[COMM-ORG] query: agency-based educational experiences regarding urban inequality

[Discussion list for COMM-ORG]

[ed:  thanks to Mary, Betty, and John for replying to LeeAnn's query.]

From: "Emery, Mary E [SOC A]" <memery at iastate.edu>

Everyday democracy has a study circle guide on Facing Racism in a
Diverse Nation that has been used in urban areas:
http://www.everyday-democracy.org/en/Issue.1.aspx

*********************************

From: "Betty G. Robinson" <bgrobinson at verizon.net>

The best popular education/organizing resource I know of is right in Atlanta
-- www.projectsouth.org They definitely examine issues of urban inequality,
have excellent training modules which they can tailor for groups.  You can
contact them directly at 404-622-0602.  Since many people may want to know
more about them, I copied the below from their website which is actually
under reconstruction.  Betty Robinson

 >From their website:  Founded in 1986, Project South acts as a regional hub
for leadership development, movement-building, and long-term strategy
development within community-based organizing for racial and economic
justice. By creating collective spaces for communities and organizations to
develop bottom-up grassroots organizing models, Project South shifts
Southern-based organizing from reactive battles to visionary and strategic
movement building on local, regional, and national levels.

Project South works directly with young people, intergenerational
collaborations, Southern-based organizations, communities affected by social
control and violence, cross-regional alliances, and our Atlanta and
Southeast membership base. Our three primary strategies to increase the
viability of community-based efforts to shift resources and power:

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT - to increase the number of skilled organizers in the
US South
STRATEGIC CONVERGENCES (including the US Social Forum & People's Assemblies)
- to advance thinking and coordinate action on mass scale
MOVEMENT-BASED INFRASTRUCTURE - to build and sustain our communities while
fighting for liberation

****************************

From: "John M. Beam" <John_Beam at verizon.net>

A long time ago (I refuse to say how long), I believe PACE in Rhode 
Island had a simulation game about structural inequality that involved 
players being given similar "banks" of chips to use in the game's 
"economy" but which, because of their denominations and exchange rates, 
didn't translate into equal purchasing or political power.   Hopefully 
there is a historian (or archeologist?) on this list who remembers the 
details.

Organize,

John M. Beam
Pumphouse Projects


On 7/7/2009 9:11 AM, Discussion list for COMM-ORG wrote:
> --------
> This is a COMM-ORG 'colist' message.
> All replies to this message come to COMM-ORG only.
> --------
>  
> [ed:  while LeeAnn's question is placed in a social service context, 
> there may be lessons from urban community organizing efforts that still 
> apply, so please feel welcomed to copy those to the list.]
>
> From: LeeAnn Lands <llands at kennesaw.edu>
>
> Hi,
>
> I am working with a social service organization associated with an 
> Atlanta congregation.  Besides offering emergency assistance to the 
> poor, the organization is a site for summer-long, full-time internships 
> (usually college students), pastoral education, and short-term, one day 
> to one week community projects for church/educational/social groups 
> looking for service activities.  
>
> While I am at the site working in a different capacity, the 
> staff/volunteers and I have discussed the challenges of educating the 
> interns, students, and episodic volunteers about urban inequality (and 
> urban inequality specifically in Atlanta).  Certainly, the staff 
> examines these issues with the interns, students, and others, but they 
> are considering introducing a more sustained and structured program to 
> accompany both the long (8 to 12 week) internships and educational 
> placements and the short, episodic community projects.
>
> I am familiar with the curriculum that is used in youth empowerment 
> projects and (adult) study circles, photovoice, etc., but I'm coming up 
> short in trying to identify models of popular education work focused on 
> adult education and regarding urban inequality.  (I am familiar with the 
> _history_ of popular, radical education -- highlander folk school and 
> the like.  And I am well versed in service learning, etc., -- but this 
> would not be a university-based program; it would be owned and delivered 
> by the agency, even if educators were involved.)
>
> Do any of the list members have such programs in place, programs that 
> examine urban inequality historically or sociologically, based out of a 
> non-profit, and that augment on-going training, intern experiences, or 
> community volunteer work? or can you point me to any?  
>
> I appreciate the help!
>
> LeeAnn Lands
> Atlanta, GA
>
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