Research: Part I of Final Project

As history has documented, social and economic conditions heavily impact the accessibility of new materials a public school system may filter into their classrooms. Since funding for public education is provided by tax revenue in a given area, many may get the short end of the deal if it is an impoverished area where tax revenue is much lower than in an affluent neighborhood draped with private schools. In impoverished areas of large cities, including Milwaukee, many pupils may stir away from educational institutions to join other activities that usually do not further career planning. In order to instill hope in these kids, a non-profit organization called Our Next Generation (ONG) set up shop in the Walnut Hill neighborhood surrounding the 35th Ave. and Lisbon Ave intersection. In an urban area of Milwaukee where 48.3% of the overall population lives below the poverty level, ONG strives to create a collaborative team of educators through one-on-one relationships with children in this neighborhood through programs that focus on achieving skills that lead to a fulfilling education. According to the ONG website, those who live in poverty have “increased chances of academic failure and school drop out.” Due to these circumstances, ONG tries to make a personal difference in the lives of children and young adults who join the programs offered through the organization. According to Codi Alger, the Public Relations Manager and Volunteer Intake Coordinator, her goal at the end of the day is to “offer at least one child an experience they otherwise would not have experienced, offer one volunteer the change to make a difference and offer [the] community the chance to support our youth.” Through programs such as Homework Club (1st-6th grade students), High School Connection (9th-12th grade students), and Community Learning Centers at Westside Academy 1 and 2 (4th-8th grade students), pupils are able to interact with volunteers who, in the end, become mentors to students who want to grow, intellectually and personally. In an article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel titled Program puts next generation on right path by Felicia Thomas-Lynn, Deandre McCarty told Thomas-Lynn that “in some ways [Our Next Generation is] a second home” where he can talk to people “like you can talk to your mother.” This comfort established between tutors and pupils is the foundation to the relationship built through help.