In two short weeks I will be on my way to Dallas, Tx with the rest of my service team. For a week we will have the opportunity to work with two amazing community organizations serving the children and families in Dallas who are facing poverty and/or homelessness.
Dallas and Springfield are two extremely different cities, especially demographically. Dallas is nearly 8x larger, population wise, than Springfield; and while Springfield is predominantly white, 86.1%, according to neighborhood scout and English speaking (94%), Dallas is much more diverse based off the neighborhood scout website.
One thing Dallas and Springfield have in common, however, is rates of poverty, more specifically, rates of child poverty. Dallas’ overall poverty rate is between 19.4% and 22.9% while Springfield’s is between 24.6% and 25.9%. Child poverty rates for both cities are actually higher than the general poverty rates, with Dallas between 30.6% and 35.6% and Springfield between 27.9% and 31.2% (source).
So while the two cities are vastly different, the issue of youth poverty and homelessness impacts both greatly. As I plan for the service in Dallas, I look forward to working with our community partners and meeting the children and families from the community. I also look forward to relating what I learn and do in Dallas back to the community here in Springfield.
It’s eye-opening to see how two completely different communities can be impacted by the exact same issues. Often we imagine that the problems others face don’t relate to us or our communities, but honestly we can learn a lot from how others approach these kinds of issues. By educating ourselves about other communities and cultures we can bring back valuable lessons and ideas for our own communities.