Thoughts on Urban Project Recruitment
By: Jimmy McGee, Atlanta, GA
I think it’s very important to get an assessment of the demographics of the neighborhoods we will be entering on our projects. Who is the dominant group, i.e., Blacks, Hispanics, Whites, etc.? It’s important that you try to have percentages of the ethnic groups that reflect the community’s. If you are in a heavily populated neighborhood of one particular ethnic group, you might shoot for at least 50% of the project participants reflecting that ethnicity.
Another important consideration is to determine the percentage of the dominant group within the organization or agency that you are partnering with, and ask, “will we be flooding this organization with an overabundance of a different ethnicity?” It’s important that the people receiving the service of our students can also see people of their group within your team, both staff and students.
The question invariably arises, “Where do I find students and staff to fill these roles if our student ministry does not have any minorities? I think it is important for the Director to begin relationships with local pastors to recruit possible staff and students who could participate in your project. Why is it important to go to such lengths? We must remember that many of the communities we are entering have experienced being served by many agencies. Often these agencies come with their own agenda and solutions without honoring the community’s ideas or solutions. In almost every case, children are the main guinea pigs for their “good deeds.” These children have consistent images of their older siblings and friends involved in illegitimate affairs, drug peddling, hustling, gang banging, etc. The people who come to serve them rarely look like them. It is CRUCIAL that these children see our programs redeeming their hopes, by showing them people of their ethnic group having other options than the destructive ones being presented to them. These children have renewed hope by seeing our students and staff who come from their neighborhoods and backgrounds.
I also thing it is vital for the community of staff and students to have people who remember the neighborhood in the project’s community. As the participants discuss their experiences this could be a chance for some critical changes. I think it would be a wonderful experience for students and staff to work alongside and live with the diversity on their own level. It would also impact the community to see people working together on an equal basis, modeling partnership and reconciliation.
