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Latino Youth Alternative High School (LYAHS) was established in 1974 as a program of Latino Youth, Inc. to address the problem of high dropout rates among children in the Pilsen / Little Village community.

History

Latino Youth Alternative High School started as a division of Latino Youth, Inc. (originally Latino Youth Drug Intervention Program) when the non-profit sought to expand its services to youths who required a "second chance" to obtain a high school diploma. To that end, in 1985, an abandoned property at 2200 S. Marshall Boulevard was acquired (donated by the bank that owned it) and became the second home to the high school (Gads Hill Center was the first). At this location, for over 25 years, the organization provided an array of social and educational services to over 5,000 students and their families each year. However, facing financial hardship the high school was acquired by another community non-profit, Pilsen Wellness Center, in 2005 and moved to its current location at 2001 S. California Avenue.

Notable persons

• Sandra Cisneros - an American writer best known for her acclaimed first novel The House on Mango Street is a former teacher at Latino Youth.
• Rudy Lozano - Chicago community activist and one of the founding teachers at Latino Youth.
• Daniel Solis - alderman of Chicago's 25th ward and a co-founder of Latino Youth. Alderman Solis is also the co-founder and Executive Director of the United Neighborhood Organization, which established the successful Chicago-based network of UNO Charter Schools.
• Leonard Ramirez - Director of the Latin American Recruitment Education Service (LARES) Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago for nearly 30 years.

Educational partners

Latino Youth Alternative High School is a campus of the Youth Connection Charter School (YCCS), a member of the Alternative School Network (ASN) a division of Pilsen Wellness Center (PWC), and is recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Latino Youth Alternative High School also receives funding and support from the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), The Department of Children and Family Services' (DCFS), and the Youth Development and Training Program (YSDTP).

References

1. The National Council of La Raza - Latino Youth, Inc.
2. Sandra Cisneros: Border Crossings and beyond, by Robin Ganz © 1994 The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS).
3. Daniel Solis - On the Issues: Education
4. Pilsen Wellness Center - Information about LYAHS

External links

• Pilsen Wellness Center

• Educational institutions established in 1974
• Chicago Public Schools
• High schools in Chicago, Illinois