The area is stricken with poverty, broken windows and vandalized buildings line the roads. But amidst these homes, there are some great businesses and some impressive places to see.

The picture in my head that I drew for this area was not a positive one, as when I was in high school, junior year, my car was stolen. The police did eventually find the car, stripped of all of its parts, at 33rd and Vine, very close to Our Next Generation. I tied that situation to this area, and was convinced that this was an awful bad neighborhood. I had no intentions on ever going there, and was surprised when I realized that I had to.

On my first visit there, it was what I had expected, broken down homes and unkempt streets. There was construction on Lisbon, so I took an alternate route through a neighborhood. People were lining the streets and even coming up to my car window trying to get me to get out of the car. I make it to Our Next Generation, and the doors are locked, you have to be known by someone in the building to be let in.

When I got inside though, it was a completely different atmosphere. Kids were running around happy, playing and talking with their friends. There were kids in a study room doing their homework, and there were more kids outside on the jungle gym. I was part of the homework club there, I helped a few boys work on some activities and even wrote some stories with them. The kids I was working with were quite intelligent and had very creative minds.

A very different socioeconomic background than what I am used to. Nearly two thirds of households are of single parents. Nearly half of these missing parents are in jail. The kids lack positive role models to look up to. Our Next Generation aims to give these kids the positive influence they need to succeed and be happy.

Our Next Generation is working to revive the community, and local businesses thrive. There are a few old homes in the area also well worth noting, old Victorian mansions once broken down and now have been rebuilt to beautiful abodes.

The person I chose to interview was a leader on the executive board for Our Next Generation for over ten years. She helped the organization begin in 1994. She told of the many businesses in the area who greatly benefited from the positive influence of ONG. Many churches in the area are also largely involved. ONG has made a lot of progress in revitalizing the community.

Doing this project I have come to realize that there are ways that I personally can help and mold another person’s life, and through doing so, can change many other’s lives in the process. We just need to spend the time to do so.