Razoo Causes: Community Building

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Cause Last Updated:
November 05, 2008

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Community building is the work of citizens to improve their social or physical setting. In the South Bronx, one program recently placed 700 unemployed people in sustainable jobs. Situation: Currently, the social and economic fabrics of many communities are eroding. Socially, urbanization and the spread of branded businesses have contributed to the erosion, as have the rise of suburban and urban neighborhoods that seem based more on anonymity and separation than community and inclusion. Many communities are uprooting their playgrounds, discontinuing interest groups such as book clubs, and replacing local businesses with national chains that capture little of a communi...

Community building is the work of citizens to improve their social or physical setting. In the South Bronx, one program recently placed 700 unemployed people in sustainable jobs.

Situation: Currently, the social and economic fabrics of many communities are eroding. Socially, urbanization and the spread of branded businesses have contributed to the erosion, as have the rise of suburban and urban neighborhoods that seem based more on anonymity and separation than community and inclusion. Many communities are uprooting their playgrounds, discontinuing interest groups such as book clubs, and replacing local businesses with national chains that capture little of a community's individual essence. Economically, communities struggle to provide jobs and support their local residents, as companies take their plants overseas, families are trapped in poverty cycles, and residents struggle to find a sense of hope and meaning. The solution to this problem? Community building, in which citizens take an interest in their fellow community members and seek to construct a positive social and economic environment filled with meaningful interaction and hope.

Statistics: A wide variety of practices can be utilized for community building, ranging from simple events like potlucks. and small book clubs, to larger–scale efforts such as mass festivals and building construction projects that involve local participants rather than outside contractors. Recent community building events in Milwaukee and Baltimore involved placing unemployed residents in local jobs and training these workers to succeed in their field. In a Milwaukee neighborhood, the average income of long-term residents with earnings rose from $9,353 to $12,346 per year. In Baltimore, family incomes rose from $6,099 in 1993 to $8,641 in 1999. In a number of US cities, the Anne E. Casey Foundation has committed $30 million to the creation of jobs in economically depressed areas. Statistics like this show that there are citizens who desire to rebuild the social and economic lives of their citizens--are you one of them?

YOU SHOULD CARE because there are entire communities that are entrenched in unhealthy physical, social, and economic environments. Join the cause, and take action to build community in your area, whether through physical, economic, or spiritual means.

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