What is effective urban social change?

Change is always occuring in the city – for better or for worse. Socially, a neighborhood may go through trends and transitions or might stay the same for many years. One decade might have seen a closeness in the community- neighborhood watch groups, kids playing outside together, block parties…. the next decade might bring boarded up windows, unsafe streets and suspicious strangers. There are many different factors that determine the environment of the community and to bring about effective urban social change, you must look at these factors and figure out how to tackle them in the best possible way.

I. Review of Transformation

Much research has been done on what needs to happen in order to have positive transformation in our cities, but all researchers have concluded that more is needed. Lately, our communities have transformed from the close knit, watchful and in-tune environments of the 50s to the secluded, unsocial, and unfriendly environment of the present. There are many reasons for this change, but the main causes have been shown to be busyness, suburban sprawl, increased television watching, change in family structure and generational differences (Putnam). These factors have shown to have a negative effect on our social lives- we spend more time alone and isolated than socializing with friends, neighbors and coworkers. As our networks grow smaller, it begins to impact our economic status (who you know is important in landing that better job), support structures (weak relationships with the neighbors hurts in times of crisis), and safety (lack of concern or attention to the going-ons of the neighborhood leads to higher crime rates and more kids in trouble.)

II. Definition of Transformation

Transformation is defined as “a marked change in appearance or character, usually for the better” (education.yahoo.com/transformation). Urban Social Transformation (UST) can then be defined as positive change in the spiritual, environmental, economical and political structures of an urban setting that in turn increase the positive social behavior of the residents of the community. Granted, not all of these factors need to be in place for a neighborhood to transform into a better place to live and work, but the more factors in place, the better it is. When things are transformed holistically, there is an obvious change that occurs for everyone. When people have steady work and a safe place to live, socially they are happier, friendlier and care more about what goes on outside their doors. When the streets they live on are clean and drug-free, a positive change is noticed in their social behavior. When none of these factors are in place, people are noticablly depressed, isolated and unfriendly. And who can blame them?

III. Indicators

Indicators of Urban Social Transformation are apparent by looking at the individuals who live in a certain community being researched and by also looking at the outside forces, such as government, business owners, and laws that either help or harm them. A positive transformation can been seen when housing costs drop, but the quality of the homes increase. Another indicator of positive transformation is a decrease in crime and unemployment or an increase in graduation rates and stable families. When a positive social transformation begins to occur, the people that have struggled with employment, housing, health, finances, crime, education, divorce and addictions begin to make changes that positively influence the quality of their life and the lives of others around them. People often feed off of the success of others. If they see that their family member is thriving and doing well for themselves, they might approach them for advice and help the cycle continue.

But it is not only on an individual level where change needs to occur. A lot of these indicators come from the wrong doings of higher powers. By changing the structures that govern and keep the city from collapsing, you change the individual as well. But as long as there are factors in place the hold people back or keep them from growing positively, the urban social environment will remain one that is less than desired.

A holistic and spiritual approach is the most effective way to bring about urban social change. By building networks between urban churches and wealthier neighborhoods, a movement between the educated elite and middle class, who have a biblical theology of justice, economics and society, can be formed. Developing a plan for transformation must be done with the approval and assistance of the members of the community, so that they are a part of helping change their environment. When all the right factors are in place – spiritual, economical, physical, emotional – urban social transformation can then begin to take place. No man is an island. Human beings do not thrive when isolated from others (Donne, 1631).

Social Capital and Transformation

"We're always behind metal and glass. Think we miss that touch so much, we crash into each other just to feel something."

So states one of the lead characters from 2004’s Crash, an Academy Award-winning film that dealt with disconnect and racism in Los Angeles, one of the U.S.’s most sprawling cities. The feeling of being alone and isolated even when surrounded by millions of people is one that reaches all corners of the globe, causing us to long for the days of solid communities and close-knit relationships with co-workers, neighbors and friends. Are the days of weekly club meetings and borrowing sugar from the neighbor simply nostalgic or can we regain a sense of community and connectedness, even in the modern world we have created? Several researchers have claimed that yes, we can revive our communities, but much work is needed to undo the damage. We must look at the cause, effect and at the past to learn how we can change what we have become.

But first off, what have we become? Author Robert Putnam (Bowling Alone, 2000) claims that our social capital keeps us healthy, happy and thriving. Social capital refers to “the connections among individuals and the social networks that arise from them” (Putnam, page19). The more social capital we have, in essence, the more relationships we have, the better off we are. We invest “in social relations with expected returns in the marketplace,” (Lin, page 19) meaning we form friendships and networks with people who we think will help us succeed economically and socially. Social capital is made up of all kinds of resources in a social structure that are used for moving forward, mobilizing a group and getting to a personal or common goal (Lin, page 29).

In past decades, much of our social capital came from organizations we belonged to and the networks we made through them. Fraternities and sororities, church groups, service clubs, sports teams and civil rights organizations are all examples of bonding and bridging social capital. Throughout the years however, membership in all of these community based organizations have waned, leaving many wondering if groups such as the ones mentioned above will become extinct. In fact, almost all forms of community participation have decreased, from political activeness, to civic organizations, to church attendance to workplace unions and guilds. The only places where group memberships and communities seem to be growing are in web-based networks, such as message board communities and chat groups. “Cybernetworks fuse socio-economic-technological elements in social relations and social capital” (Lin, page 238).

Why the dramatic shift from community-based living and social activeness towards isolation and privacy? During the beginning of the century, Americans were extremely active in the social and political life of their neighborhoods (Putnam, page 183). Then, all across the board, people stopped being so involved. There are many reasons one would give for not being able to join an organization or participate in the community. Number one would be busyness- people feel as if they don’t have the time. But research shows us that Americans today actually have more free time than ever before. They just choose to use it doing activities that make the day zoom by- such as commuting long hours or watching TV.

Another reason people are disconnected from their communities is because of mobility and sprawl. “Suburbanization meant greater separation of workplace and residence,” (Putnam, Page 207) meaning that people no longer work, play, dine and worship in the communities where they live. They may drive 45 minutes to work, 20 minutes to church, and an hour to visit relatives. More time in the car means more time alone. Houses are built farther away from each other, with fences and gates surrounding them for even more privacy. Most suburban homes aren’t even connected by a sidewalk, meaning walking to a neighbor’s house or watching children play in the streets is a thing of the past. Meeting people while walking to a location forms a branch of social capital and with fewer sidewalks connecting us to towns and neighbors, the less sense of community one has.

Electronic media has played one of the most important roles in destroying community. “More television watching means less of virtually every form of civic participation and social involvement” (Putnam, page 228). People will become more devoted to a TV show than to a social issue or community event. Young people who have grown up with TV are shown to be more socially isolated and ignorant, with fewer close friends. Obesity in children and television viewing go hand-in-hand and also account for dropping membership in outdoor activities. TV numbs our senses to violence and social problems, encourages materialism and promotes laziness. This isn’t to say all TV programs are bad, but the more time a person spends alone and in front of the TV, the less connected and caring they are towards their community, because they just aren’t there.

Family structure and change in roles has caused a rift in community activeness. Women were once the more active members of community-based organizations but as they began to work full time, attendance of these groups fell. Higher divorce rates mean that children spend time traveling back and forth between parents and don’t grow as connected to their neighbors and community as children who grew up in a stable home. People move so often that they find it pointless to get to know the people living next door.

And finally, generational change is a huge factor in the decline of civic involvement. Whereas the older generation- the parents of the Boomers- were steady volunteers and active in the community, their children and grandchildren are not, although there has been a rise of volunteerism in today’s youth. The groups that were once faithfully attended by our grandparents no longer appeal to the new generation. There are fewer leaders in these organizations and most of them have gray hair. Once these people are no longer with us, the organizations will end, as their numbers already show them to be dying off. Hopefully out of this will arise new groups, lead by the younger generation.

Does it matter that people are opting to spend less time in community-based organizations and more time pursuing their own activities? The answer is, yes. Putnam writes that “Communication is a fundamental prerequisite for social and emotional connections” (Putnam, page 171). Without these connections, we start to feel isolated, lonely and depressed. Research suggests that “civic connections help make us healthy, wealthy and wise” (Putnam, page 287). Without relationships with the leaders and neighbors in our communities, we tend to distrust the unfamiliar. We find we have fewer friends or even no one to turn to in times of crisis. Even if we have all the degrees and training in the world, without social capital, it is harder to find a job and increase our economic and social prospects. Most job leads come from connections to a person within the company. Networking and schmoozing are still the best ways to land a job. Once you land that job, the best way to work your way up the ladder is by continuing to network within the organization and use the resources available to you. On page 54, Nan Lin writes “social structure and individual actors reinforce each other: the structure rewards individual actors who support and recognize its valued resources, and individual actors strive to recognize and promote structural resources in order to gain status or better positions in the structure.”

As people’s networks grow smaller, the lack of social capital has hit us hard in several areas. The first is through the education of our children and their welfare. A community’s infrastructure, such as schools, political leaders and health organizations, is important to our children’s development. The less connected a school is with its community and parents, the worse off the children will be. When parents are engaged with their kid’s school and teachers, social capital rises and everyone benefits. In states where social capital is low, children are less likely to care about their education and peers (Putnam, page 302).

Our economic status and community wealth are also affected when social capital is low. “Economic standing and social standing are complementary in that the former requires social legitimation and enforcement for wealth. Without social enforcement, economic standing collapses, without collective wealth, social standing is meaningless” (Lin, page 150). When a community lacks both wealth and reputation, the community becomes fragmented and disconnected (Lin, page 163). I believe that wealth can be measured by things other than just monetary value, but without any social connections or relationships, even the richest person is poor.

Neighborhoods are also affected negatively by low levels of social capital. The more people who know each other and have relationships with their neighbors, the safer the streets are for everyone. Neighborhoods that are clean, have friendly residents and more community involvement, have lower levels of crime. But on the other hand, neighborhoods that lack positive role models, community groups and neighborhood watch organizations are more likely to have kids (and adults) getting into trouble. The inner city has been impacted the most by the absence of economic capital and therefore, their social connections are the most important aspect to their welfare. The people they know, have relationships with and trust are the people they can turn to for aid and support.

Health and happiness can be attributed to positive social capital. “Socially isolated people are more likely to smoke, drink, overeat, (etc.)” (Putnam, page 327). But being around people and engaging in social activities are factors in fighting disease and stress. With people nearby to lean on or trust, it is easier to get through the drudges we face in life. In fact, the more socially engaged we are, the more likely we are to live longer (Putnam, page 331).

This sense of isolation and division is not an unfamiliar one. At the end of the nineteenth century, Americans were divided by class, ethnicity and race, just like we are today. With the influx of new immigrants, people did not know or understand their neighbors. They realized that they were a country of strangers. But at the turn of the century, Americans began to feel that “society needed to be democratized to ensure everyone had a decent chance for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (Putnam, page 378). And so, society changed. Communities were shaped, order was formed and numerous community and national social organizations grew. Organizations such as the Salvation Army, Shriners, Rotary and Boy Scouts were formed during these days and people signed up by the millions.

This is the sort of attitude that is once again needed today. Putnam lists several items on an agenda needed for social reformation (Putnam, page 403). New structures and policies must be created to facilitate renewed civic engagements. Individuals need to resolve to themselves to connect with those around them. The older generation must try to entice civic engagement among the younger generation. People must once again feel connected to their political leaders and learn that they have the power to bring about change. All of these items are important in rebuilding a connected society- one that people of all ages, races and backgrounds can engage in and enjoy.

I grew up in Sellersville, PA, a town founded in the 1700s, with a population of 5,000. Although there are many community activities “downtown,” my family considered our main community to be at church. Wednesdays and Sundays were spent there and most friendships were forged during youth groups and volunteer trips. I don’t really have a connection with my hometown since I did not attend the local schools. These days, my extended family is part of a completely different community. In Northeast Philadelphia, the Russian community is very prominent, with restaurants, businesses and families living along Bustleton Ave. Although this community is fairly connected, the youth still struggle to find ways to be involved and meet. The churches have not supplied the youth with organized events or meeting times and there is a void that needs to be filled in the spiritual lives of these Russian-American teens.

Several of my extended family members are forming a Russian youth group and have rented a small space in Northeast Philly where the kids can get together for activities and worship. It is my hope to be able to be a part of organizing and developing this organization so that it can grow to include other members of the community and from all around Philadelphia. I would also like to see this organization connect with other like-minded Russian and youth organizations around the country, to form a collection of groups that can rely on each other for questions and support.

Instead of remaining nostalgic about the ‘good old days,’ we need to relearn how to connect with our neighbors, coworkers, town and city leaders and even our own families. The growth of communities depends on the people who not only just live there, but care there. Without these connections, we are just a bunch of strangers living on a plot of land who from time to time crash into each other just to feel the touch of another human being.

Social Analysis of Kensington, Philadelphia

Jesus said, “The poor will be with you always.” And in parts of Philadelphia, this has been confirmed time and time again. In the rough neighborhood of Kensington, off of Delaware Ave, one steadfast and compassionate group has remained the community’s pillar of love and hope. Kensington Area Ministry (KAM) is a collection of eight United Methodist Churches who have come together to support the community members of this area and through after school programs, picnics, food drives and community events, have devoted over 20 years of service to the people of Kensington. A small organization made up of entirely volunteers, KAM relies on the support of donations and grants to keep their operation running. The area of Kensington is not an easy place to live, work or worship and an analysis of the social and community life in this neighborhood shows the struggles residents there face and what is needed to help.

Kensington is located in North Philadelphia, immediately north of Center City. In past decades, North Philadelphia was hit hard by white flight and economic decline. The majority of North Philadelphia's residents are poor African Americans and Hispanic Americans. Despite its wealth of history, schools, cultural sites, parkland, architecture, and other holdovers from more prosperous times, high crime and unfettered poverty have earned North Philadelphia a reputation as a slum. At the same time, some would counter that it is far more diverse an area, and thus too large to stereotype. From the Puerto Rican communities in Hunting Park, West Kensington, and Fairhill to the middle class African American neighborhoods around the Oak Lanes to the poor ghettos that typify much of its core to newly-gentrifying Brewerytown, a large portion of Philadelphians call this section home. Recent developments have given North Philadelphia a brighter future, as several neighborhoods begin to overcome some of their problems (Wikipedia).

Philadelphia has changed drastically in the past century, due to advances in technology, better healthcare and communication and increasing trends caused by globalization. Since the end of the Cold War, the world and everyone in it, like it or not, has been affected by globalization- and quickly. It has taken over politics, commerce, and international relations within virtually every country in the world. Those who have not been fast enough to keep up with the pace of globalization have been left behind, unemployed, bitter and isolated.

In Kensington, there were those who depended on factory and industrial jobs to feed their families, but after industry moved out of the area, they were left jobless and impoverished. What were once vibrant, productive neighborhoods are now full of abandoned homes, burnt out buildings, and bankrupt businesses due to all the low-skill jobs moving overseas or to the suburbs. Welfare laws, low wages and the death of communities have all resulted in the restructuring of homes, usually to the disadvantage of those involved. With public transportation declining and the loss of manufacturing jobs in the city, many fathers were forced to leave the home in order for their family to apply for welfare. This lead to high rates of single-parent homes and less supervision and stimulating activities for children, resulting in higher delinquency and school drop-out rates. In homes with parents earning minimum wage jobs, all energy is put into earning enough to survive and without the support of a caring community, life can become unbearable.

After a community is lost, the memory of it also fades. People become isolated and depressed. Without a core family at home, they will find another one on the streets or in prisons. And the values learnt on the streets are not usually ones to be taken into the home. This leads to higher crime and violent behavior, substance addiction and lack of role models for children growing up in the neighborhood. In Kensington, the drug trade is alive and thriving. Now, gentrification has begun creeping into Kensington and the surrounding neighborhoods and developers will turn the neighborhood into an attractive, high-rent district, with the poor will be forced to move elsewhere.

In Philadelphia, the average annual salary of $38,768. While Philly may be more inexpensive to live in when compared to New York, the cost of living is 27% above the national average. The US Bureau of Census determined that 26% of the population was living below the poverty level and that out of the top 25 largest cities in the country, Philadelphia had the 12th highest poverty level.

Many problems contribute to this, including low wages and high living costs. When someone earns the PA minimum wage of $5.15 an hour (2000) and works 40 hours a week, the amount of money they earn before taxes equals $11,440. Take away 30% for taxes and you’re bringing home $8000. Is it possible to live in Philadelphia on $8000 a year?

The average cost of rent for two people is $890. That accounts for a one bedroom apartment, with approximately 600 square feet of space. Rent alone will cost $10,680 a year. One person alone can not afford to live on their own when working for minimum wage. Even with two incomes combined, rent will account for almost 75% of living expenses. Of course, you can find housing for less than $890, but the location will leave much to be desired. You can also apply for section 8 housing through HUD or the Philadelphia Housing Authority. With a waiting list of almost 16,000, the Housing Authority serves 80,000 Philadelphia residents. In order to be eligible for this program, you must earn less than $34,000 for a family of four and many in the program earn minimum wages.

For those who do not want to rent for their entire life, ownership is near impossible. The median cost of buying a house in Philadelphia is $110,500 and although this varies from area to area, home ownership among the poor has declined steadily over the past decade. Although nearly 60% of Philadelphians own their home, this number too has dropped in the last 10 years. According to Kevin Gillen at the University of Pennsylvania, housing prices have increased 123% in the past 10 years. In 1996, the average cost of renting in Philadelphia was $690, but now over 100,000 households struggle to pay rent and in several neighborhoods, more than 40% of residents live in poverty (Brookings Institute, 2000).

With an unemployment rate of 7.1%, this means that only 56% of working age adults were employed or actively seeking work. As jobs move out to the suburbs, inner-city residents are left with few options for employment. Only 18% of residents hold a college degree and only 30% of jobs in the entire Philadelphia region are located in the center city.

The overall goal of community organizing is to improve the standard of living and quality of life, by producing assets and bringing residents together. Quality of life ideas are seen as social justice, political efficacy and economic vitality. If the quality of life is raised, the community will become a better place to live. Health and safety risks will be reduced, residents will be connected to more opportunities, housing and investments will become stabilized and the community will partner with government and other institutions of power to ensure that the neighborhood is taken care of appropriately and accordingly. By empowering individuals in the neighborhood to bring about these changes, the result will be long-lasting pride and care in the community.

A holistic approach brings together all aspects of life- social, intellectual, physical, financial, spiritual and political assets. In order for a community development and organizing program to be successful, it must have support from all angles, including residents, government, community leaders, churches and local non-profits. You can’t force a program on people who do not want it in the first place.

To gain the support you need from the rest of society, you must rise above the stereotypes and beliefs of the general public. A common misconception in the United States is that there is enough wealth and opportunity for someone to raise from the depths of any situation and make something of themselves. A person’s status at birth largely determines the future. Americans base most of their success on the fact that they worked hard and achieved great things despite the odds. They do not realize that most of their success is due in part to the level of the economic stratosphere in which they were born. They have no empathy for those who are at the bottom of the food chain, because those people are looked at as lazy and as if it is their own fault that they are poor. If a person is not faced with problems that don’t concern them, they find it difficult to care.

Poverty is not only the lack of money; it is also powerlessness and alienation from the key institutions of society. These institutions are described in the book as politics, religion, economics, family, education and recreation. In Kensington, the poor are greatly missing out on all of these things. They are underrepresented politically because they do not vote and therefore politicians do not care about their welfare. From an economic standpoint, those with no steady paycheck have no need for banks or stocks, important institutions that keep our economy afloat. Because they do not contribute to these things, they do not receive the financial education that is important for people to have in order to make smart decisions with their finances. What little money they do have is almost always in cash form and is rarely saved. With all these odds against them, it’s easy to see how inner city residents can become downtrodden, miserable and skeptical of the programs trying to help them.

By empowering the residents of the community, they will begin to grow and thrive on their own. When people feel involved and connected to a project, they are more likely to put everything they have into it and feel a sense of pride when it’s completed. Instead of depending on assistance from the government or the organization, they will look for ways to do it themselves and continue to grow and improve. In Kensington, the residents need to feel as if they have a say in their policies and governing, have the resources to enable other community members or business to expand and watch the streets become safer and neighbors more trustworthy. It’s very important to be able to complete a project and pull out of the community and know that they will continue prospering. That’s the only way you know a job has truly been completed.

Analyzing Urban Poverty

In a world of almost 7 billion people, with 70% living off of less than $2 a day, poverty is a global crisis. Every country and city has it’s own unique problems and needs, but the premises is the same- those in poverty are often left to fend for themselves and struggle to survive. Judy Baker and Nina Schuler’s research on Analyzing Urban Poverty provides a summary of methods and approaches to conducting urban poverty analysis. With the ability to properly research and gather information on this issue, better changes can be made to policy and organizations focused at alleviating poverty.

The research report was basically an outline on how to effectively go about researching urban poverty and learning how to target an area’s needs. Through case studies and examples of research methods, the reader can follow the steps that Baker and Schuler used for their findings. The first thing the researcher needs to do is find a way to measure the poverty in a location. While the authors wrote numerous case studies on many world cities, it is best for one to focus on an individual location in order to best serve it. The case studies they selected represent different approaches to urban poverty analysis in different geographic locations (page 10). Using data that has already been released is a cost-effective way to gather information, along with focus groups and interviews.

Although this was a complex study, one thing that I really took away from their research was the statement that in order to successfully reach conclusions on an issue, you must track it for an extended period of time (page 12). Measuring the changes of poverty over time is the only way to figure out if the policies in place are being effective. Another thing they mentioned was that an understanding of the specific characteristics of urban poverty will lead to more cost-effective policies. In essence, relating to and understanding the needs and problems of the urban poor will help you to better assist them and provide care.

Another notable suggestion was found in the conclusion. It is important to be aware of the environment of the city at the time of the study. They used the example of a war or natural disaster. If a significant incident has just happened in the city, chances are the findings on poverty will be a lot different than research taken several years prior or later. The authors also provide several challenges researchers may be faced with when conducting a survey. Data collection, sampling and definitional issues were a few of the problems they had and remaining consistent in research methods is important in order for the report to appear accurate (page 17).
Although I thought this report was long-winded and offered almost too many suggestions for undertaking research, it was helpful to see an outline of another’s research methods. The fact that the authors chose to include numerous case studies proves that they spent time and resources on this project and the accuracy of their research is verified through other references. Analyzing urban poverty is a huge task to undertake, but with these suggestions and methods, it should be easier for an organization to know where to begin and how to break it down.

Developing Local Models of Minority Student Success in College

When I was in college, my core group of friends was made up of mostly international students. Most of them were of Latino or European ethnicity and while they were considered “minority” students at school, they always stood out in a way that made the majority of students want to be a part of them. I was always envious of the way they seemed to treat each other like a big family, cooking traditional foods for each other, hosting the best parties on campus and always speaking in Spanish or Portuguese. (As time went on, I learned to figure out when they were talking about me and they would joke about how they needed to learn a new language to speak around me.)

This group of students, who hailed from countries such as Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Switzerland, Australia and France, probably would not have been the best of friends back in their hometowns. They were of different classes and customs and accents. It was the sport of tennis that brought them all to Nashville, TN for college and as teammates and visa-carrying students, they formed a bond that separated them from the rest of the suburban, middle-class majority at the college. But they were envied and were some of the most popular students on campus.

I am almost positive that it was this source of familiarity and support that kept at least a couple of the students coming back semester after semester. While several of the members had extremely outgoing and loquacious personalities, there were others that would have been completely lost in the crowd and left to fend for themselves in the confusing atmosphere of freshman college- not to mention the whole language barrier thing. Within this group of diverse ethnicities, there were personalities with even more diversity. But nonetheless, they were a family. And every single one of them graduated from the college in four years and most even remained in the US to work.

So what factors contributed to their success? Such was the topic of research by Raymond V. Padilla, Jesús Treviño, Kenny Gonzalez and Jane Treviño. Their study, entitled Developing Local Models of Minority Student Success in College, was designed to “reveal the strategies that successful minority students employ to overcome barriers to academic success in college” (page 125). Every year, too many minority students are failing to finish college because of a number of reasons. This study intended to discover ways to keep minority students in school until graduation and develop a model of successful ethnic minority students (page 126).

While I agree with their findings (which I will discuss later), I do not agree with the way they went about attaining their data. First of all, they only interviewed 28 students, all who attended the same university. The students were of several ethnicities, which would have it seem that all minorities feel the same way when starting college. I am sure that if they had interviewed a larger population, they would have found that there are different contributing factors within each individual ethnic group and even within in different genders and religions. Another issue I have with the students selected is that they were picked by staff members of the school. If the staff were aware of the reason for the study, they most likely would have picked the most familiar, outgoing and familiar students- students that may have different views from their more quiet counterparts. Students that are more outgoing will take more time to go out of their way to join clubs and meet friends. The shyer ones will usually have a tight nit group of friends and may even feel out of place within a large setting of even people of the same race. I believe that how one adapts to the college life has a lot to do with their personality, their ability to make fast friends and the support of family members back home. Of course, if a minority student goes to college and has a hard time meeting people, is quiet and lacks the support of their family, they will find it easier to just give up. But success in college shouldn’t be determined by the number of friends you have who are of the same race as you.

Data was collected by creating a matrix, a qualitative measurement used to interpret data in order to create a concept model (page 127). The results found were four barriers that minority students had to overcome in order to be successful in college. Discontinuity barriers are circumstances that one must overcome to feel comfortable in a new setting. Minority students come to college with the idea that they will be on their own, so they look to build a support system with peers who are in the same situation. They create a “family” just as my international friends had done. They depend on themselves and each other to help figure out the different customs or rules of college life.

One barrier that I disagree with to an extent is the resource barrier. While statistically, minority students come from poorer families than the majority, you can’t group an entire ethnicity or an entire minority by determining that these students will have to work harder and be more aware of the financial aid process. Plenty of the minorities at my school came from wealthy families and vise versa. I don’t think it is right to lump a whole group together. In fact, almost all of my minority friends came from wealthy families.

While it is easier for students of all races and ethnicities to cling to a group of their own kind, that isn’t what college is about. College is about forcing yourself out of your comfort zone and socializing and learning with people who are different from you. I think that as you advance in your college years, you tend to hang out with less of the same people all the time and attempt to branch out. While you always want to have that core group of friends you can go to for support and comfort, there is no reason why you can’t survive college by feeling out of place some of the time. It’s all about finding a balance and any student, regardless of color or class, that can do that, will be successful. By using this data, colleges that lack ethnic clubs or support systems can be aware of the needs of minority students and make sure there are some in place. But mixing with different groups at college will allow for a much more valuable learning and growing experience.

Generation Y Care?

Every Saturday night, Main Street in Manayunk crawls with 21-28 year-olds looking to let loose and party with their friends. They easily throw down $40 for a quick sushi dinner and pay $8 a martini until the bars close down at 2am. Most are college-educated, live in comfortable apartments or still at home and work in a professional, office atmosphere. In cities all over the country, members of ‘Generation Y’ live a fast-paced, faux-glamorous lifestyle where instant gratification is demanded and success is measured by the higher number BMW they drive or the cost of a designer handbag. Meanwhile, more than three billion people around the world live on less than $2 a day. And only 15 minutes away in North Philadelphia, the poverty rate exceeds 56%. Are the children of the baby boomer generation aware or knowledgeable on the issues that concern the impoverished lower class of the inner city? Or are they simply uninterested and don’t care about anything other than their own lives and their own success?

This research project will seek to discover the average middle-class, young professional attitudes towards the city’s poor. It will find out if living distance from the inner city makes any difference in their opinions and expose the cause of these views, whether it is race or gender related, religious background, family history, career path or political affiliation. Generation Y are the future leaders of America and the issues they care about concern every citizen. Unfortunately, too many young professionals are more concerned with material possessions and getting ahead financially than they are about social issues and helping those in need. By understanding what drives and what is important to young, working adults, we can market global issues on a level that best reaches them. Maybe there is something else a 24-year old would rather be doing on a Saturday night than getting wasted with his friends or watching endless hours of television. Maybe they do care about poverty, health care and affordable housing, but no outlet has ever caught their attention or convinced them that their help is needed. The findings of this research will provide a base of knowledge when it comes to targeting volunteers from the young professional class.

Prior research on this subject has been mostly along the lines of understanding youth in America and preventing them from making bad choices. Once people reach their early twenties, they have pretty much established their lifestyle and goals, especially those in the working world. As one starts to get older, new interests and activities wane and the relationships one makes influences the issues they care about and the concerns they have. Most volunteers come from teenagers or retirees. Those in the middle of life are more focused on themselves or their families than on understanding social issues, but there are several groups made up of young professionals that come together to raise awareness for issues and donate time and money to charity. The Young Professional’s Group of LA works with local homeless shelters and the National Urban League of Young Professionals is a network that provides volunteering opportunities for other young professionals. CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) has funded studies on the beliefs and attitudes of Generation Y, including studies on faith, political involvement, diversity and education and research on young adults’ attitudes towards the welfare system has also been done at the University of Iowa. There are several young professionals organizations in Philadelphia, but all of them focus on social activities rather than volunteering.


Along with interviews and surveys as a basis for data collection, a documentary will also be filmed simultaneously to get the “feel” and “tone” of the attitudes of young adults. Interviews will take place in public settings, with all subjects unknown to the researcher. An equal amount of female and male subjects will be chosen and age, background and career status will be questioned. Problems that may arise could be fabrication of background and opinions by subjects if on appearing on camera and wanting to portray a certain image. Other problems may include lack of background information and prior research examples, but all in all, this proposal appears manageable.

Kids With Cameras

Change can start with one person. When photographer Zana Briski moved to the Red Light District of Calcutta, India, she was very much alone. She spent months at a time in the brothels, taking photos of the prostitutes who lived there and began to form relationships with their children. After realizing the creative potential these children held and how the world was viewed through their eyes, she started a program called Kids with Cameras, which taught the fundamentals of photography and gave them an outlet in which to express themselves. Documenting their lives and progress along the way, Zana went on to win an Academy Award for Best Documentary and the Kids with Cameras organization grew to include other cities such as Haiti, Cairo, and Jerusalem. Although small, Kids with Cameras has touched numerous lives and continues its work throughout the world with the help of grants, fellowships and donations. It is my hope to expand this organization to include a division called Kids with Computers- providing children in impoverished locations with computers and teaching them how to utilize their skills and talents through them.

Isolation causes a person to be left behind. With no knowledge or access to the outside world, a person will be cut off from opportunities that could have provided them with a better life. In our fast paced, technology-based society, you must be connected in order to prosper. By hooking kids up with computers with access to the internet, email, and web-based programs, they will be introduced to a whole new world and will be able to meet people from other countries who might offer them ways to advance their education and lifestyle. Whereas cameras allow them to express what they see, the computers and internet will allow them to share. Along with the computer labs, lessons will also be offered on typing and using various programs, along with internet safety. The goal of Kids with Computers is to have a computer lab in every city where Kids with Cameras is located and to eventually expand to other places.

Imagine your life without a computer. No instant access to news, friends or information. Everything must be written by hand and mailed by a snail. It would be a life where everyone on the outside moves at the speed of light and you stay put. Children learn how to do new things exceptionally fast, so having computer skills at a young age can lead to a more advanced career later in life. These kinds of skills will get them out of the brothels and the ghettos and allow them to pursue something that fits their likes and creativity.

How many computers are in your house and what do you do with the old ones when you upgrade? If you’re like me, you probably have at least two or three computers to a family. And the old one will sit in a closet until you eventually pitch it. Donations are an extremely valuable way to get much needed items for an operation such as this and it’s easy. Many churches and community centers have drop-off locations for donations and some schools get discounts on buying in bulk. A decent computer lab in a city that holds classes and workshops will have 10-20 computers available. Starting off with the four cities that Kids with Cameras works with, we would need approximately 70 computers, which, when you think about it, is a small number when compared to what colleges or businesses may have. A local ISP provider could support the organization with low or no cost internet and the staff needed would be relatively small. Families from other countries could “sponsor” a child, help donate computers, pay for the cost of the program and aid them in ways to improve their life via internet.

All in all, costs for this program would not be that expensive, considering the amount of free information available that the kids would have access to. I don’t think enough non-profit organizations utilize the internet to their advantage and I believe that one of the reasons that well-off people are so apathetic towards poverty and international issues is because they are not faced with it on a personal level. By setting children up with email or web pages, sponsors could communicate with the kids almost daily and really become a part of their lives, instead of just sending a check every month and a card at Christmas. In the future, how neat would it be to be able to wave hello to your sponsored child via web cam?

Kids with Computers will start off as a beta program in Calcutta, where resources and locations are already available from Kids with Cameras. After monitoring the program with a small number of children for several months, we will make the decision on whether or not to expand the organization to other cities. Perhaps partnering up with NGOs such as Save the Children or Compassion International will allow us to match kids up with sponsors and bring in support from outside sources. A lot more can be accomplished when people work together on something instead of going at it alone. Kids with Computers will depend on the leadership and teamwork of a group of dedicated and talented individuals who possess passion and dedication towards helping children out of poverty. A leader can start something, but it takes a team to make it work.

As with any new idea and plan, there are many obstacles to overcome. Things such as logistics, money, laws, resources and more money come in the way. But these are all things that can be dealt with if planned properly. As long as everything is done legally and documented, the rest is up to God and the prayer of supporters. While putting together this proposal, I’ve learned that a program like this really would be possible and it makes me excited to think of all the ideas that I would like to accomplish. I can only hope that someday I could lead a program that has been as inspiring as Kids with Cameras and help something like that grow bigger and better. There are many ways to bring about change in this world: cameras, computers, toys, food and medicine are all possibilities but it starts with a vision and a leader to make that vision a reality.

The Strong, Silent Type

We’re all unique, each with our own individual mission and meaning for life. While the majority of leaders are outspoken and charismatic, (i.e. Tony Campolo) there are plenty of people behind the scenes doing just as much. If the world was full of outgoing, talkative leaders then there wouldn’t be anyone to listen. If everyone decided that urban ministry was their call, then there wouldn’t be anyone to help in rural areas. There’s a reason why we’re all different and it’s so we can balance each other out, feed off of each other and learn from one another. With so many distinct calls and missions, the possibilities really are endless.

I find myself in the soft-spoken leader category. Writing has always been my passion, not speaking or pounding the pavement. I’m not much of an idle chit-chatter and prefer to get my message and meaning across simply and through the written word. A creative soul, I’m not too keen on strategic organizing and boring policies and procedures. When put to the task, I’ll take control of a group and allot assignments in a fair manner, but I prefer to be individual and will only follow the example of those who I really trust and admire. Unless there’s a grade involved of course, then your wish is my command! In a group setting, I like work to be done equally, with as much help and communication from each other as possible, but I also like to work on my own a lot of the time as well. I will take control if I don’t feel as if the group is getting things done efficiently, but I prefer to avoid confrontation and being in the spotlight.

As an undergrad journalism student, I was always worried about not having what it takes to be the hard-hitting, pushy and extremely driven reporter. I’m shy when it comes to approaching strangers and was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder a while back, which causes me to become very nervous when speaking in a group or trying to be assertive. When on a deadline or down to the wire, I will suck it up and force myself to do what it takes to get the job done, but I have always preferred being a listener to a speaker. I like using media outlets to get a message across, including print, web and film. The new generation of Internet known as Web 2.0 attracts a younger crowd of listeners through Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, etc. and is an effective way to lead and gather interest from new sources.

Therefore, I think a leader can lead in other ways than just by being the voice or face of an organization. Sometimes the real brains of an operation are behind the scenes. In the past, I haven’t had too many leadership opportunities. For several years, I was a camp counselor for various church day camps and I’ve been involved in all sorts of extracurricular activities and organizations but I always like to receive guidelines from someone else and then do my own thing. Through this class, I would like to obtain the following goals:

1. Learn how to speak up and make my opinions known.
2. Figure out what other leadership roles exist in the non-profit world.
3. Lead a project from start to finish.

I believe that we all have a leader inside of us but it takes a special opportunity for it to come out. Instead of being a leader or a follower, you can find a cause you truly believe in and become a trendsetter and an example.

Soccer- The International Language

My core group of friends in college were the “Internacionáls,” ten soccer-loving, visa-carrying aliens from countries around the world such as Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Switzerland and Bulgaria. It was an eclectic bunch, with personalities ranging from the super-loquacious to the super-shy, from the star athlete to the computer nerd, but somehow together, they were a family away from home. Most of them spoke at least three languages fluently and were able to converse with each other without anyone on the outside understanding a thing, much to my ever-growing dismay. My Spanish abilities peaked at “Adondé es el baño” and I spent countless hours listening to Portuguese and Spanish and not knowing which was which. They were very popular and well-liked by the rest of the student body, but were almost in a world of their own, a world that made those not included feel left out and jealous.

Every Sunday afternoon, community soccer teams from around Nashville would get together at a public field and compete in tournaments. My friends formed the aptly-named “Internacionál” team, comprised of footballers from at least eight different countries, while their competitors were almost all exclusively Mexican, with maybe a couple of Puerto Ricans thrown in for good measure. I didn’t think that this would cause such uproar amongst the Mexican-Nashvillians, figuring that “we all speak Spanish so we’ll all surely get along!” Well, soccer is a dirty game, especially when the pride of your country is on the line and even though these were supposed to be friendly, Sunday-afternoon matches, things quickly got ugly.

Fights broke out. Curse words in Spanish that even my professors had never heard were flung across the field. And then, the clincher. A supporter of the Mexican team shouted out from the bleachers, in Spanish, “Call the INS!” Team Internacionál were stunned. I didn’t know whether to laugh or run to my car. Call INS? Coming from a Mexican? Surely this was a joke. But it wasn’t. They were serious and the game was forfeited as Internacionál left the field muttering, confused and angry. There was no Spanish familia atmosphere here, only a hierarchy of the green-cards versus the visas, the permanent residents and first generation immigrants versus the University-sponsored squatters. As a white American citizen, I thought they were all loco.

In Nashville, where the Mexican population is 25,774 and growing steadily, almost more than half of that is thought to be from illegal immigration, so to hear someone of Mexican heritage jeer, ‘call Immigration and Naturalization Services’, was something of a new phenomenon. I realized then that even the people who are thought to be the lowest on the food chain, the ones that all others scorn and call racist names, will still find a way to feel superior and better about themselves when opportunity strikes. Or maybe it’s just low self-esteem and fatigue from constant prejudice and spite from a good portion of the population. Whatever it was, it made me think about ethnocentricity by other members of society and helped me relate my own viewpoints on cultural norms and behavior to what others might think.

Ethnocentrism is “the point of view that one’s own way of life is to be preferred to all others” (Herskovits, p. 21). At this point in my life, I wasn’t sure what my future plans would be. I was a journalism major interested in international politics and hung around with a diverse group of friends, but my eyes weren’t completely opened to a lot of domestic issues. I was raised liberally, but safe-guarded. After getting to see some of the more cultural sides of Nashville and traveling to some other countries, I realized that although people are very much the same in many aspects of our lives, (we laugh, love, enjoy music and beauty and like baby animals) we are still very different and if you don’t understand or at least respect these differences, you’re going to live a very closed-off, self-centered existence.

In make sure this doesn’t happen, we need to employ cultural relativity in our lives, meaning that we need to put ourselves in the other’s shoes and see things from another perspective before we pass judgment (Rosado, p. 3). What is acceptable in one culture may be scorned in another. This doesn’t mean that every little wacky thing another group may do is appropriate behavior; it just means that you need to take that behavior and look at it from the structures of the culture and not your own. We are born into a certain society that expects certain things and so we grow up believing that those are the only right ways to live. When we come in to contact with someone who lives differently, we look at them as weird or sometimes evil. As Rosado always states, “where you stand determines what you see” (Rosado, p. 4). But, there are certain norms in life that are universal across all societies and this includes morality- knowing right from wrong.

Americans are often seen as conceited and ignorant, believing that “the American way is the only way” and that this country is better than everyone else. This viewpoint has caused a lot of negative sentiments towards the United States and what infuriates other nations even more is that we just don’t seem to care. But Rosado points out that not all cultural values are valid or of equal worth (Rosado, p. 6) but “that which works is better than that which doesn’t work.” Because the United States have a lot of power in most aspects, Americans are lead to believe that everything we do is superior. But, when judging other’s history and mistakes, we must realize that we too have made wrong choices in our past. The best way to stop stereotypes and misunderstandings is if we encourage a multicultural education for our children.

In today’s cities, different cultures and ethnicities are all around you, wherever you go. Author Eric H.F. Law writes in The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb, that the pain of living in a multicultural community is that there is a danger of offending people by trying to be inclusive. Putting different groups of people together with different personalities, opinions and ways of life is always a risky thing because you never know how they’ll get along. You don’t want to make a fool of yourself by trying to act like someone you’re not and imitate another. It’s always safer to stay with your own kind. But what fun is that?

The best way to take advantage of all that others have to offer us is to be culturally sensitive and recognize the values in ourselves and in others (Law, p. 7). It’s not always a comfortable thing to be taken from our culture and thrown into the midst of another. But when put in those awkward situations, you quickly learn how to adapt and try to fit in, while trying not losing your own values. As Law states on page ten, Christians are often called to go against what is normal and safe. Christ reached out to all people and made it known that God does not play favorites. So why should we minister to people who are just the same as us? We need to be able to talk to anyone, regardless of color or religion or financial background and be sensitive to their beliefs while getting our message across.

So that day on the soccer field when my friends and I walked away from a glorious win for the honor of our eight countries, I realized several things. I realized first of all that Mexicans are really sick of being lumped together as illegal aliens and that they look at themselves as more American than a bunch of foreign exchange students will ever be. I also realized that I never really liked soccer all that much anyway and that I was just trying to fit in with my international friends. My ethnocentricity tells me that football is better anyway. And I also realized that the new America will be one where it is a necessity to know how to converse with all types of people, no matter what language they’re speaking or what they look like. Because even an Arabic-speaking French Indonesian living in Utah will be a more typical American than the 1950’s black and white television show version of an all-white family with two kids, a station wagon and a dog named Sparky.

Sidewalks in the Kingdom

For 18 years I lived on a busy two-lane road in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. We had about 8 acres of land, mostly wooded and our house was a 17th century barn that was later renovated into a single-family home. My parents were ex-hippies. Our next door neighbors were an elderly couple who lived in the former farmhouse that our barn belonged to. My neighbors on the other side of our house were also an older couple. There were no sidewalks and playing on the street would have resulted in death, so much of my time was spent playing in the woods and in the backyard. Since most of my friends lived 20 minutes or more away from me, I would see them only on the weekends usually for sleepovers, since the parents didn’t want to drive late at night to drop someone off. The bus ride to school was an excruciating hour and a half long.

I never felt like I lived in the sticks or outside of civilization. There was a Starbucks, an Italian water ice place, a movie theater and a mall all within 10 minutes of my house. I could never walk any where on a road, but I didn’t really felt like I was missing out on anything. It was quiet for the most part and peaceful and a safe place to raise a family. My parents lived in a rough part of Washington D.C. for five years before moving to Seattle and then finally moving back to PA to settle down. They had had enough of long lines, high prices, insane traffic and the smog of the city. Compared to my cousins, who really lived out in the country, I was a city girl.

Unlike some of my annoying counterparts from the suburbs who pretended to act like they were from the ghetto and the streets, (the mean streets of Harleysville, PA no doubt) I liked going to Philly because of all the excitement and movement of the city. As I grew older, I would often go to New York City and explore the neighborhoods by myself. I went to college in Nashville, which some may be surprised to find out that it is in fact a real city and not just cowboys singing the blues in downtown saloons. Nashville is not a particularly rough city, but it has that “dirty south” feel and lacked some of the culture I had come to appreciate from Philly and New York. I almost never walked around in downtown Nashville because other than the tourist traps, there was not much to see.

Of the city, this is what I love the most. Architecture, both modern and historical, small coffee shops or street cafes, hearing different languages and being able to walk every where. If I walk around a mall all day, I feel extremely tired and sore when I get home, not to mention my eyes really hurt and I’m sick to death of all human beings. After walking around a city, I feel tired, but I also feel invigorated for some reason. Stimulated. Sidewalks in the Kingdom provides reasons why as Christians we should join the New Urbanism movement and reclaim our cities and towns to restore them to their original glory. As nice as that sounds, I have some problems with author Eric Jacobsen’s point of view and ideas.

First of all, I feel like he is living in an idealistic, retro, 1950’s-esq, down-home town. He speaks of being able to walk along the street and say hello to all of his neighbors, take his kids to the park and stop for ice cream along the way, claiming that this is a “traditional neighborhood.” He feels that he can connect to people on better levels by living close to them and building relationships. This is great, in an ideal, open, safe neighborhood. I can do this in my town as well. Jacobsen says on page 61, “the traditional city will provide many more opportunities for human contact and relationships than we find in the suburbs.” When I lived in a six story apartment building in Nashville, I spoke to my next-door neighbor a total of two times- once in the elevator and once when she came to see if my heater was broken too. The rest of my people on my hall, I saw maybe two or three times a month and only in passing. When I moved in, I made the effort to say hello to everyone on my floor, but with different schedules and padlocked doors, it made it impossible to get to know them. I’ve never felt lonelier than when I was surrounded by people all the time. Living out in the suburbs, I am much closer to my neighbors than to anyone I lived near in Nashville. I haven’t found that people are any friendlier in the city, in fact, I would go as far as to say it’s the opposite.

Second, I’ve researched Missoula, Montana, where Jacobsen resides. It has a population of around 60,000, which is twice the size of Norristown and almost half the size of Allentown. The author says that the way you can tell that you’re in a city is that “you tend to know” (page 76). Harvie Conn and Manuel Ortiz define it as "a relatively large, dense and socially heterogeneous center of integrative social power, capable of preserving, changing and interpreting human culture both for and against God's divine purpose." Missoula, Montana, according to the 2000 US census, has exactly 207 African Americans living there. There were 53,387 whites. The rest were Hispanic, American Indian, Asian or other. Now according to what Conn and Ortiz say, I wouldn’t consider Missoula to be the slightest bit diverse. To me, what is attractive about the city is the diversity it can bring. If I want to be surrounded by 53,000 white people, I’ll go back to Harleysville, PA. Although Jacobsen said he grew up in Seattle and spent time in San Francisco, which are major cities, I am not sure that he is really in the position to be telling Christians to move back to the city when he himself barely lives in one. He even admits that he lives in a desirable university neighborhood and would not feel comfortable moving his family to a dangerous urban environment (page 142). I compare this to basically telling us that we are selfish to live out the suburbs, that we should move back to the city and then gives us options for buying real estate in Rittenhouse Square.

As much as he claims that his ideas are not for the wealthy or elite, that is the feeling I get. I know that as a pastor, he’s not earning much, but compared to residents already in poor urban areas, they cannot relate to what he his saying. He speaks of buying from local businesses to support the domestic economy or “widening our perspective on economic decisions” (page 123). Sure you and I can afford to do that, but someone in North Philly depends on inexpensive, chain outlets like the Dollar Store or Safeway to help save them money. They can’t be shopping at Nancy’s Organic Foods. When discussing New Urbanism, he uses the community of Seaside, Florida as an example. This is a wonderfully planned community where public space is the most important thing and the sidewalks are made of bubblegum. The homes there are now going for $2 million. How on earth are people in poverty supposed to plan their neighborhoods around an example like that? How is even the normal, middle-class supposed to do that? Even if failing neighborhoods took the model of Traditional Neighborhood Design and managed to gentrify it into a soda-pop shop friendly zone, in time the real estate prices would rise dramatically and force all original residents to move away.

If this is done over and over, with suburbanites moving back to the city to reclaim the ideal neighborhood life, eventually the suburbs would turn into the city. Poorer residents would be forced to move out to the suburbs and start turning former McMansions into multiple family homes. After a couple of decades, people would be writing books about how we need to reclaim the suburbs and turn them into wholesome, friendly environments again. Not everyone can move to the city or there would be extreme overpopulation. On page 150, a quote from a police chief states that “Urban problems are not caused by poverty, but by extreme overpopulation.” Eventually, the suburbs will become urban areas as well, everywhere turning into a sprawl to rival Los Angeles.

What then, is the solution? The idea of mixed-income neighborhoods is a reoccurring theme in Jacobsen’s book. Again, very ideal. Unfortunately, zoning laws make it near-impossible to mix different housing types and add commercial venues into neighborhoods. And also, more unfortunately, most people aren’t open to living in a mixed-income area. Americans feel pride in being able to “work from the bottom up” and buy their family a big, cookie-cutter home and an SUV. Even most people who grew up in poor, urban areas dream of getting out of the city and moving into a huge house. Popular music and the media have glamorized the material lifestyle so much that kids are growing up with the dreams of making millions and buying lots of stuff. If the suburban sprawl and abandonment of our cities is to ever stop, our youth’s values have to change. Christian values and the mindset of middle-America have to change as well.

Architecture is one of the things that makes cities unique from each other. Older cities, with historical, landmark buildings from different eras are always the most interesting places to visit. Newer cities, such as Orlando or Phoenix, are pretty boring and lack visually stimulating architecture. We look at Europe and are amazed by the diverse buildings and architecture they possess. We think that they care more about keeping their culture and buildings sacred then we do. They’ve had a lot more time to perfect it- the US is still a baby. Also, it is common in other countries for the rich to live in the cities and the poor to live outside. London, Sao Paulo and Peru are all examples of where the rich live comfortably in the city and the poor are in the slums surrounding it. Why can the rich stand to live in the inner cities, when we Americans can not? Different priorities. In America, work is our number one focus and our reason for living. In South America and Europe, family and enjoying life takes prevalence. They will sacrifice living in an apartment in the city over a huge house in the country because then they can afford to have a vacation home or travel for two months out of the year. In America, having the huge house is the goal and vacations, family time and relaxation comes second.

Jacobsen lobbies for companies and governments to consider spending a little bit more money on developing buildings that add charm and pride to a city. It is hard to get excited about visiting a certain place or preserving a building if it is shaped like a concrete shoebox. Unfortunately, there are so many other problems in cities that require money that designing groundbreaking structures is not the highest priority. People want the most economical, sensible things in life (except when it comes to entertainment, go figure). If a city was to spend millions of dollars on a fancy council building, there would be an uproar. A place like City Hall could never be built today. Yet an eye was barely batted when the Linc was built. My parents almost left their church when they proposed a $5 million dollar expansion on their already gargantuan building. That could feed a lot of starving people. But not all companies will build the most boring and cheap building as possible and not all people will protest. People do need pride in their skyline. The modern, prism-shaped, glass building at the Amtrak station on 30th has added to the Philadelphia skyline and while everyone may not appreciate progressive architecture, (as told in The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand) it certainly catches your eye.

I think the key to renewing our cities and developing mixed-income neighborhoods that can grow and prosper without alienating anyone is to find a balance in your lifestyle. I’m not a fan of tract developments and identical, three-car garage homes in the middle of a field with no trees or sidewalks, miles away from the nearest grocery store. I think people’s priorities have shifted towards isolation and privacy, rather than community and friendship. People get enough breathing down their neck at work that they want to have peace and quiet when they come home. That is fine. The problem occurs when people isolate themselves and become anti-social, when the TV becomes their nightly hobby and going out consists of the drive-thru at Burger King. While I don’t ever want to live in a McMansion in the ‘burbs, I also don’t have children yet. The city is a fun and exciting place for a twenty-something, but unless you live in Missoula, Montana, chances are you don’t want your kids roaming around in the streets of Philadelphia, even if the streets are in Rittenhouse Square. And while it would be nice to get a group of friends to build your own utopian neighborhood where downtown is a lovely five minute walk and Mr. Jones will wave from his yard while raking leaves and the ice cream truck will go by playing La Cucaracha, that world is something of books and TV shows. Even when my grandparent’s lived in a so-called traditional neighborhood in the 1930’s, the world was not a better place, problems were just hidden better. Violence did not go on in the street, it went on inside the homes, behind drawn shades.

People’s personalities will determine how often they will reach out to other people, where they live will not. A next-door neighbor who lives in the home attached to you could ignore you for 20 years and the farmer 5 miles down the road could know the name of your dog. In order to reach out to people as Christians, we must go outside our comfort zones. Jacobsen is a pastor and probably fairly outgoing (from his writing and his stories I can tell he’s at ease with talking to strangers.) Therefore, his view on things comes from his personality. He loves the city he’s in and speaks to middle-class Christians in his book. I’m not sure if his ideas and perspectives will work for everyone or reach everyone, but he can attempt to open some minds and hope that people follow suit. Our cities are worth fighting for and to lose these treasures to a Sam’s Club and a world of cookie cutter homes would be a tragedy.

Urban Issues Reflection

As Jesus said in Mark 7:14, “The poor will be with you always.” Indeed, it is the church’s mission not only to fulfill the needs of its own members, but to reach out to the rest of the world, city, neighborhood and block. Too often the church gets caught up in feeding its own and forgets about the outside world. To some, church is just that- a safe haven away from the sins and ugliness of the rest of “them” where they can ignore what’s outside the doors and focus on their own spiritual well-being. Christ wasn’t put on this earth to walk around and be fed spiritually from others. He was here to serve as an example of what a Christian should strive to be- not only living a pure and holy life but to help those in need. Matthew 20:28 says “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Not only does God call us to serve, but he calls us to serve the poor. This is a group of people who are routinely cast aside in life, even by Christians. They are looked at as a problem that needs solving and charity and not as a group of people who need love and care. It is not uncommon for a church to raise thousands of dollars to help starving children in Africa or tsunami victims in Indonesia but will balk at the thought of paying for a homeless shelter in the city less than 20 minutes away. It is almost as if the poor in our town are not looked at as real people, but rather as “cases”. God commands us in Proverbs 31:8 to “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.”

And to serve to the poor, we must go to where they live- urban areas. Cities. The modern world city has changed drastically in the past century, due to advances in technology, better healthcare and communication and increasing trends caused by globalization. Since the end of the Cold War, the world and everyone in it, like it or not, has been affected by globalization- and quickly. It has taken over politics, commerce, and international relations within virtually every country in the world. Those who have not been fast enough to keep up with the pace of globalization have been left behind, feeling bitter and isolated. Some countries have chosen to remain that way, feeling that globalization is actually “Americanization” in disguise and denouncing it. The book entitled The Lexus and the Olive Tree, by Thomas Friedman, explains how globalization “became the dominant international system” (page xx) and examines how this system shapes the lives of people around the world today. Friedman argues that “if you want to understand [the world] you have to start by understanding…globalization” (page xxi). It is no longer enough to just understand the culture and history of a country in order to communicate with them, you have to also look at the world around them and how they react to it to understand their future.

The world has done a 180. What was once the old way of operating for decades, is now obsolete within two months. You can either chose to adapt to the new, fast-paced world, or be left behind. This new international system, globalization, has improved the standard of living for millions of people around the world. But it has also left dangerous people feeling alienated and angry, ready to attack the leaders in the forefront of globalization, mainly the United States. Friedman writes, “Globalization is not just some economic fad and it is not a passing trend” (page 7). Where did this system come from and where is it headed? In order to understand the true meaning of globalization, you must look at its beginnings.

The Wall. This simple word had a lot more meanings than just a cement barrier separating two ideals from two parts of the world. The Berlin Wall represented a divided world, one where Communism was feared and the side you were on represented your beliefs and allies. Before, we were a world of friends and enemies. Today, we are “competitors.” The world is no longer divided by a wall; instead we are connected in ways we never could have imagined. The things that run the world- money and the global markets, have become so closely integrated with technology so that it is possible to access anyone any where, any time. A person in Japan can communicate with someone in England in mere seconds and has access to an unlimited supply of information that was once not available to them. Anyone with a connection to the Internet can become a freelancer. Gone are the days when countries could block the outside world from their people and keep them in the dark about modern life.

The Information Revolution drastically lowered the costs and barriers for new entrants into the business world. In turn, it increased the competition and speed of the way business moved (page 80). This is great news for the consumer, as products and services are more readily available, but bad news for the supplier and manufacturer, as they must constantly be innovating and improving their service. If not, a competitor will quickly take over and leave them in the dust.

Only the competitive survive in the capitalistic economy and the more open a country is to free trade and competition, the more an economy will flourish (page 9). The more an economy grows, the more the politics and government minimizes. Unfortunately, the countries that are not connected, the third world countries with fundamentalist leadership, are not growing at the same rates as the open market countries. Friedman uses the illustration of a Lexus and an olive tree to show the dynamics of the emerging world and the clash of cultures and beliefs from the old world. The Lexus represents the modern, capitalistic world in which people strive for a better standard of living. They realize that if they attach on to the ways of globalization, they can compete with the rest of the world in finding their place in the market. Unfortunately, in doing so, they begin to lose a sense of their identity- their culture and values. Since the big players in the globalization game are the Supermarket powers (Tokyo, New York, Paris, London, etc), those players are the ones whose culture and lifestyles get integrated into the world view. Everyone wants to be like Mike. Or in this case, Uncle Sam. But too often, people feel that they are being forced into becoming something other than what they are and they cling desperately to their “olive tree”- their identity. When these people feel like it is being taken away from them without their permission, they get resentful and lash out against the system. The “challenge of globalization is to find a healthy balance between preserving a sense of identity and doing what it takes to survive in the system” (page 42).

But how do countries find a healthy balance of identity and continue to compete in the global market? It seems like every time a country opens their doors to free trade and foreign investing, along comes a McDonald’s and a Taco Bell to boot. The streets in downtown Jerusalem begin to look the same as Orlando. Leaders in these countries need to have a plan to filter out the cultural differences that could easily take over their country and turn their historic, unique cities into Anywhere, USA. For every McDonald’s that is built, a Mom and Pop store goes out of business and that piece of culture is lost. Healthy globalization is defined by Friedman as “the ability of a culture, when it encounters other strong cultures, to absorb influences that naturally fit into and can enrich that culture” (page 295). Unfortunately, at the rate globalization moves and takes over a country, it is almost impossible for a city to develop a good plan to preserve their culture before it is too late.

Because of this, the backlash against globalization is huge. Advances in technology are constantly developing new ways to eliminate costs- usually eliminating jobs in the process. In order for a worker to be seen as valuable by their employer, they must have multiple skills and be learning new ones all the time. This puts enormous pressure on people who are not used to this new system. They fall behind and are replaced, with nowhere to go. America’s society is all about empowering the individual and creating choices and with the Internet, many choices are readily available to us. Other countries are not used to this sort of thinking. The group is more important than the individual and they look at globalization as dividing their country apart, as a threat. It is no wonder that they are apprehensive to join in with the rest of the world.

On page 301, Friedman describes how to up the standard of living so that cities are not paved over and all cultural differences are lost. He writes “The more inner cities are reclaimed, the less pressure for more urban sprawl into green areas.” What he forgets about here are the people who are already living in the inner city and how if that section is reclaimed and renovated, most likely they will lose their homes. A developer will turn the neighborhood into an attractive, high-rent district and the poor will be forced to move elsewhere, causing the same outcomes in a different location. He writes earlier that what developing countries do not need is aid; instead they need the tools to assimilate into the global marketplace. The same can be said for people living in poverty in urban cities. They don’t need a new park built over their old apartment building- they need to be shown how to better their jobs, homes and families and come together as a community to improve their neighborhoods. If they aren’t taught this, they will constantly be moved from place to place and never have a sense of identity and roots in a city and therefore will not care about being productive members of society.

During our residency week, we discussed why we felt called to urban issues and ministry and some of the ways that we can make an impact on the neighborhoods in our cities that need the most help. When I told my boss that I was starting in the Urban Studies program at Eastern with the hopes of working in a non-profit organization, the first thing he told me was that I wasn’t “going to make any money.” I bit my tongue with the urge to say, “Well sir, that’s the difference between you and me.” Because obviously one doesn’t go into this line of work or ministry with the intention of making lots of money. There is a specific moment when you realize that there is more to life than working in the corporate world, making a pile of loot and retiring to Florida at age 55. Working with greedy and corrupt people in the daily rat race is no longer desirable and you realize that in order to find greatness in God’s kingdom, “the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the one who serves” (Luke 22:26).

We’re all unique, each with our own individual mission and meaning for life. While the majority of leaders are outspoken and charismatic spitters, (i.e. Tony Campolo) there are plenty of people behind the scenes doing just as much. If the world was full of outgoing, talkative leaders then there wouldn’t be anyone to listen. If everyone decided that urban ministry was their call, then there wouldn’t be anyone to help in rural areas. There’s a reason why we’re all different and that’s so we can balance each other out, feed off of each other and learn from one another. With so many distinct calls and missions, the possibilities really are endless (Spitzer, Lee).

I’ve always felt out of place in my hometown and that I was born in the wrong setting. More comfortable in the city than in the suburbs, I looked to different cultures that surrounded me to satisfy my curiosity for the outside world when traveling was not economically feasible. I grew to feel a passion for not only at-risk youth in my own city, but realized that there was a whole world with these problems, most ignored by the general population. A fan of documentaries and social journalism, I tutored myself on the poverty-stricken favelas of Brazil, the orphanages of the Ukraine and the street-children of Russia. My heart was broken again and again as I longed for a way to be able to reach out and affect even one life.

As a journalism student, I thought that my voice could only be factual and unbiased. Realizing that there are former journalists and filmmakers out there making an impact through research, travel and writing has inspired me to continue my education to include urban studies, so that when I write for socio-political reasons, I understand the people in which I write about. I see myself in research and communication with NGOs, churches and government, along with writing social commentary and producing documentaries to spread knowledge of the world’s crisis situations. The good in this world is worth the risk, fight and criticism one must expect to face in this ministry and to let the public hear the voices of those in need.

Disposable People- The Truth About Modern Day Slavery

‘Slave’ is often a word I would use to describe myself when I was an intern at several companies during college. I was unpaid, forced to take on all the dirty work that my superiors abandoned, unable to receive benefits and left feeling more like an office utensil rather than a human being. Why did I do it? Perks such as recommendations for future job applications, a snazzy notch on the resume, and plain old experience helped me to get through the boring, tedious work and gave me a light at the end of the tunnel to strive towards. Yes, I was taken advantage of and was not offered a job at the end of my semester-long stint. Why hire a paid employee when another intern will come along and work for free? Internships allow the student to feel as if they are gaining valuable experience in the real world and give the employer the benefit of having a free worker. While I am not suggesting that this form of volunteering is anywhere near the brutality of modern slavery, it is as close to a legal form of slaveholding in the United States as I could think of.

But in parts of the world, some not as remote as you might think, slavery in the most vicious, ancient and inhumane way exists and its influences reach even you and me in our every day lives. This is the topic of Kevin Bales’ book, Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy and is something that while appears to be hidden and affecting few in number, is actually a modern day, worldwide crisis. It is something that few too people know about and not enough is being done to prevent it.

The book starts off with a story of a slave living in the most unexpected of places- present day France. From this point on, you understand that slavery is not a thing of the past, that it reaches all corners of the globe and a slaveholder can be the well-respected businessperson down the road. And the scariest thing about modern slavery is that it is no longer race-related- almost anyone who is weak or vulnerable enough can be forced into slavery, without ever knowing that’s what they’re in. While someone’s religion or color of their skin might be a justifiable reason to enslave someone in the slaveholder’s eyes, they will also not hesitate to capture someone who is just like themselves or like their sister. It makes you question the sanity and humanity of people in this world, how they can so easily take a life all for the sake of economic gain.

From prostitute slaves in Thailand, to the old-school slaves born into a family in Mauritania, to the bonded charcoal laborers in Brazil, to those in Pakistan and India forced to work off debts incurred through generations of family members working through the same fate, slavery is alive around the world and very well hidden. One of the most horrifying aspects of slavery is that those abused are all types of people- men, women and children. If a person is able to work, they’re a slave. And yet, slavery is illegal everywhere! How does it become possible to capture, use and throw away human beings for one’s own economical gain? Several factors allow this system to thrive.

Extreme overpopulation leads to extreme poverty. Recruiters who offer well-paying jobs, housing and food for a seemingly simple jobs lure families, who are on the verge of starvation, to a location with which they are not familiar. They are often offered advanced wages for travel but when they arrive to the job site, are told that they have racked up a large debt that must be paid back to the owner until they can start earning wages. Then they are dumped into a miserable existence, housing not fit for dogs and only enough food to keep them from passing out. The money they do earn, if any, is never enough to pay back the owner and become financially independent. Instead, they continue to have to borrow money for family members and every day living expenses until their debt is so high that even the next generation will be accountable for it. In legal terms, these workers will be called bonded laborers, which is accepted by their third world governments. The slaves will put in excruciatingly long hours, in the worst of conditions and brainwashed into thinking that their debt is an appropriate reason for why they have to work this way.

If somehow a slave figures out the unfairness of their situation, the owner will quickly use violent measures to make them subservient. They will add to their debt or take a family member hostage in order to force work out of them again. Constant fear and a bit of hope of escaping the situation by paying off their debt is what keeps these slaves working, even though the chance of getting out of the situation is slim. The slaves are worked until they are useless and tossed aside without a second thought. There are always more starving people willing to do the work.

Even though slavery is illegal, it is easy to conceal and corruption in government and law enforcement allows it to continue. Poverty brings out greed in the easily corruptible. Police will respond to those with the most money to offer them. If the price is right, they will help with the capture and violence against slaves. People wonder why a government would allow such things to happen to their own people. If a huge portion of the economy of a country is based on the free labor used with slaves, once the slaves are taken away, the business or entire economy could collapse. Profits drive the entire system. Also, pointing the finger at one culprit as become increasingly difficult. Since slavery is illegal, and hence, a touchy subject for well-known and respected businessmen, they will deny any involvement in such a thing. Instead, they will hire layers of “managers” to keep the blame away from themselves. With this sort of convoluted business design, the person at the top is easily disguised should things come to light.

With all the corruption, greed, and blatant disregard for human life, how can the world free itself from dependence on slavery? The first step is to acknowledge that slavery actually exists. Most people from 1st world countries are not even aware of the fact that many of the items they buy may have come from slaves or bonded laborers. Every once and a while, a hard-hitting news story will appear in the media where several prostitutes held as slaves were freed or a business using child labor was shut down, but these occurrences are rare and far between. People just assume that it was an isolated incident. Reality is that there are over 27 million people in slavery today (page 240).

The second step is to bring pressure on governments and businesses to stop slavery. With international scrutiny and calls for bans, a government will try and appease the protesters, so long as they’re reaching enough people to actually affect profitability. With increased research and documentation of an area, the officials will be forced to stop what they’re doing to avoid conflict. People must start being looked at as more valuable than property (page 249).

Consumers and stockholders must become more aware of what products they are buying and supporting. By realizing that certain things come made by slaves, most decent people will stop buying them. Stockholders must take a deeper interest in the companies they buy in to and ban the ones who invest in slavery. Awareness and education should be made on all levels: the consumers and the slaves. With more education on their basic human rights, slaves will not be as easily seduced by certain types of recruiters and they will know how to get out of that situation should it occur.

But if we do achieve the mass freedom of slaves, we cannot just leave it there. “A person denied autonomy, who has never had to make choices, can be paralyzed when faced with making decisions” (page 256). What good is someone’s freedom when they are forced in starvation or re-enslaved? Just like anyone who has gone through a traumatic experience, ex-slaves must be looked after and helped reach rehabilitation. Liberation is a process, not an event (page 256).

Just with anything bad, it takes a lot of work and effort to make it good. People can decide whether or not they want to ignore it or they can do something about it. Slavery is something that will take a lot of work to abolish but it is possible. Being educated and aware, researching products and companies and advocating human rights for slaves can make a big difference. The media can be a powerful tool in stirring up human emotions and forcing people to take action. Governments can be persuaded to change if the demand is high enough. Individuals can realize their strength and break the cycle of slavery in their own family. When something is possible, there is no excuse not to help.