El Evento Publico 10/29/14

As I attended this event and listened to the experience of Dr. Elizabeth Gerber, I was intrigued and it left an impact on me. What I was able to learn is her work with Design For America and how the people there are motivated to make an impact on their society. Aside from that, the essential idea I learned was how innovation is critical to our social and economic prosperity. Often times people tend to think about innovation as the outcome and the ideas that come about, when really what should be noted is the people who come up with these brilliant ideas. What was inspiring was her saying that innovation can come from anyone. No matter how challenging it may be, it's always possible for these individuals can bring about change into this world. But the fact of the matter is that as the future approaches, innovation and idea must come from the children of this generation. For our entire lives, as people get older, the children must take it upon themselves to bring change since they are the ones who are going to face the effects of the future. I found this inspiring and true due to the fact that I want to grow up and be someone who brings change. Growing up, I've always seen people in this world that are corrupt and only care about having power and money. While these political figures do this, they lose sight of the problem that's right in front of their eyes, which is racism, discrimination, and poverty for many people, specifically of color. These people work harder than anyone I can imagine and yet lack the opportunities to succeed and gain an education. This would also explain the amount of dropouts in certain neighborhoods as well as the violence caused by people that are in gangs. We see problems like this in other parts of the world as well, such as in Mexico, where there are people disappearing by the day and drug cartels continue to massacre people and make profit through cocaine. By listening to Dr. Gerber saying that anyone can bring about change, I realize that I had to be the one that fights for these people, who are left without a voice, because I know for a fact that no one in the near future will fight for them. As good as I feel that 2042 is the year that the minority such as Latinos and African Americans become the majority and Whites become the minority, that’s a long time to wait, and by then there would have been millions of people who never got an equal opportunity to succeed and follow their dreams, while others who don’t deserve these opportunities receive them on a silver platter.

            On a lighter note, what I was able to take out of this presentation is the fact that we can turn

any idea we have into a successful venture, whether it be for profit or anything else. What my focus would be on as I thought about these innovations would be to share off my interests to the world so they can also learn and appreciate them. Among these interests are Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Soccer, and the Latin American Culture. By coming up with an idea, having optimism, and determination, I could share off these things in unique ways so that the world can experience them and appreciate them, thus making it simpler for people to learn about these new things that have captivated me. 

Auburn-Gresham

Upon visiting the Auburn-Gresham area, my eyes were opened to a community I was unaware about. Venturing into the neighborhood, I was able to take a glimpse at the organization "The Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation". What immediately impressed me of the organization was the message they based themselves on, which is relationships, and the fact that it is key to contributing to the community. One of the key components that this organization works on is that they focused on Education and Youth Development. Education is key in the community in order to succeed, and in neighborhoods like that there is a lack of education and opportunities for students to succeed. They showed off a great example of how the committee has impacted several kids for the best through the four volunteer students that were present during my visit. These individuals have had the opportunity to learn new things with the people they work with, such as obtaining public speaking skills and traveling to different parts in the country in order to represent themselves, the organization, and their neighborhood. Aside from influencing the youth, the organization works for the entire neighborhood, in order to ensure that the lives of people are simplified. I was intrigued at finding out that the #79 bus happens to be the busiest bus in the city of Chicago, even busier than the #22 and the #36. This being the case, you would expect the CTA to build additional stops and methods of transportation in order to help the people, but the fact of the matter is that nothing is being done to help the people of the neighborhood. Like one representative, Carlos Nelson, said, "It is easy to get a cab or use public transportation to get to Auburn-Gresham, but it is harder to get out of there." This issues the need of unity among the people of Auburn-Gresham in order to bring about change. What made me feel content with this is the fact that the people took initiative and fought for being able to create a better and additional form of transportation. Fortunately, the city of Chicago decided to create a Metra train on 79th street in order to help the people of this neighborhood. The attempts and determination this organization has in order to resolve conflicts faced in the Auburn-Gresham community is what really drew my attention, since in the world we live in today we don't see much of people helping one another, rather it's one individual looking for self interest. I still continue to stay amazed of this neighborhood, and the fact that there are numerous things there, such as churches, schools, and bungalows. Auburn-Gresham is a place that you should consider visiting if you haven't yet visited the South Side of Chicago.