A once wealthy, oil-rich country, Venezuela is now in economic ruin. Seven million people have fled from Venezuela since 2015 to escape economic hardship and political repression. While a majority have migrated to other Latin American countries with neighboring Colombia receiving the most Venezuelan migrants, thousands have made the nearly 3000 mile journey to the United States. Luis Arguelles stares at an American flag hanging outside of a refugee center in Uptown. (Brenda Ordoñez / MEDILL ) Twenty-nine-year-old Luis Arguelles is one of those individuals. Born and raised in Barinas, Venezuela, Arguelles says it is not the country it used to be. “Lately in Venezuela it was no longer possible to live, because of the politics there, if you work, you don't have enough to survive,” Arguelles says. The sharp turnabout can be attributed to the country’s current president, Nicolás Maduro. Maduro was appointed to serve in 2013 following [...]

The 9- and 10-year-old girls training with Chicago Fire Youth Soccer Club coach Christina Murillo are constantly running after the ball during the training session. They learn how to pass the ball to each other and how to shoot at the goal. They laugh and have fun during Monday afternoon trainings, and that is one of Murillo's goals as a coach - to make surethe players have a good time practicing soccer. “It's so much more important that players enjoy the game than me guaranteeing that they're going to go pro,” said Murillo, head of Pre-Formation Phase (13U-15U) and Community Outreach in Chicago Fire Youth Soccer Club. “We want them to be in competitive environments, but I hope families get the understanding this is supposed to be for fun.” Murillo, 30, is a role model for the girls and boys in the club. She tries to teach them in every session that it doesn't matter if they make mistakes - the [...]

“Run!” “Kick!” “Pass it!,” shouted the players of the Cosmos and Club Marquenze teams during the game of the Latino Soccer League in Humboldt Park. The crowd cheered every time they scored goals, and there was an atmosphere of fun, community and sportsmanship. The match ended with a 10-4 victory for Club Marquenze. However, this league is about more than scores. The Latino Soccer League gathers more than 20 teams every weekend at the Miguel A. Barreto Boys and Girls Club in Humboldt Park, a space where people share their passion for soccer.  One of the goals is to help young people steer clear of violence and the dangers of Chicago's streets,said Fermín Juárez, owner and director of the soccer league. Juárez, highlighted the importance of sports for young people, learning values such as discipline that team organizers consider fundamental for  personal growth and development.  "With soccer, I have kept my sons and other young people entertained in something so that their minds don't go [...]

UPDATE: The formerly hybrid event will now be completely virtual and released on Facebook and YouTube on March 22 at 4:15PM EST. Mark your calendars for March 22—Community Conversation: Local Resources for Small Businesses & Nonprofits. CT Latino News is hosting the informational event in partnership with the CT Small Business Boost Fund on public financial and technical resources for small businesses and nonprofits across Connecticut. The virtual event will be available on Facebook @CT Latino News and YouTube @LatinoNewsNetwork2557. Small businesses and nonprofits across Connecticut continue to be disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, three years after its arrival. Although a few federal programs have been available to CT organizations, those in underserved communities typically have more difficulty accessing these services.  In CT, Hispanics make up 15.6 percent of the state’s workforce but only nine percent owned businesses, according to a 2021 report by the US Small Business [...]

The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago's Lower West Side is home to one of the country’s largest Mexican art collections, including more than 18,000 seminal pieces from ancient Mexico to the present. The museum hosted its annual Mercado Navideño highlighting hand-crafted holiday gift ideas from Mexico including ornaments, nativity scenes, art, jewelry, apparel and toys. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlCVBmN8kiU&t=11s Story by Citlalli Magali Sotelo, Columbia College Chicago In 1982, Carlos Tortolero organized a group of fellow educators and founded the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, which opened its doors in 1987. The goal was to establish an arts and cultural organization committed to accessibility, education and social justice. In 2001, the museum expanded to a 48,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Pilsen and in 2006 we unveiled a new name, the National Museum of Mexican Art. National Museum of Mexican Art,1852 W 19th Street, Chicago, IL 60608 The National Museum of [...]

CT Latino News produces and amplifies stories focused on the responses to the social determinants of health. Social and Community Context is the connection between characteristics of the contexts within which people live, learn, work, and play, and their health and well-being. This includes topics like cohesion within a community, civic participation, discrimination, conditions in the workplace, and incarceration. HARTFORD—Every Tuesday morning, Newington resident Estelle Rivera-Freeland looks forward to driving into Hartford because it means volunteering at her regular classroom. “I’m almost 79 years old and [it’s nice] to have something to go to and know that it’s benefiting someone as well as me,” She shared. “As long as I can put one foot before the other, I’ll be trying to work with these students.”  Rivera-Freeland is one of 56 senior volunteers in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of CT Foster Grandparent Program.  “I love the program. I love [...]