World Pulse

Right now I am an AmeriCorps. member and a part of the YouthServe team of Franklin County MA. I work with a number of after school youth groups through the Community Action! Youth Programs. We mostly work with low income rural and small town youth. Things are looking pretty grim out here. As funding continues to wane youth workers fall into the general category of low income as well. However, everyone that I have worked with really loves what they do and that is what keeps them going. PulseWire is such a wonderful idea because knowing that other people are just as passionate about social change is truly uplifting after continuously dealing with the constant hardship that most the youth face.
I am here for ideas. I want to hear what everyone thinks. What their inspiration is. Thus far my favorite project has be putting together a video project for a group of middle school girls. This made me particularly happy because they would have never received this opportunity in the ailing school system. We are working on a few gardening projects. Also, several of the groups run sex education workshops and attend conference on different issues pertaining to sexuality. Others focus on issues of racism in the local community.

One of my major interests is in finding the link in development between the "developed" and "underdeveloped" countries. Development to me, means sustainable development, sustainable in terms not only environment, but also culturally, socially, and economically. It is interesting to me as a United States resident that the development that is supposed to take place in other countries is needed right here, as our health care and education systems disintegrate, and invisible rural poverty and hopelessness abound. But, there is much hope, and many wonderful people are doing amazing things, and I hope to meet many of you.