Sunday, October 30, 2011

Screw Wikipedia assignment "Rough Draft"

Hello world,
                     So we were told to do I guess like a "mock" wikipedia entry on  paper. As some may know Im doing the Englewood community/Growinng Home (a farm in the englewood community). So Im going to attempt to do a rough Draft, keep in my mind I do mean Ruff lol. Please dont slay me, i know exactly what I need to do!

Growing Home/Englewood Farm

       Growing Home works in communities where we can make a positive economic difference. In Englewood, Growing Home holds a weekly farm stand for our neighbors, and in 2011 staff have piloted a mini CSA program which offers a low-cost purchasing option for residents of Englewood. Growing Home Provides transitional employment and training to chicagoans who have multiple barriers to employment such as having been previously homless or incarcerated. Through a social enterprise business based on agriculture the job training program assists individuals in securing permanent and unsubsidized employment. The unique job readiness curriculm helps reintroduce participants back into the workforce.

Contents
summary
history
Mission

History
          Growing Home was founded in 1996 by Les brown, in order to provide job training for the needy Chicagoans. Les Brown was the policy director at the Chicago Coalition for the homless, he recognized that the critical lack of living -wage jobs was one of the major factors in the leading cause of homlessness, but that a sense of purpose was also a component to breaking the cycle of homelessness.

        Unfortunately Les Brown passed away in 2005. But before he died, he wrote, "Our organic farming program is a way for them (the homless) to connect with nature-to plant and nature roots over a period of time. When you get involved in taking responsibilty for caring for something creating emotion and a connection."


Mission
               "Growing Homes mission is to operate, promote, and demonstrate the use of organix agriculture as a vehicle for jobtraining, employment and cimmunity development."



  

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Annotated Bibliography Rough Draft.... :(

Harry Rhodes,"Another view of Englewood," 21 Oct. 2008. < http://growinghomeinc.org/>

                                                This particular site is an organizational site about a particular group that provides not only jobs, but also therapy and safe haven in a neighnorhood stereotyped as having "No Hope." This site enlightens ones mind and may close some ignorant frames that some may percieve about Englewood (chicago). This site highlights abnd glorifies the one of many positive things the neighborhood gardens does for the englewood community. This site aimes toward the may who really dont know too much about the "small" things or events taking place in their neighborhoods. If I were to do a research paper this would be one of the main sources of many.

      "Together Each Achieves More," Teamwork Englewood. 2011. <http://teamworkenglewood.org/>

                          This website is also an organizational site about the Englewood community. What satnds out about this particular site is , it wa created by the actual residents and community leaders of the Engleiwood community. It gives information about different  leadership programs, for the men, women, and children in the community. It's primary goal is to unite the different organizations working to serve the Englewood community as a whole! The intended readers would be most from srrounding newihgborhoods of the Englewoodd commuinity, people in the neighborhood, and/or people that are intrested in creating a brighter tomorrow for the community! Although I have learned some things from this source, I wouldnt typically use this site for a research paper because it dosent generally give enough useful information.






                    

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Question Game!

                        A couple of questions were asked by Ballenger on pg 33, and I choose to extensively asnswer a couple of them and a ask a few questions of my own!
1.whi has been most influential in the neihboorhood?community Im intrested in?
      -At the beginning of the the Englewood community, there is a Roman Catholic Church called St Sabina, located on 78th Racine. The Pries there goes by the name of Father Pfleger, but "we" all know him as plain ole "Father Mike." Fahter mike is not just a social activists, he's the heart and angel of our community! Bing a caucasian priest in one of what is said to be "one of the worst neighborhoods in Chicago," and an activist in a predominately black community, you'd think he'd be a little more modest and reluctant to do half the stuff he's done for the community. He has marched for violence on friday nights with some of his supporters, he has had events throughout the year in the community, and he fights for what is right!

2.Are there any aspects of your community, neighboorhood, or groupthat people argue about/ what about your community seems to generate the most heat? What are the stereotypes, and why?
      -The media has everyone believing that if you even ride through the neighborhood you'll be attacked! True, the community is full of gangs, abandoned buildings, and rift raft, but thats not at all the community has to offer.

Through all this i generated some questions of my own! 1. Granted there is violence in the community, why do they not glorify our neighborhoods accomplishments!
2.Why dont more people know what Father Pfleger has done for the community and how much progress he has made.
3.What do "we" have to do to get our alderman more involved!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

"Another World"

LAst week I blogged about oneof the communities I was a part of! I really didnt have to research much about it because I have lived there for some time! But the last time we were in class some of my classmates and proff open my mind to other communities in chicago that I have been interested in!

         This summer, my friends and I named ourselves outgoing and adventrous chicks of the night! Were usually really boring and conservative for the most part lol. We were tired of being "lame" because we were stomped with school work and being tired from our jobs, So one weekend in July we alll went somewhere we knew would be fun..."BOYSTOWN!" We always heard about the community and heard how fun the nightlife was/ Boystown is a district within the LAkeview and Wrigleyviller neighborhoods. It was the first gayncomunities regonized in the United States. It's also one of the largest (LGBT) Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender communities in the nation! Boystown is known for its colorful, party moghtlife. Most bars close at 3a.m. on weekdays and 5a.m. on weekends. Lying on the North Halsted st, its much like the strip of Vegas on weekends. "You never know what your gonna get." Every business has  a pride flag hanging blissfully, and proudly in the eenter of the window or outside the business. These pillars often represent the many respectable gay-owned and operated venues on the neighnorhood. This community is intresting on so many different levels. Every where in June, "The Pride Parade" brings together thousands to encounter and experience whath the LGBT community experiences ina day to day basis. This summer was awesome! An experience I'll never forget!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

A diamond in thr "Ruff" (neighborhoods)

The last time we were in class, we discussed communities and what it meant to be in a community! Although I wasnt born in chicago, I have lived in Englewood for the past few years. As a single parent, and a struggling cps teacher, my mom almost had no choice but to move us there. Everything Ive eve heard about Englewood was negative, and it is still that way today! The Numbers say that crime is the highest in my Englewood community! All of this maybe true but the good things that go on in my community almost always go unnoticed! Every summer there are a few stop the violence block partys, donation giveaways for the homless and less fortunate, back to school picnics and block parties, and back to school neighborhood parades. A community is defined as a group of people with common intrest! Although I hated my neighborhood in the beginning, I wouldnt change moving there because they have taught me some things about unity! People percieve and judge "us" without fully knowing anything about us! Although i dont live in that neighboorhood any more, I remain active! We are a partnership who stands together for our neighborhood, we are a community!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Immigrants

          When people hear the word immigrant they automatically think about illegals! Being an immigrant does not neccessairly mean ur illegal. Immigration is when a person leaves one country to settle in another. Personally I dont feel like immigration affects me one way or the other rather legal or illegal!  I had a brief conversation with a couple of my friends and relatives after reading a few aricles. Each of them were upset and arguing about how we "Americans" have it so much harder and how much benefits the immigrants have. They went on outraged that we have to pay taxes and pay for theyre healthcare. True, I do pay tazes and yes they are expensive A few artickes even blame certain crimes on the immigrants. Lets be honest, our "Great" judicial system which has failed us all from time to time has nothing to do with immigrants. Think about it, if there were no immigrants ever in the U.S.,would our problems completly go away? Would crime change? Would taxes go down? After asking these questions I think that i've changed a few of theyre perspectives on the whole topic!