Ullucci-Urban Education

Ullucci talked about the impact that poverty has on youth today. One major point was that youth poverty often face resegregation. This resegregation comes about because many neighborhoods are separated by different classes, with certain areas being wealthier areas and other areas being poorer sections. While being divided by class, these neighborhoods also tend to be separated by race. It just so happens that usually the poorer neighborhoods are inhabited by minorities. Since schools are separated according to geographical area, the poor, minority students all end up going to the same schools. Some schools and communities today end up being even more segregated than in the past which was really kind of surprising for me to hear; it's something I hadn't really thought much about.

Poorer conditions in these neighborhoods and schools also lead to higher health risks for youth for multiple reasons. Families can not afford proper medical and dental insurance so children are often going without. Also older, poorer schools and buildings were often made with lead paint which is harmful.

I think that poverty can impact youth development in many ways. First of all I feel that poverty in communities creates a larger need for youth development programs because youth in these neighborhoods may not have anything else to do after school hours. Many families can not afford to pay for sports or activities that cost money for their children. Also many of these youth are not being reached through their schools and really need enrichment through youth development programs. I think that effective youth development programs could make a huge impact on the youth in poor communities.

On the other side I would think that poorer communities may not have the funding to support as many youth development programs as other more affluent communities. It is sad that the communities that need empowering programs like this don't always the means or the resources to get them. But wealthier communities who may not need these programs as much have more than the resources necessary to support them.

I honestly am not sure which type of communities I see myself working in. I think that I would like to work with college-age youth. There are many different types of college campuses all located within various communities. Also the student population at many colleges can come from very diverse backgrounds, so it's hard to say right now.