’s all a redundant metaphor,
The nations are divided,
But not as much as ours,
The Patriots wish to fight because they think it is right,
While the rest of us know it is a foolish fight,
It’s all about money, as few can see,
It’s all about the power of one military,
America receives threats but no one listens,
As the dawn of the early morning glistens,
We shall soon wake up with nothing around us,
And the Yankees shall see what the war has brought us.

--by Jose E. “Goggles” Monarrez, age 14, Gary School

“Discovering Your Sexuality”

By: Rocio Linares A.K.A. La Roca

Many of today’s youth are discovering their sexual preference in which can be a very confusing and stressful time for them. They are afraid of how society might view them and what their closest relatives and friends might say. In today’s society many Americans are not fond of the ideas that gays, lesbians, and bisexuals exist. They believe that is might not be right do to their religious beliefs or how they were raised. Some of today’s youth are more open-minded then the generations before on this topic.

It is all part of life and no one should be ashamed of his or her own sexual preference even though many openly object to the ideas of same sex couples. In a society that views same sex couples as being immoral and outrageous it is up to the new generations of youth to stand up and take voice their opinions. We need to adapt to news times and freedom to choices.

Finding your self in this situation is stressful and at times you might feel confused and that the world is against you. Yet, there are so many youth out there that are in the same predict a meant. Self-understanding is the key factor in eliminating discrimination amongst society towards gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. Many youth openly come out saying that they are homosexual or bisexual because they have support from their surroundings. Yet, so many youth are afraid to openly say their sexual preference because they are in fear of what other’s reaction towards them might be.

Fear, is a key factor that keeps youth from speaking out and that is not right because we are in our rights to say what want and feel. By taking a stand and speaking out youth is slowly destroying that barrier of insecurity and traditional beliefs. Youth are finally taking a stand - which is slowly helping develop a new path for others to speak out and not be afraid.

A Mom’s Point of View

I recently went with my 19 year old son to the beauty shop to get Mohawk. Now, I am not in the habit of going with my son for his haircuts, but he wanted to make sure that the hair stylists understood what he wanted since she only spoke Spanish. She told me, it’s unusual that a mom help her son get these kinds of crazy haircuts.

I shared with her that I had been letting my son choose his own hair styles since he was 4. I told her that I had gone through spikes, green hair, blonde hair, pony tails and even buzz cuts.

To me that is really not what makes a person “good”. What I did not compromise with my son is his values. I always insisted that he must believe things like, “Women are just as strong and smart as boys”, “Things in this world are not always just and peaceful; you have to contribute to make this world more just.” , “Always share what you learn.” and other lessons.

I think youth have A LOT to contribute to society. I think youth know more than we adults believe. And all in all I think my son turned out to be pretty awesome…but I wonder what is next? A tattoo on his head? YIKES!!!

-- penned by a Local Mom

By Ω Seaweed Ω

Girls have more taste buds than boys.
Identical twins do not have identical fingerprints.
You are more likely to get attacked by a cow than a shark.
Sweat has no smell. The bacteria on your skin multiply in sweat and create an odor.
Some say that Eskimos have over fifty ways of saying the word snow, this is false.
The word Eskimo literally means 'raw meat eater'.
The can opener was invented 48 years after the can.
Drivers kill more deer than hunters.
During his lifetime, artist Vincent Van Gogh only sold one of his paintings.
Koalas are excellent swimmers.
Micro chips have microscopic pictures on them, like Waldo from “Where’s Waldo” and other cartoon characters.
More than 40,000 parasites and 250 types of bacteria are exchanged during a typical French kiss!
Motorists who talk on cell phones are more impaired than drunk drivers with blood-alcohol levels exceeding .08!
Contrary to popular belief, lightning travels from the ground upwards not from the sky downwards.
Contrary to popular belief, opossums, squirrels, chipmunks, and mice do not carry rabies; but rats, bats and raccoons do.

Really makes you think huh?

Military Workshop

Little Village Environmental Justice Organization , known to you as (LVEJO), hosted a workshop about on the topic of the Militarization of youth and how to prevent it. The workshop took place on April 30, 2005 at St. Agnes Church. This workshop was for both youth and parents. It was meant to show ways that the youth wouldn’t be affected by the false promises of the military. We heard a story from Raoul Contreras, a Vietnam War Veteran and Hero. He explained how he got drafted and how he was treated in the Military. We also heard from Tanya Cabrera; Student Counselor from Benito Juarez High School, who was showing us websites that we can reach so we can get opportunities for Scholarships and Summer activities. In this workshop Howard Ehrman, from LVEJO also talked about the Opt -out form. This form is given to all high school students, so they can sign them and return to their school as soon as possible. This form prevents the school from giving any personal information to any Military Recruiter. This workshop experience has been of a great deal of help. Many youth and their parents do not know that there are options to joining the military.

If you would like to prevent the military from getting your personal information, then you should see your counselor and ask to fill out the “Opt Out” form.

Look out for more information in El Cilantro about the Militarization of Youth.

By: Allen Govea A.K.A. Oreo
Military Workshop

Militarization in Schools

Are you one of those people who want to go to college but can’t afford it? You’re not alone. Most of the Latino Youth go through the same situation asking themselves “How will I pay for college?” What is the first resource that comes to your mind? The military? If you answered “military” you may want to think it over at least once more.

Many teens are brainwashed by military recruiters that promise students the golden ticket to college without any hassle. The truth behind this is all a cruel trap. Many think that by joining a JROTC program you will automatically get into a college but the truth is that JROTC credits typically do not count towards college entrance requirements. Another big lie is that JROTC will help you get money for college. The Truth: Two thirds of Montgomery GI Bill participants never receive any funding. Participants who do not receive funding actually lose $1,200 in nonrefundable deposits.

There are many other resources that you can go to for college funding. You can go to your school counselor. Most schools have a college counselor. Go to agencies that can help you find scholarships for your education such as LULAC. Many colleges offer financial aid, and many grant full tuition scholarships to outstanding students. Don’t let the military brainwash you!

By: Marisol A.K.A Mini-Sol

If you have any questions or comments please email me at:
Becerra_2001@yahoo.com or call me at (773) 762-6991

You Want To Join The Club?

How much did you like the newsletter? Would you be interested in writing for El Cilantro? We want to invite you to be involved with LVEJO. We think your opinion is really important. You can help us improve the newsletter by telling us what you’re interested in reading about and things you don’t like about the newsletter. If you want you could even be a writer for the newsletter! You can write about things that are important to you

We have many things happening in LVEJO, so we need all the help we can get. We have different campaigns that deal with different issues going on in the community and the world. We have campaigns like the CTA campaign, Healthy Schools Campaign, the Clean Air Campaign, and many more. So these are just a few ways to get involved with the community!

By: Daniel A.K.A. SiCkO

P.S. If you are interested in any of the things mentioned above,
please email me at chi_boy_07@yahoo.com or call me at (773) 762-6991. Later.

Name: Marisol Becerra, 15 Alias: Mini-Sol Wanted for future government infiltration.
	Name: Maria Dominguez, 16 Alias: Unknown WARNING! Known to be very cute and nice then striking her victims with her evil
Name: Allen Govea, 15 Alias: Oreo WARNING! Considered crunchy and extremely lactic.
	Name: Hector “Leo” Tellez,18 Alias: Sea-Weed Wanted for attempted hair fraud.
Name: Robert “Beto” Flores, 17 Alias: Stumpy Wanted for impersonating a tree
	Name: Alex Alverez, 18 Alias: Little China Girl Do Not approach ! Considered dangerous and highly skilled in the art of kick ur arse.