AAYG is a club full of dedicated members and staff that make up a close community in which everyone feels comfortable to be themselves with each other.  That dedication was shown off at International Night on February 28th, 2019. 

For African American History Month, AAYG arranged an array of different events. In the first week, the students saw depictions of how African people have evolved culturally. In the second week, the students of AAYG and Poetry Slam ran a panel. In the third week, the faculty panel, moderated by AAYG, and a basketball tournament took place after school. Last but not least, in the fourth week, I-Night took place.

I-Night was a huge success for everyone involved. For AAYG, they had an assortment of different dances that ranged from hip hop to cultural dances.

The hip hop portion of the dances was fantastic. Although they did not necessarily revolve around their history, the dances were still very much a part of who they are as people. Every one of the dancers was terrific. All of the dancers, whether they were dancing for a solo section or a part in unison, were fantastic. On top of that, you could tell that the choreography and costumes were well thought out. 

The cultural portion of the dances was just as impressive. The costumes were amazing, being related to the African culture. The dancers were great at staying on beat, and the movements helped to represent the meaning behind the music they chose. 

AAYG is a club where every single one of their members is a part of something bigger than themselves. Not only is the program full of dedicated students, but the program has a fantastic staff that works with the students. Mr. Carlson and Ms. Bea work hard with the students to help them get in touch with their identities. At I-Night, Ms. Bea was even given an award for her hard work and dedication when it comes to helping students.  

AAYG is a community full of amazing students and staff.  The club is full of dedicated members who help to make the club a safe place for all of those involved. 

Loyola has many different cultural clubs that meet at all different times throughout the week. A couple of examples of the clubs include Asian Youth Group, Unidos, and African American Youth Group. 

African American Youth Group, AAYG, takes place on Wednesday with the club leaders Ms. Bea and Mr. Carlson. The group meets to bring the students who are a part of their culture closer together so that they have a close-knit community.