Week 7: Reading Blog - Jennifer

Creating Whole Communities: Enhancing Capacities of the Community Development Nonprofits of the St. Louis Region.  by Todd Swanstrom and Karl Guenther

In “Enhancing Capacity,” Swanstrom, Guenther, and colleagues conducted a number of focus groups to try to determine what factors would lead to economic growth in the St. Louis area, especially considering: the marked decrease in St. Louis’s population, migration of residents leaving some areas in poverty, and inefficient jobs to support higher costs of living in suburban, more affluent areas, which leads to longer commutes and a multitude of other problems.  This focus group proposed that in order for economic growth to happen, the city needed to do three things:

1.     Increase its capacity for strategic community development by creating whole communities where people want to live because all their basic needs are addressed,

2.     Develop strategic community development requiring a supportive community development system, which would require the mobilization of resources, expertise, and local knowledge of the private and nonprofit sectors, and

3.     Increase the capacity of community development corporations (CDCs) to do the work which requires a bottom-up approach utilizing the people and grass roots of the community.

Based on these findings, researchers conducted a survey examining what CDCs in the St. Louis area were doing for the city, and to obtain their feedback on additional resources they felt were needed to conduct their work more efficiently.  Of the 34 CDCs that met inclusion criteria, it turns out that many of the CDCs meet the first and third criteria in achieving optimal economic growth in St. Louis.  Many CDCs work to provide assistance for housing, obtaining housing through additional counseling, tax credits, repair, assistance with down-payments, weatherization, and maintenance for rental properties.  Other CDCs have worked in economic development to upgrade infrastructure to attract new businesses, create jobs that benefit both the youth and elderly (i.e. Riverview West Florissant Corporation), and provide education and training for future leaders in the community.  Finally, other CDCs work to improve quality of life by bringing people in the community together through group photography and art activities (i.e. Rebuild Foundation and Carondelet Community Betterment Federation), youth organizations (i.e. Riverview West Florissant Development Corporation), and a 7-mile long walking/running/bicycle path the leads through several St. Louis communities (i.e. St. Vincent’s Greenway).  While the CDCs in St. Louis are doing great work, the writers acknowledge that St. Louis shows weaknesses in both organizational capacity and building civic capacity.  For the former, it is highlighted that many CDCs lack the organizational experience, size, and sources of funding.  For the latter, the article argues that a large number of CDCs are isolated and do not collaborate with other CDCs in the area, with the exception of Regional Housing and Community Development Alliance (RHCDA).  The article concludes that by increasing collaboration among CDCs across the St. Louis area, the door to policy change and greater financial resources could be obtained.

I’m almost embarrassed to say that I have little experience even volunteering in a community — let alone being a community organizer — so, this semester has been eye-opening in a number of ways.  I didn’t know what to expect!  I remember the trip to the Farmer’s Market in Ferguson — my first visit to the community.  I was nervous and apprehensive: how would I talk to the people?  What would I say?  As I was trying to find the main entrance, I spotted another couple walking in, and voila!  Before I knew it, we were engaged in a conversation about Ferguson: how much they loved it, that they regularly attended the Farmer’s Market, they were involved in their neighborhood watch, I could come to a meeting, etc.  I talked to all sorts of people that day, and I really enjoyed myself!  I thought, “Maybe this community development stuff could really be for me!” 

One thing that struck me about this article was the section regarding years of experience being in a leadership position at a CDC.  The authors indicated that having one year or less experience in running a CDC will limit the CDC’s organizational capacity.  In our other assigned reading for the week, Ray Thompson, the “Community Connector” hired by Perspectives, had “4 months to engage community members (Chrzanowski, Rans, & Thompson, p.9),” and he bridged the school with the community to create a fruitful, prosperous and symbiotic relationship.  Thus, while he obviously new Chicago well and he had a combined ten years experience with child welfare and supporting community organizations, he may not have necessarily known the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood. 

This brings me to my question: do you think several years of experience as an executive director of a nonprofit/CDC is necessary to optimize an organization?  While Ray Thompson was a community connector and not an executive director, I think it is fair to say that he assumed many of the responsibilities that an executive director would have.  However, what about the financial end?  Yes, it is essential to have the ability to connect and talk with people, but is business savy also essential?  P.S. - the Swanstrom and Guenther article also referenced Angel Baked Cookies, and I was absent that day.  I would love for those of you who were in attendance to share your experiences!

Week 7: Lit Review - Corey

Smith, G. (2004). Choosing healing over saving. Encounter: Education for Meaning and Social Justice, 17(1), 31-37.

First, I need to say I am really glad I found this article and really got a lot of reading it both professionally and personally. It not your typical social work method based article that gives you an intervention/solution to a problem. Instead, this article does a few things I found interesting.

First, it looks at the motivation behind ones service to a community. It does this by talking about the “savior” complex and how damaging it is to partnering with a community. The author points out, “ In many indigenous societies, however, the healer does not so much ‘save’ his or her patient as create conditions in which healing can occur.” To me this was a brilliant concept and a little mind blowing. I’ve experience people going into a community to “save” it and leaving after a few years completely frustrated/burned out. I have also seen people partner with communities and real change happen in those communities. I really like the concept of creating conditions in which healing can occur. The author also points out the dangers of imposing ones will/vision on a community and how that control destroys trust, which is fundamental to the healing process. It is about coming to a community with humility and partnering with it and trusting the existing structures.

Second, the article also gave three different examples of communities that had experienced healing. One was the Mattole Restoration Council, which is restoring the a water shed in CA. The second was the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, which was a community taking back their neighborhood. The third is called the Courage to Teach Program, which was a program geared towards helping teachers teach better/stay in the profession.

Third, the article lays out qualities found in each of those examples had which contribute to healing. They are trust, attentiveness, responsiveness, and mutuality. It also highlighted the importance of educating children in those qualities in order to really facilitate the long term healing of a community. I really liked the concept of moving education out of just the classroom and into the school grounds, local parks, and open spaces and helping children build deeper trust/involvement in their communities.

As I’m starting to get familiar with the JVL neighborhood I’m finding that there are a lot of services and organizations already working there. I can see some of the damage of people coming in to “save” the community instead of coming in with humility and working alongside residents. This community has a history and a depth that I will only begin to understand this semester. This article has given words to some of the frustration I’ve felt when working with community development projects in the past and also given me hope that it can be well.

Can you think of any other qualities that are important for facilitating long term healing?

What do you think of the concept of healing over saving and do you have any experiences you want to share?

What are ways to get children more involved in their communities?

I’d really encourage you all to find this article on EBSCO and read it.  

Week 7: News Article - Elizabeth

"Jailed by Mistake; wrongful arrests jail about 100 people for over 2,000 days"

By Robert Patrick & Jennifer S. Mann

http://www.stltoday.com/news/multimedia/special/st-louis-wrongful-arrests-mount-as-fingerprint-mismatches-are-ignored/html_b153a232-208f-5d0b-86a1-ba3256f7a941.html

For this week’s blog, I read an article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch about citizens’ repeated arrests and incarceration due to mistakes made by our police department. By mistaking suspect’s fingerprints, failing to follow up on names, birth dates and basic identities, false arrests are occurring much more frequently than we realize. In fact, a federal jury has put the police department on notice after they were forced to pay $10,0000 in damagers after failing to heed a fingerprint mismatch warning. Once again, the police department finds itself back in court, where allegedly more than 80 wrongful arrest cases will be brought against them.

The article talks about Shannon Renee McNeal who was locked up due to a clerical error combined with essentially sloppy fingerprint examination cost her her home, financial stability and temporarily her job. This is just one of the many stories used to exemplify St. Louis’ apparent “arrest first, investigate later” stance. What I find really frustrating about this issue (aside from its established pattern of occurrence) are some of the responses from prominent, influential people involved with our justice system, regarding the “fingerprint mix-ups.”

A former police officer turned judge remarked “Your research seems to suggest that there’s at least more that could be done, and if there is, we should do it…human beings make mistakes. The question is, do we have the procedures in place to see a mistake has been made and then take corrective action?” Apparently not. Another reaction to the issue, specifically concerning Ms. McNeal was that she put herself in such a vulnerable position because she was already in the system to begin with. So essentially, if you are in the system, in addition to facing a variety of stigmas and difficulties re-entering society (no right to foot stamps potentially, black mark on your resume, financial struggle, etc.) you now must expect to be repeatedly taken into custody and shown any regard to your personal freedoms because of a previous incarceration? Very forward thinking of you, St. Louis. Executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri explained that he felt as though the issue of wrongful arrests/incarceration/fingerprinting is being handled far too lightly , and if you were to put the same attitude in the context of a medical mistake it would be a whole different story. Along the same lines of logic, many St. Louis citizens feel that this issue would receive a lot more attention if the people being victimized by these mistakes were primarily white, upper class individuals. This issue is further manipulating those that do not have the financial resources and social power to combat these issues properly. There is already a fear and mistrust of law-enforcement in many of our communities in St. Louis and this type of suspicious and destructive oversight only enforces a feeling of hopelessness where safety and protection is concerned.

Hearing about injustice within our police department (either in St. Louis or anywhere in the U.S.) is nothing new, however I find it really unsettling that this article was buried, and not front page, not at all prominently displayed. I had never even heard of there being a REPEATED and FREQUENT issue with faulty fingerprinting that inadvertently targeted those in the system.

To clarify and outline some basic complaints of error on behalf of the police department the article outlined some important bullet points:

-Police failed to verify the identity of people they arrested, especially those who provided someone else’s name. In almost every wrongful arrest found, police and other officials overlooked a fingerprint report warning that they either had the wrong person or someone who used an alias.

-The protests of those wrongly arrested often were ignored.

-Officials failed to differentiate between the people who gave false names and the people who suffered for it. 

-Authorities downplayed the cases where their own mistake caused a wrongful arrest.

-Officials failed to correct errors in records, setting up repeated wrongful arrests and leaving authorities unsure of whom they were holding or who committed which past crimes.

What do you guys think about this issue and what it means for St. Louis youth and other vulnerable individuals’ already unstable relationships with law enforcement? While the statistics alone are scary, it speaks to an even deeper lackadaisical attitude and blatant disregard for equality that really makes these community relationships appear bleaker than ever.

Week 7: Lit Review - Rachel

Baum, H. S. (2001). How should we evaluate community initiatives?. American Planning Association. Journal of the American Planning Association, 67(2), 147-158.

            When it pertains to community interventions and the evaluation of the success of those interventions, I must admit that I am a novice.  I have never implemented a community intervention, evaluated it, or been a part of the process of developing one.  In order to create an effective and helpful intervention for the Ferguson community, I have been on the lookout for helpful articles that supply guidance in how to best create and assess initiatives. Baum (2001) looked at community evaluation and the limitations those community initiatives must combat.
            Baum began by defining what a community initiative is as creating coalitions that then enact a series of interventions, used to create change.  I instantly noticed the similarities between his definition and the class objectives for this semester.  One of the first steps within the community project was to split the class into groups (a version of creating coalitions, perhaps?).  Now those groups are seeking to create an intervention or a series of interventions. 
            Next, Baum went on to explain the importance of recognizing that there are a variety of individuals (or “actors”) that contribute to the cause.  Each will bring different levels of involvement, determination to see the cause through, and a different idea of what success is.  I believe this is especially important for every group to keep in mind not only amongst its own members but also when conducting interviews.  While some might want to accomplish higher levels of diversity within a housing initiative others might be more focused on simply getting empty houses sold or rented out without a concern for resident variation.  Such differences can occur not only between the different members of each group but also amongst community residents.
            Moreover, these actors, their objectives, and the community’s overall strategy can broaden or narrow in time.  The Dudley Street Initiative video shown within class helped to demonstrate that, in time, leaders and participants within an initiative might change. In fact, they likely should vary over the years in order to bring in fresh perspectives and new thoughts.  As Baum pointed out, initiatives usually do not follow research as much as the guidance from involved and dedicated actors.
            In terms of evaluation, Baum brought up the lack of resources that many communities must contend with in order to successfully review an initiative. There is often a limited amount of funds, focus, and interest that only lasts for a few years. While increased monetary support would help, gaining that extra money would face difficulties of its own as the investment is often more than the returns.  Due to its limitations and challenges, community evaluation is usually more likely to be more reflective in nature than systematic or analytical.
            Even in cases where the funding is generous, community initiatives are multifaceted and complex.  There are times where it is difficult to measure the changes an initiative has made, especially if the evaluation is not a long term one but the impacts of the intervention are.  Furthermore, even the creation of an adequate measurement tool can be difficult.  What best displays the success of a community? A thriving educational system? Adequate housing? What would either of those things be officially defined as, what data would be collected, and how would it be examined?  Not to mention the difficulty of collecting the data at all as some is easier to come by than others.
            Evaluations are still important, however, as they help to form at least some decisions on the success or lack thereof of the interventions.  The evaluations can be utilized to track important interactions between residents and their communities.  Mistakes or especially helpful initiatives can be tracked and made note of as well. Future efforts can then refer to past evaluations for guidance and ideas.
            What are some of your concerns in creating an initiative for your community?  Have you already begun to encounter a difference in what various residents or even members of your group consider the most pressing concern for the community?  Would funding be a serious issue for the interventions you are planning?  What about community interest, time, and energy?  What are some ways to combat these limitations and move past them? 

Week 7: Lit Review - Danielle C.

Buszin, J. S. (2013). Beyond school finance: Refocusing education reform litigation to realize the deferred dream of education equality and adequacy. Emory Law Journal, 62, 1613-1656.

The article talked about how education reform has been mostly looked at as a financial issue for the past forty years, but how financial assistance is not the most important aspect that can make a significant impact.  It examined recent court cases to find that almost all the schools that received financial help were unable to make a significant impact on change for their schools even with assistance.  Comparing one school’s needs to another to make them equal can be a nearly impossible task because the quality of each schools maintenance, transportation costs, construction costs, number of students, number of teachers, logistics, etc. are completely different.  Inequality in education begins at the fundamental level; schools that cannot afford textbooks, routine building maintenance, or teacher salaries are going to have a hard time promoting an education that looks anything like schools that can easily provide for these.  The article discussed that after providing for these basic financial necessities the laws for education must look deeper into the quality of each individual school program.  Helping schools find and train educators to work specifically with the unique population of students in their school is key.  Programs built to get students, families, and educators excited about the curriculum were also suggested.     

I thought this article would be interesting and pertain all of our research in our community work because many of our areas have issues within their school systems.   The article really emphasized looking at each distinct for its individual assets and also determining aspects that could be improved.   I liked how the focus of this article was more on programs than finance.  I think many times people get caught up with finances that we forget that while money helps it does not necessarily guarantee the right programs, curriculum, and educators for a school.  In my opinion financial assistance should be used to help more equally distribute the basic needs for schools to function and more effort should be based on developing these individual plans for quality programming.  For me personally, I always had an easy time in school throughout high school.  I did not put much effort into assignments, I do not ever remember studying for tests, and I graduated with a 4.0.  When I got to college I felt totally un-prepared and had to re-learn how to be a successful student.  This is unfortunate because I went to a Parkway school, which has a good reputation for education.  However, even at this “good school” I did not feel ready for the next step and I would have benefited for some classes or programs helping me learn strategies for the high school to college transition.        

What do you think is the most important aspect in promoting equal education?  What laws would you like to see passed to impact education reform?  What was your experience of how your school prepared you for higher education and the workforce?  

Week 7: Reading Blog - Valerie

Building Mutually –Beneficial Relationships Between Schools and Communities: The Role of a Connector by Dacia Chrzanowski, Susan Rans, and Raymond Thompson.

The article started off with how many neighborhood schools that are not magnet schools, charter schools, contract schools, or small schools end up with a negative reputation. The neighborhood schools have higher dropout and lower graduation rates. There are many reasons that contribute to cause of the higher dropout rate and lower graduation rates. One of the causes is the poor relationship/distrust between the school and the residents living in the same community. The article indicated that there was research that showed that a positive relationship in between the school and community is needed for a higher success rate in academics. The positive relationship builds up trust and cooperation among students, parents, teachers, school administrators, and community residents. With a positive relationship in between the school and the community, a holistic environment can be provided to the students and they will have a sense of safety while living or commuting to the neighborhood school. At the same time, the positive relationship will allow the students to be exposed in the community and learn something through school and community collaborations. One would ask how someone can bridge the gap between a neighborhood school and community.
That was the case for a town, Auburn Gresham in the South Side of Chicago and a neighborhood school, Calumet High School. The school was in need of a tremendous turnaround due to its high dropout rate and violence. While the story of a failing school is not uncommon, Chicago was facing the worst case scenario when then Secretary of Education, William Bennett declared its schools to be the "worst in the nation" in 1988. Evidently, changes needed to be made. From that time on to early 1990s, reforms were implemented to allow local communities and schools to have the power to make decisions that will allow students to increase student performance. Those reforms did not work out until No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 started to hold public school distracts accountable for the schools' performance. With the increased accountability, Chicago Public Schools administrators have to bring in the bigger gun to overturn the operations. They summoned Perspectives, a successful Charter School operator to take over Calumet High. That was perceived to be an issue because Perspectives was an outsider and they had no connections with the residents in Auburn Gresham community. That was where the community connector, Ray Thompson, came in to build relationships between the school and the community based on the resources that were available within the community, not outside it.
What it takes to build a stable foundation "in neighborhoods are asset-based, internally-focused, and relationship-driven." A community connector or connector can assist with all of that. A connector is the network person, the facilitator, the supporter for everyone, the listener, and retains a capability to bring two worlds together in a community. In this case, Calumet High School and Auburn Gresham needed help bridging the gap to allow the school to become successful and excel from an academic perspective. Ray worked hard to build up the relationship in Auburn Gresham and after a long period of networking, the community was slowly but surely giving back by providing internships or volunteer opportunities with local businesses and safety measures were implemented by the residents in the community. Calumet High School gave back by providing their building as a central location for meetings with community residents and developed a recycling program within the community to name some.
Four criteria a connector should have are the following:
·         The ability to listen for possibilities
·         The ability to see where the connections are
·         The talent to make these connections
·         The trust of the community
In addition to those four criteria, Ray recommended that a connector should have a "natural curiosity about people, values relationship above and beyond what a relationship can produce, and rely on residents for information and learn how residents use information to benefit themselves."
I found this article really interesting. I now am wondering if I will ever consider a social work career on a macro level because I like the idea of being a connector and working with everyone because everything could be a lot easier if everyone works together. I can see how much investment it will take to build up relationships with everyone in the community and that will make a big difference in a community. I respect Ray Thompson for having the skills to build relationships and successfully build connections between Auburn Gresham and Calumet High School and have a successful outcome in the end. It is evident by the work from Ray with Auburn Gresham and Calumet High School, Bethel New Life in Chicago, and Dudley Street in Boston that outsiders taking over a task within a community do not work. While Bethel New Life and Dudley Street did not have connectors, they have proven that outsiders invading in a community do not work well for anyone. They show that hard work within the community will allow the community to grow and become successful.
If you could be a connector, what are the two areas you want to close the gap on and why is that important to you? How do you think you will really feel if an outsider comes in and invade your community? What will your approach be with the outsider, whether a connector or not?

Extra Credit: Inequality for All - Erin

In Robert Reich’s controversial documentary, “Inequality for All”, issues around the widening inequality gap are addressed in regards to economic policy, status, class, privilege, and power. Reich, who formerly held the position as Clinton’s cabinet member, presents a convincing argument as to why inequality is rising and the factors which are contributing.

According to Reich, as the economy and productivity continues to grow, wages have flattened; in turn hurting the middle class. While critics of Reich’s policies claim that the rich are “job creators” that are the center of the economic universe, Reich argues that the middle class is actually the driving force of economic success. The real picture that Reich creates is, in my opinion, an accurate one. The winners in what Reich terms “The Vicious Cycle” of United States economy are the wealthy consumers, investors on Wall Street, CEO’s and executives, and their increasing pay checks. In reality tax revenue is decreasing, government cuts that hurt lower classes are increasing, investments in education are decreasing and unemployment is increasing. According to Reich’s statistical evidence, while inequality in our nation is the highest, tax rates on the wealthy are the lowest (6% tax rate for rich, 18% for middle class). Tax breaks in the name of “job creation” really mean that “the fat cats get bigger”. We must develop policy that puts the people first, and tax responsibilities should be shared in a way that benefits all parties involved.

Who is really taking care of the American worker? The last words Reich leaves us with in regards to this question is to “mobilize, organize and energize”, providing students like us with the drive and determination to impact our policies and programs for the better. Policy starts here with us.

JVL Community Work Day: February 22

From Katherine:

On Saturday, a group of us met with the North Grand Neighborhood Service volunteer coordinator, Marty, to work on sanding and mudding a house. The house was one of many that the organization had bought and begun to restore, later offering these houses to lower-income residents at a reduced rental cost. Jeff-Vander-Lou is an area with serious housing issues, many abandoned buildings and crumbling homes decreasing property values and being used for criminal activity.

Personally, I had very mixed feelings with the community work day in Jeff-Vander-Lou. Initially I felt encouraged by the time spent with classmates. Getting out of the classroom to do hands-on work with the group was rewarding and truly fun. Seeing each other walk around with masks and goggles on and laughing about our fear of heights was great quality time. Everyone seemed enthusiastic to be helpful, even though not many of us had experience in this kind of work.

On the other hand, I was discouraged and became pessimistic about the work we are doing. The idea of the "outsider" is one that has really weighed on me through this course. As social workers, we are almost inherently on the outside of every issue we attempt to address, whether on the individual level or community-wide. While we cannot (and probably should not) necessarily change this, there are ways to be more aware and humble about it.

While this, of course, did not feel intentional, I felt awful about our "outsider" nature on Saturday. The organization we met with felt like a group of outsiders, though heavily invested in and knowledgeable about the community. We were outsiders coming in to join this organization and fix a house, with absolutely no assistance (or input from what I could see) from the community.

Additionally, my research on JVL shows a continuous effort from those outside the community tearing down abandoned buildings and rebuilding them. I read newspaper articles going back to the 60's describing this same approach. While my group was meeting at a coffee shop in JVL on Sunday, we ran into another community class from SLU. When I think about what my attitude would be towards these groups of city developers, non-profits, universities and every other organization, I feel really uncomfortable with our work day. And, while NGNS is in the neighborhood for the long haul, how many community classes come into JVL for a semester class? This feels like gawking.

What approach to address the housing issues in JVL would empower those who actually live in this community, give them ownership over these new properties, and avoid presenting another example of the "White Savior" coming in to "fix it" for them? What approaches are evidence-based in successfully and sustainably changing housing issues in the long run? Would this organization do better to train and hire unemployed individuals (especially youth) to build these new houses?

Week 6: Lit Review - Cheri

A surprising review of today's early childhood educational services for all socioeconomic groups answered a questioned I have pondered upon for many years.  Why do students continue to struggle academically and drop out of high school despite the increased funding for education and development of early intervention/educational programs?  Comparing per student spending from 1990 to 2010, schools spent $7,259 more dollars per student in 2010 (Digest of Educ. Stats, Table 214).   James Heckman, an economics' professor specializing in human development, revealed an answer that did not focus on money, but on the importance of character development and good parenting skills (2008).  Heckman's research revealed that high socioeconomic status with poor parenting and poor character development resulted in the same difficulties of crime and lack of success seen in children raised in poverty.   Likewise, children living in poverty who received early education (3-5yrs of age) and a weekly home visit were later found to experience higher levels of academic achievement than their peers despite no significant changes in intelligence (Heckman).  These children also had a decreased need for special education, lower crime rates, decreased use of social programs, and an improve healthier lifestyles, higher employment rates, and higher completion of high school (Heckman).  This results in significant savings for society, an increased quality of life, and a way to break the cycle of poverty (Heckman).  My first reaction is joy and hope.  What is your reaction?  Do you believe it has the potential to empower communities?

            If you answered, yes, you will be thrilled to learn that in 2011, Missouri was awarded the "Early Learning Challenge Grant" and the "Child Care Development Fund Grant" providing financial means to set new and higher goals for existing preschool providers and to increase the number of early intervention services providers (Thornburg, 2011).  Thornburg shared the vision of developing an integrated data system to track all children at risk due to poverty, disabilities, or injuries throughout Missouri.  Another goal is to design curriculum for a standardized preschool program educating children, ages three through five, to ensure they are ready for Kindergarten (Thornburg).  This will also enable future program evaluations, training, and research. 

            I believe the most ambitious goal, shared by Thornburg, is the implementation of a statewide screening program by 2020, for all children by their third birthday.  I believe mandatory educational screenings will be as beneficial as yearly wellness exams. Do you?  As a special education teacher, I saw firsthand the benefits of working with a preschool screening team (speech therapist, a psychologist, an occupational therapist).  I have consistently witnessed throughout my years of working with families, regardless of socioeconomic status and educational levels, resistance and denial concerning possible developmental delays in their child.  It was not unusual to hear parents share that their child just needed more time to develop, or even worse, that they just had a bad child who was choosing to not learn and was stubborn.  Do you think children chose to not learn or to behave badly?   Do you believe early educational opportunities for preschoolers, without cost, may provide immeasurable benefits to society?  Do you think it should be mandatory for parents to send their child to preschool or should it be a choice?  Personally, I believe it should be a choice and should be free to those who qualify.

            There are numerous community programs in and around Saint Louis.  They are: Headstart, Child Care Aware of Missouri, Child Care and Parenting Resources, Father's Support Center, Hilltop Child Development Center, and Nurse family Partnership-Building Blocks, Lutheran Family and Children’s Services of Missouri, and St. Louis Crisis Nursery.  If your clients has an unmet need and resources are not available, a program may be developed by working with the Children's Defense Fund. 

References

Children's Defense Fund, Children in Missouri (2012, March). Retrieved from             http://www.childrensdefense.org

Child Care and Parenting Resources. Child Care Assistance/ Early Childhood Services.  Missouri             Department of Social Services.  Retrieved from www.dss.mo.gov/cd/childcare

Child Care Aware of Missouri. Retrieved from http://mo.childcareaware.org

 Dr. Kathy Thornburg (2011, August). Early learning childhood grant presentation.              Department of Secondary Education.  Retrieved from http://dese.ed.gov

Digest of Educational Statistics (Table 214). National Center for Education Statistics (2012             Tables & Figures). Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov

Father’s Support Center. Retrieved from htpp://www.fatherssupportcenter.org   

Head Start.  Retrieved from http://www.ywcastlouis.org  

Hickman, J. (2008). Schools, skills, and synapses. Economic Inquiry, 46(3), 289-324.

Hilltop Child Development Center, Saint Louis, MO.  Retrieved from http://childcarecenter.us

Lutheran Family and Children’s Services of Missouri.  Retrieved from http://www.lfcsmo.org

Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office--Nonprofit.  Retrieved from             http://info@nursefamilypartnership.org

Nurses for Newborns Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.nfnf.org

Saint Louis Crisis Nursery.  http://www.crisisnurserykids.org

Week 6: Reading Blog - Danielle I.

The article, Ethical Challenges for the “Outside” Researcher in Community-Based Participatory Research analyzes the usefulness of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and the possible ethical dilemmas that may arise from this approach to research.  CBPR does not refer to one research approach specifically, but rather a type of discipline in regards to research and the way that certain research types can work collaboratively.  The fundamental principles are as follows:

• ·      The research is participated in by members of the community.


• ·      It engages community members equally.


• ·      It utilizes colearning between community members and researchers.


• ·      It involves developing systems and building community capacities.


• ·      It empowers participants by giving them increased control in their lives.


• ·      It balances research and action.

The primary function of CBPR is that it focuses on empowerment at the individual, organizational, and community levels and participation at these levels by community members is essential to success.  Another important aspect of CBPR is the deconstruction of power through knowledge, or the idea that knowledge should not be gained only through social capital, but rather that everyone should have access to community based knowledge.  The article then addresses four specific concerns.

The first section addresses the role that the community must play in selecting an issue.  The article states that while the focus of CBPR is community involvement, it is often a member of a privileged and educated majority group that is deciding which topics are relevant to be investigated.  While the skills in planning and community organizing that this individual will undoubtedly bring are essential, it is still important for this person or group to determine if the issue is of real concern to the community involved.  The article then stresses the importance of a liaison in the community who can help introduce key stakeholders and help gauge whether or not the community actually cares.  However, this part of the process also has ethical dilemmas, one being the issue of determining the concerns of the community, as this process can be internally divisive.

The next section of the article addresses the possibility of insider-outsider tensions and the power dynamics that can arise.  This is often the case when the researchers are predominantly white and the community is predominantly a low income community of color.  Another issue besides that of race is the idea that the researchers may be working for reasons other than to benefit the community.  For example, community members may perceive the researcher’s position in the community as a way to earn more money or as a way to get published.  The article states that the only way to potentially combat these problems is to engage in open and honest dialogue about the issues at hand.

The next issue the article discusses is the idea of cultural humility, that is the idea that each of us needs to be aware of the potential biases present at three levels.  The first level is the institutional level, or the idea that racism can be manifested through power and material access.  The second level is the personally mediated level, or the idea of perpetuating stereotypes.  Finally, the third level is the internalized level, or a person’s acceptance of negative messages about people in their own group.  As researchers, it is important to be aware of oppression at all three of these levels in the hopes of combatting it and having more meaningful community interaction.

Finally, the article addresses the idea that the people participating in community change through CBPR need to be the people impacted by the change.  It argues that the key financial stakeholders are often speakers for the communities, but are likely the last ones affected by the changes to the community.  It is important that we find the people that are most likely to be impacted and foster their voices.

To be honest, I wish I had read this article before my group started researching the Lemay community.  The idea that we would come in as privileged, upper educated people who would not necessarily be seen as helpful just did not occur to me.  I also had not realized that the people who we perceived to be the key stakeholders in the community, that is the people in power, are not necessarily the true stakeholders for the community.  This leads me to believe that in order to effectively assess this community, I have to talk to the individuals who are impacted by policies, and not just the individuals making them.

How do you think you can make yourself more approachable to the members of your assigned community?  What do you think of the possible impacts your position of power could have on your ability to work with a community?  How do you plan on compensating for this?  How do you plan on dealing with individuals who do not want assistance or help?

Week 6: Lit Review - Katherine

As a member in the group working with the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood this semester, I have been considering the issue of housing for a while now. While researching the history of JVL to better understand the context we will be working in, I was struck by the number of newspaper articles announcing a new housing project for the neighborhood. In almost every piece of news about the area, community developers had found another grant to tear down more buildings and replace them with new complexes, and journalists included another more pictures of buildings that had disintegrated, captioned as the “ghetto” or “slums.” Of course the history of the nearby Pruitt Igoe’s failed housing project adds to this weighty history.

While developers have tried repeatedly to tear down these projects and rebuilt them, new theories have evolved to explain failure and establish new approaches. One of these approaches is to develop mixed-income communities in an effort of poverty deconcentration. The articles I explained below consider whether this new approach is working.

Chaskin and Joseph’s study from 2013 considers interviews of residents and key stakeholders involved in three mixed-income developments in Chicago, reflecting a general movement across Western countries to generate neighborhood revitalization through encouraging higher-income residents to move into previous public-housing areas, with goals to reduce segregation, encourage inclusion, lower crime, and provide better support services. While this movement is considered a “positive gentrification” effort, the article also discusses possible negative effects and motivations that create numerous complications in understanding the potential outcomes of  the mixed-income movement. Assumptions include greater access to city benefits and resources  for poorer populations as well as an influence in attitudes and behaviors from middle-class residents. Conclusions of this study found that tensions evolve along socioeconomic divisions within these communities in regards to crime, safety, and social order as well as what constitutes as appropriate behavior. Some lower-income residents described an improvement in overall quality and satisfaction with living conditions but also felt continuously at-risk of losing their housing for not complying with “appropriate” behavior standards.

Thompson, Bucerius, and Lugaya’s (2013) article also considers interviews of residents living in recently established mixed-income developments but in Canada. The study found that young males moving into the neighborhood became more likely to commit criminal offenses, to report using marijuana, to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, and to demonstrate negative behaviors such as aggression. Also reported was an increase in vulnerability to crime and violence in the neighborhood overall, argued to be a result of high levels of residential instability. The discussion pointed out the likelihood that these “instability” factors would decrease in neighborhoods able to establish social networks and structures, but that this progression is not guaranteed in every case. The study referenced previous research indicating that these housing projects had successfully improved health, housing satisfaction and feelings of safety in general. While the greater population seems to be benefiting, this report emphasizes from a criminological standpoint the damaging effects on young males.

While these studies point to improvements in health, safety, and quality of housing, some of the results and assumptions behind these developments concern me. Are we increasing the number of youth and young adults who are labeled “at-risk” in our communities? How does the assumption that middle-class attitudes are considered appropriate affect populations from lower socioeconomic backgrounds? Is this approach being used in St. Louis yet? Do you think it could work here?


References
Chaskin, R. J., & Joseph, M. L. (2013, March). 'Positive' gentrification, social control and the 'right to the city' in mixed-income communities: Uses and expectations of space and place. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 37(2), 480-502. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2427.2012.01158.x

Thompson, S. K., Bucerius, S. M., & Lugaya, M. (2013, June 13). Unintended consequences of neighbourhood restructuring: Uncertainty, disrupted social networks and increased fear of violent victimization among young adults. British Journal of Criminology, 53, 924-941. doi:10.1093/bjc/azt032

Week 6: Reading Blog - Stephanie

Blakely, E. & Green-Leigh, N. (2010). Concepts and theory of local economic development. In Planning Local Economic Development, pp. 73 – 100. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

In the field of social work, I have often found that the topic of money is taboo.  Social workers are aware that money is required to implement programs but the economics behind the programming is often paid little attention. However, I believe, and this article supports, that to be an effective social worker, and to truly understand the injustice that economics can pose to a society, the concepts and theory of economic development and economic growth need to be understood.  

For those of you that viewed the documentary “Injustice for All” I am sure you noticed that both the film and Blakely and Green-Leigh’s article have a similar theme- that the sources of growing economic inequality in our society are multiple and that economic development does not automatically equal economic growth for all. Similarly, both the film and article express a desire for the idea of “economic development’ to be synonymous with sustainability and rudimentary equality; that the two areas support each other. Economic developmentstrategies that are based on the pursuit of economic growththrough the exploitation of workers is only profitable for a small group of individuals, not for the majority.

Blakely and Green-Leigh offer a solution to the exploitation of workers. The suggested solution is sustainable local economic development that focuses on the desired end state rather than the products or growth produced. According to the article’s authors, there are three parts to the definition of sustainable local economic development:

1. Economic development establishes a minimum standard of living for all and increases over time.

2. Economic development reduces inequality.

3. Economic development promotes and encourages sustainable resource use and production.

Again, for those that had the opportunity to view ‘Injustice for All” elements of this definition are found throughout the documentary. Just as the aforementioned definition does, the documentary highlights the importance of a minimum wage that provides a living wage as a standard; a wage that when earned for a total of forty hours a week can keep individuals and families out of poverty.

Further, just as discussed in the documentary, Blake and Green-Leigh discuss in their article the importance of economic development reducing inequality. Unfortunately, as it goes currently in our society, the more wealth and more assets that are produced does not ensure that each person benefits from such production.

Blake and Green-Leigh explained this concept well when writing “the blind pursuit of economic growth can destroy the foundation of economic development” (74). This brought to mind the devastation that the car industry has left on so many U.S. cities. Detroit is still trying to bounce back from it and so too are certain parts of St. Louis. Many St. Louis families were affected when the Chrysler plant closed because so many workers were dependent on one industry. This made me think, are there other parts of our economy in St. Louis that leave local workers susceptible to unemployment?  What would happen if Boeing left? InBev?  I do think that St. Louis has a little bit of cushion due to the diversification that start-up companies (as well as other industries) bring to our local economy but is it enough? What about the workforce that does not have the education or skill-development to be able to enter the world of start-up companies?  

I would like to hear the opinions and thoughts of the class- is St. Louis a one-factory town that leaves its workforce vulnerable or do we have enough sustainable local development opportunities that the workforce is protected?

Week 6: News Article - Crystal

Kirkwood School Lockdown Leads to Proposed New Law
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/kirkwood-school-lockdown-leads-to-proposed-new-law/article_5f1d141f-80d7-5930-89c5-e1519cba0c81.html

It seems as though there is some sort of school shooting or act of violence in the news everywhere. I am not sure if I notice it more now because I am more aware then I was when I was in high school, but it has become such  a "norm" that it doesn't seem to surprise me anymore. Last month a local news reporter decided to test the security at Kirkwood high school which resulted in a lockdown. Now in Jefferson City there has been a bill proposed making what the reporter did a felony. The bill is called HB 1522.Now after reading this article some parents have stated that it is not the media's job to test security at the local schools. I as a parent myself would agree it is not the news station responsibility to test security in the schools, but it is the schools responsibility to ensure our children are safe while at school. According to Jennifer Wilton' "I just think there really has to be something in place to prevent vigilante parents, anyone who thinks they're above law enforcement, from going into schools." I personally feel introducing a law making what the news reporter did a felony is ludacris. If you want the individual punished maybe fine them, charge them with a misdemeanor, to ensure people understand that you cannot go in and just "test the waters" whenever you like. But to give someone a felony, something that takes away so many rights for doing something like pointing out flaws is ridiculous. However with that being said if the news reporter would have not stepped in and attempted to do what they did, would Kirkwood school officials have ever known how lax their security really is.  Sure the fear set in, but lets not forget school shootings can happen everywhere regardless of the community, and now thanks to the news reporter there have been changes to the security, but what exactly I am not sure. I am not even sure if they are sufficient changes, but the public and most importantly the parents of the children at Kirkwood high school are aware of the security issues and can discuss what they want to see done.
So as I sit here and type this some of these questions came to mind: Why would the reporter decide to go and do this? Was this just another story? Was this reporter legitimately concerned for the well-being of the children at Kirkwood? Did the reporter had a personal connection to a previous school shooting in the country? Was Columbine, Liberty Tech, Sparks Middle school, Berrendo middle school, Newtown, etc. not enough for schools to open their eyes? No I do not want a school to be like a prison but this day in age, unfortunately security has become a bigger concern then in the past. I do think there needs to be levels of security enforced because the realization of violence whether it be shootings, stabbings, etc. is imminent in the schools and we as a community need to take the necessary steps to ensure the children are protected. Maybe there can be security checks a certain amount of times a year, routine drills as there are for fire and tornado drills, etc. We cannot continue to ignore the dangers this world faces daily and trying to protect the children is important. As a parent I want to ensure that my child is safe when I leave her at school. I want to know in my heart that the school has taken every measure to protect my child while I am not there to protect her myself. Thoughts about what this reporter did?

Extra Credit: Nick News - Abby

 

I believe Nick News, “Black, White, and Brown vs. Board of Education: A Return to Segregated Schools?” does a wonderful job of capturing the state of our education system 50 years after Brown vs. Board.  Jonshell from New Orleans makes a powerful statement when she says, “The inequality in African American schools, it is a symptom of a larger problem that in this country African Americans are treated as if they are failures.”  This quote is shown soon after a white woman in St. Louis stands in front of others claiming that she deserves the right to not have her child, “stabbed, given drugs, or robbed” by the transfer students who are coming into her child’s county school.  

The cycle of segregated education is so strong that it seems almost impossible to eradicate.  As the episode explained, public schools are funded by local property taxes.  In St. Louis, the city has lower property values than the county.  Therefore, the county is given much more funding and able to provide the best resources for their students.  As one student states, “it depends on where you live and what your parents do.”  This is securing African American students in one educational group while white students are secured in another.  How can we end segregated schools when this is how our system is set up? 

Students of all races and cultures want to learn.  They want to create a strong future for themselves and so many are not given the opportunity.  When one girl is given her “golden paper” or her transfer papers, she is forced to listen to the response from others of how she is a danger to their community.  This student called her transfer papers “a gateway to a new world.”  However, this new world includes others who label her as being a danger to their children without even meeting her or knowing anything about her.  While Brown vs. Board of Education was an incredible achievement in our history, we still have an incredibly long way to go.   

Week 5: News Article - Katherine

“Ballwin Named the 9^th Safest City in America,” February 13, 2014, Riverfront Times

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2014/02/ballwin_named_the_9th_safest_c.php

This article discusses the release of FBI crime data that ranks the city of Ballwin as the 9^th safest in the country.  The article includes several quotes by Ballwin’s police department, which pointed out the city’s own dispatch center as critical in their success at keeping crime down in addition to a generally positive relationship with the community.  Comments on the article pointed to wealth and race as the significant factors here. The article itself is brief but, in my opinion, stood out as really important to us as a community class in the St. Louis metro area.

St. Louis’s reputation, whether accurate or not, often centers around crime issues.  Certain areas within the city are more defined by these issues, and it seems every few months I see another attempt to put an exact number on the prevalence of crime.  Two questions I have been considering are how accurate our information is and what these labels do to St. Louis neighborhoods and the metro area in general.

Several weeks ago, the Riverfront Times published another article (http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2014/01/rape_up_67_percent_following_new_fbi_definition.php) about these numbers, focusing on the change in definition of rape.  The article explains that, while crime data shows a 67% increase in rape for the year 2013, this statistic depicts a change in definition to include the rape of men as well as oral and anal penetration.  Adjusting for this change in definition, St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said that the actual number of rapes in St. Louis decreased from 2012 to 2013.

Another article to throw into this idea discusses the Police Department’s “crime index” and the idea of “crime-ridden” neighborhoods within St. Louis.  The article goes into detail about the misleading aspects of these statistics, and I recommend glancing over it and the follow-up article (http://nextstl.com/2012/08/understanding-st-louis-total-crime-index-and-crime-ridden-neighborhoods/).

While this data can be helpful in understanding needs and assets in our community, I think attempts to label parts of St. Louis as “safe” and others as “crime-ridden” should be accompanied by extreme caution.  What do our numbers actually say?  What are the real reasons behind concentrations of crime?  Is it appropriate for social workers to peg some neighborhoods as “crime-ridden?”

Week 5: News Article - Camille

One-Fifth of New Enrollees Under Health Care Law Fail to Pay First Premium, Feb. 13, New York Times. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/14/us/politics/one-in-5-buyers-of-insurance-under-new-law-did-not-pay-premiums-on-time.html?ref=us&_r=0

In the above article, the AP discusses enrollment numbers of the new health care law, claiming one-fifth of those who enrolled in the individual health care failed to pay their first-month's premium.  This failure, it was discussed, could be attributed to many factors such as receiving late statements, failure to send statements, failure of clients to log back into the portal and accept or deny their insurance, and of course lack of ability to pay. 

After reporting this staggering number, it raises so many questions from a social work standpoint.  What, in fact, is the primary reasoning behind this huge lack of coverage payment?  Is there a way to canvas those states and areas with the highest rate of non-payment, and intervene?  I feel as though this is a quintessential macro-level practice undertaking.  And I assume (which I realize I should never do!) that there are teams doing just that.  It definitely makes me question my assigned "place" of Lemay, wondering what the success rate of not only enrolling in the new health care, but ability for payment.  Has anyone heard about St. Louis' success in this?

Another interesting tid-bit of this article was in the last paragraph: it stated that the government had not finished building the "back end" of the system, which is needed to actually pay the insurers... So maybe none of them have actually gotten paid?  (A bit of humor..)

I'd love to hear anybody's experience with this, or knowledge of the new healthcare system and personal or client-based experiences with it?

Week 5: Reading Blog - Rachel

Collins , P. H. (1993). Toward a new vision: Race, class, and gender as categories of analysis and connection. Race, Sex & Class, 1(1), 25-45.

            During the fall after my undergraduate studies had been completed, my roommate at the time had introduced me to a friend of hers.  She was like no one I had ever met before.  She had a Spanish name, was born and raised in an Islamic home, and was African American.  Reflecting back on that day I first met her, it is bizarre to know I had almost written her off without even giving her a chance first.  I had approached her as a person I would not be able to connect with on a deeper level, as someone from such a different background that there would likely be no common ground. 
            In the process of actually listening to what she had to say, however, I found a remarkable amount of sameness.  Even when comparing the two identities I was most concerned about, her Muslim identity and my Jewish identity, I only found more similarities (such as our mutual avoidance of pork products).  In Patricia Hill Collins’ piece Toward a New Vision: Race, Class, and Gender as Categories of Analysis and Connection she discusses the importance of recognizing limiting and stereotypical mental processes that are carried into our interactions.  Collins urges her readers to purge themselves of their inner oppressors as much as they can in order to form more meaningful and lasting coalitions and bring about permanent social change.
            Collins recognizes (at least) two vital steps in successfully exorcizing one’s inner oppressor. The first comes in the form of identities (race, gender, etc.), how they interact, and how we perceive them.  In every case there are two groups with one being considered superior to the other.  The group that is considered superior becomes the privileged group and the group considered somehow inferior or the “other” becomes the oppressed group.  Collins warned against comparing and contrasting oppressions and ranking one as more painful than the other as it gets everyone away from what should be their ultimate goal – unity. 
            Collins goes into further detail in step one, discussing the dimensions of oppression.  The dimensions are: the individual level of oppression, institutional oppression, and symbolic oppression.  In terms of the individual level of oppression, it is one’s identities and the experiences that come with those identities that are most salient.  All of one person’s identities combined help to shape opportunities and who one associates with. In my friend’s case, for instance, she is Islamic, African American, and female and looking at just her religion, race, or gender, fails to acknowledge the full scope of who she is as a person.
            On the institutional level of oppression, Collins used the institution of slavery as an example.  Another example of oppression at an institutional level that would be considered less obvious could be within a university.  Textbooks are usually written predominantly by able-bodied Caucasian males, men and Caucasians are called on more within classroom settings, acceptance rates vary between races, and there are typically multiple buildings on a campus that are more difficult to access from a wheelchair.  None of those identities (gender, race, able-bodied status) can be looked at in isolation as they all affect a student’s overall educational experience.
            Within the symbolic dimension of oppression, Collins described the discrepancies in how different groups are viewed and the pre-conceived notions and assumptions society often develops toward them.  A masculine identity, for instance, is considered everything a feminine identity is not and is thought to be superior.  Since the masculine identity personifies the traits that society values, that difference in stereotypical attributes is used to justify male privilege.  Another example of this concept would be to make a list involving a different identity, such as able-bodyism.  When thinking of stereotypical traits considering characteristic for both categories, being able-bodied (non-disabled) brings up traits such as capable, confident, and assertive.  In the case of an individual with a disability, the list might look more like: helplessness, timidity, and submission.  As Collins pointed out with her own list, once race, gender, and socioeconomic status are added in the lists of what it means to be able-bodied or not would be altered. 
            The second step in working through one’s inner oppressor comes in the form of transcending the barriers between us. Collins proposes three ways to do so.  The three ways involved relate to power and privilege, building coalitions, and establishing empathy.  Her first suggestion involves recognizing that different oppressions, and privileges bring about different experiences. A power differential then forms causing issues within relationships which, if left unchecked, could bring about voyeurism (using oppressed groups as a source of entertainment) or academic colonialism (viewing oppressed groups as something to be taken advantage of). 
            One way to combat the issues both voyeurism and academic colonialism raise and work towards a transcendence of barriers is through the utilization of empathy.  By getting to know each other’s experiences on a meaningful level and striving to truly understand the cultural and historical basis of that person’s oppressions, there is likely to be a decrease in the desire and ability to use that person.  Relatedly, Collins suggests it is better to work with each other on a common goal than to pick a common enemy.  While picking someone or something to mutually dislike would bring about a temporary alliance, choosing to join forces on one vision will allow for a longer and more peaceful union.
            Any other examples for oppression on an institutional, symbolic, or individual level?  What about a time where you entered a situation or met someone new with certain expectations and assumptions already in place?  How did that situation turn out?  Were there/are there any thoughts of what your assigned community might be like before having first gone to visit it?  What experiences might you have with combating one’s inner oppressor?  How aware were you of your inner oppressor up until now and how comfortable are you in challenging it?  Any ideas or suggestions for those of us seeking to weaken our inner oppressors and strengthen our outer activists?