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Meet Monse, Hoops coordinator in Back of the Yards

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Monserrat Ayala ready to canvass the community with Hoops in the Hood fliers. (The Gate/Gloria Talamantes)

Monserrat Ayala ready to canvass the community with Hoops in the Hood fliers. (The Gate/Gloria Talamantes)

For more than a year, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Monserrat Ayala. She is someone with passion and commitment to the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Occasionally a contributor to The Gate Newspaper, Ayala writes articles that are broken down as play-by-plays of what happens during the Hoops in the Hood program. Her contributions allow the newspaper’s readers an insightful look into the Hoops in the Hood mission in action. Also known as Monse, Ayala is an extremely laid-back person you can effortlessly connect with. Meet Monse at this summer’s Hoops in the Hood games!

Gloria Talamantes: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

Monserrat Ayala: I was born and raised in Gage Park with two younger brothers. Growing up, I started to understand how being civically engaged in my community could make a difference and started to volunteer for local political campaigns. In 2015, I saw an opportunity to volunteer for Hoops in the Hood in Back of the Yards. I took the opportunity.

I grew up playing volleyball and watching soccer. Although basketball is not my forte, I fell in love with the program. I enjoy reading and painting (when I have time). My guilty pleasures consist of watching movies with my brothers, having game nights with my family and I also like to sing a lot. You might catch me humming lyrics to a song or blasting music.

GT: Can you tell me about your childhood? What is one of your favorite childhood memories?

MA: I don’t have too many memories but I do often think about family memories. Since my aunt’s house has a double lot, all the family gatherings were usually at our house. Any birthday party or family celebration were always at our house and our aunt’s. We’d play for many hours during these celebrations.

GT: What do you see yourself doing in 5 years, 10 years? How do you think you’ll achieve these goals? What are a few things you’d like to work on as you work to towards your goals?

MA: I know that in less than 5 years I’d like to be in a full-time community organizing position. Preferably in the Southwest Side of Chicago. I’d like to get back into working on political campaigns too.

Within the next 10 years, I would like to see more voting and youth involvement in my community. I believe these two goals are attainable.

GT: How long have you been coordinating Hoops in the Hood, and what is your favorite thing about the summer program?

MA: This will be my second summer coordinating the program. There are many things I love about Hoops. I enjoy seeing many old faces return and new faces join. Hoops in the Hood brings together youth from different areas of the neighborhood. They respect the game and each other in the process, while simultaneously learning to be proud of their community.

GT: Are you a basketball fan? Who is your favorite team? Who is your favorite player and why?

MA: I did not grow up watching or playing basketball. Unfortunately, I started watching basketball as a teenager and I only watch it occasionally. I know the Bulls are a work in progress right now but I will always stay a Chicago Bulls fan.

GT: What is one of your most memorable moments during Hoops in the Hood?

MA: There are so many to choose from but one of the most memorable ones is from last summer. Last year, there were many Hoops in the Hood participants who were from Brighton Park. I thought it would be neat to meet them where they were and have them practice somewhere near or in their neighborhood.

After talking to the park supervisor at Kelly Park, I was delighted that he was open to the idea of using their space to practice and form a team. This was especially awesome to see because it was rare to see the basketball court being used as much as it was last summer.

We reached out to the gangs in the area and they cooperated with us. I made it a priority to be at the practices and at the games to ensure safety for all participants. We had the support of the 9th district police department too.

As the weeks went by I noticed that some of the gang-affiliated youth began participating and played basketball with the players. It was something beautiful to experience. I believe that everyone should be invited to participate in programs like Hoops in the Hood. As a community, we need to work together to bring about change without ostracizing anyone.

GT: Can you tell me what and who inspires you to grow professionally and have you been able to look back and reflect on that growth?

MA: I would have to say my family and my community inspire me. Since I am the oldest in my family, I am usually the first EVERYTHING. This has made me feel pressured and also caused me to have even higher expectations of myself.

My family has at times had a hard time with my volunteering but nonetheless, supportive. For me, the community which includes the youth, my friends I grew up with and those I lost throughout my teenage years. I think I have been able to reflect on some of the work I’ve done and use it to grow. There’s still much more I need to reflect on to be fully self-aware and know who I want to become in the near future.

GT: How many new participants are you expecting in the program this year?

MA: Usually it varies. Typically we have 8-12 teams and this number includes both junior- varsity and varsity leagues. I always see a few new participants in each team and usually one to two new teams that end up joining us each summer.

GT: How does One Summer Chicago help support the program?

MA: One Summer Chicago youth have been one of the major backbones to making Hoops in the Hood successful. The One Summer Chicago youth are Hoops youth leaders that assist in coordinating the program. Throughout the summer we do team building and physical training exercises that help them see their potential as young leaders. One Summer Chicago and Hoops help them stay involved in their community.

For many of them its the first time that they canvass the neighborhood with fliers. Seeing kids from the same parts of their neighborhood come together for a friendly game of basketball helps them further understand the way the program works and the impact they are making for youth in the neighborhood.

Many of the participants already know or have some connections to the One Summer Chicago youth, so they are already familiar with the community but they’ve never experienced being this engaged in this type of setting. I hope that these experiences can help them see their potential.

GT: Can you tell me a little bit about the work it takes to get young people prepared to assist a program of even younger people?

MA: One of the many challenges I encounter is breaking the ice with each other. In order to work as a team, they have to get to know each other. This is the reason orientation is necessary.

During the first week, we focus on the self. We start with icebreakers and team exercises. Some break-out exercises are as simple as name games and others are mini team scavenger hunts. These exercises help them to get comfortable with each other before we start training.

Canvassing the neighborhood is also something that can be challenging but extremely rewarding.

For many, this is their first time going door to door with Hoops in the Hood information. We go through a few exercises that help them role-play interactions.

Last week was their first time canvassing the neighborhood and once they were out, they realized how easy it is because they already know so many people from the community.

All it really takes is a little structure and encouragement, the rest is improvising and personalizing the information depending on who they are talking to.

GT: What are some of the different things that Hoops in the Hood participants and supporters can expect this year?

MA: We usually always have a tee-shirt that we give out to participants and volunteers.

This year, the tee-shirt design is by one of our youth leaders. We are really excited about it. We want to keep extracurricular activities like breakdancing and graffiti art-making in the mix. You’ll be able to see these activities alongside our basketball games. This allows other children to participate in the program.

We will be planning a small All-Star game where we will be forming two teams. The teams will be playing with district 9 police officers.

We are still working on finalizing those details. This year, one of our partners gave us the idea of including double dutch and we will be trying that out too.

GT: If you could choose an animal to be what animal would that be and why?

MA: I’ve always wanted to be either a cheetah or a bird. I’m a very observant person and usually, I like to be more behind the scenes. There’s something about running and flying that looks so liberating and I’d like to experience that feeling.

GT: Can you describe a perfect summer day?

MA: The perfect summer day for me would be one of those days where the sun is out, super bright but partially covered by clouds and a little grayness in the sky. A day where the heat is dry and not sticky or humid is perfect. Being outside with all your neighbors and their kids would be a plus and of course making our own water parks with the fire hydrants/hoses are basically a necessity for the “perfect” summer day.

GT: Lastly, what is your favorite summer treat?

MA: My favorite summer treat is a raspado and cucumber with tajin and limon. It’s a lot easier to find local community members in our neighborhood to make natural raspados now, but when I was younger, the only place I knew where to find raspados was in Little Village. There was an older lady that would make them. She’d be posted on 26th street and Drake. My favorite raspado to get from her was rompope.


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