Friday 10/24-Thursday 10/30
25 SATURDAY Today is National Make a Difference Day. Instead of simply making a greater effort to blue-bag their recyclables, today conscientious citizens will join members of Americorps’s City Year program for their annual City Year Serve-a-thon. Volunteers will spend the day working on community projects all over the city, including creating neighborhood gardens, clearing lots, and painting and renovating buildings. The goal is to complete more than 20 large-scale projects in areas like North Lawndale, Austin, and Humboldt Park. Meet at 8 AM in Navy Pier’s Grand Ballroom, 600 E. Grand; the day will end around 5 with a celebration at each site. It’s free; call 312-464-9899 to register or learn more.
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28 TUESDAY As the folks at the discussion on The World Beyond the Mainstream Media will tell you, even the city’s alternative papers can’t cover everything. Panelists include Streetwise editor Brendan Shiller; Ethan Michaeli, editor of Resident’s Journal, a publication by and for residents of the Chicago Housing Authority; and Chicago Access Network executive director Barbara Popovic. The debate will be moderated by freelance writer and WBEZ program host Andrew Patner and is sponsored by the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. It’s at 6:30 at the Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont. Admission is $7; call 312-663-0960 for more.