The Southwest Collective

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The Southwest Collective Multi-neighborhood group in the Midway area. Grupo multi-barrial en la zona de Midway.

The mission of The Southwest Collective is to provide an open forum for southwest side residents to voice their concerns; hear new perspectives from their neighbors; learn about existing public resources; and launch economic, educational, and recreational initiatives that bring our siloed communities together. If you'd like to get involved with SWC, whether as a one-time volunteer or regular member, reach out to [email protected].

The first day of early voting is in the books!If you didn’t get to the polls today, you can still go anytime between now...
10/19/2026

The first day of early voting is in the books!

If you didn’t get to the polls today, you can still go anytime between now and Election Day, Nov. 3.

Early voting is open in all 50 wards PLUS two downtown locations. Hours are weekdays from 9-6, Saturdays from 9-5, and Sundays from 10-4.

Not registered to vote? Just bring two forms of ID to any early voting location and you can register on the spot. (You can also register on Election Day, but only at your polling place.)

This is your chance to weigh in on important races for governor, senator, school board, and Congress—plus the usual tsunami of judges.

Also….save the date: Once we’re done with the federal election it’ll be on to the mayoral and aldermanic elections on Feb. 23, 2027 🗳️

👏👏👏👏🎬🎭Congrats to our friends at Teatro Tariakuri on a great segment on WGN!
10/19/2026

👏👏👏👏🎬🎭

Congrats to our friends at Teatro Tariakuri on a great segment on WGN!

Pope Leo isn’t the only pope with a connection to Chicago.In October of 1979, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass right he...
10/18/2026

Pope Leo isn’t the only pope with a connection to Chicago.

In October of 1979, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass right here on the southwest side—at Five Holy Martyrs Church in Brighton Park.

If you’ve ever wondered why part of west 43rd St. was renamed Pope John Paul II Dr. it’s in recognition of this historic event.

Why did the pope come to Brighton Park? Because it was one of the centers of Polish life in Chicago, and he was able to celebrate Mass in his native language.

Roughly 100,000 people crowded the area around Five Holy Martyrs during the papal visit and many southwest siders have personal memories of that day.

Every quarter, we host a low-key open meeting, where folks can grab a cup of coffee and ask us about our work and how to...
10/16/2026

Every quarter, we host a low-key open meeting, where folks can grab a cup of coffee and ask us about our work and how to get involved. Please join us on November 7 at 10am at Sputnik Coffee and learn about SWC.
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Cada trimestre organizamos una reunión abierta e informal donde los asistentes pueden tomar un café y preguntarnos sobre nuestro trabajo y cómo participar. Acompáñenos el 7 de noviembre a las 10:00 a. m. en Sputnik Coffee para conocer más sobre SWC.

We are one week away from our Annual Dia de Mu***os Community Event! ¡𝐸𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑠 𝑎 𝑢𝑛𝑎 𝑠𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑎 𝑑𝑒 𝑛𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑜...
10/16/2026

We are one week away from our Annual Dia de Mu***os Community Event!
¡𝐸𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑠 𝑎 𝑢𝑛𝑎 𝑠𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑎 𝑑𝑒 𝑛𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑒𝑙 𝐷𝑖́𝑎 𝑑𝑒 𝑀𝑢𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑜𝑠!

If you would like to contribute, there are two ways to do so.
𝑆𝑖 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑖𝑟, ℎ𝑎𝑦 𝑑𝑜𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑠 𝑑𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑜:

1) Sign up for a parking space so you can decorate your trunk and pass out candy.
𝐼𝑛𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖́𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑟 𝑢𝑛𝑎 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑧𝑎 𝑑𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑦 𝑎𝑠𝑖́ 𝑝𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑟 𝑒𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜 𝑑𝑒 𝑡𝑢 𝑣𝑒ℎ𝑖́𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑜 𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑟 𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑐𝑒𝑠:

🚘 👻 https://forms.gle/peCKmys1SGqsKkUm9

2) Contribute funds to ensure we have an ample supply of treats for all the young folks who arrive.
𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑦𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎 𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑟 𝑞𝑢𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑠 𝑠𝑢𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑠 𝑗𝑜́𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑞𝑢𝑒 𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑛.

🍬 💰 https://givebutter.com/dia-de-muertos-2026-q0rngj

This summer, thanks to a microgrant from My Chi My Future, we were able to pop up at Senka and Kelly Parks for guided ro...
10/15/2026

This summer, thanks to a microgrant from My Chi My Future, we were able to pop up at Senka and Kelly Parks for guided routes through our neighborhoods and using our new Complete Streets protected bike lanes on Archer Ave.

Through collaboration with Chicago Taildraggers and Gage Park Cyclists, we turned a small corner of a park into a gathering spot that offered bike maintenance, rules of the road instruction, fun prizes and snacks, as well as a long ride through our communities of Brighton Park and Gage Park.

Last Saturday, we celebrated the end of the summer with one last pop up at Senka Park, and had a great time. We hope to continue weekly rides next spring/summer with youth and families.

10/14/2026

Join us for our annual celebration of life, and community gathering. This day is joyful in spirit and it’s focused on fun, community and remembering those we have lost. Thank you to our host, Vicinity Credit Union, and the local businesses that are helping us create this special tradition every year.
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Acompáñenos en nuestra celebración anual de la vida y reunión comunitaria. Es una jornada llena de alegría, centrada en la diversión, la comunidad y el recuerdo de aquellos que hemos perdido. Agradecemos a nuestro anfitrión, Vicinity Credit Union, y a los negocios locales que nos ayudan a hacer realidad esta tradición especial cada año.

10/14/2026

How do you get the VIRAL “I Voted sticker?” …go vote on November 3.

Have you heard the news? The newly formed Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) is putting together its first budge...
10/13/2026

Have you heard the news? The newly formed Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) is putting together its first budget and they want to hear from riders like you!

🙋🏽‍♀️ Fill out their survey by Oct. 16: https://polco.us/n/res/vote/northern-illinois-transit/what-moves-you-help-shape-the-2027-nita-budget

🙋🏽‍♀️ Stop by their open house tomorrow afternoon, Oct. 14 at Union Station between 3-6pm: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nita-a-stronger-region-moves-together-tickets-2001647305975?aff=oddtdtcreator

The state just made a big investment in public transit. Let’s make sure we communicate what we need here on the southwest side.

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Chicago, IL

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