[Dialogue] Fifth City Model in Republic of Korea

[Janice Ulangca]

Amazing, wonderful work, Bill.  Your two messages are inspiring - and there is much wisdom in these few paragraphs.  For those "with ears to hear" it's a real short course in community revitalization. In some cases translation may be betrayal - but too much rigidity leads to rigor mortis.  The many ways in which colleagues have used their EI-ICA-OE learnings, adapting and growing, is a major gift of this movement.

Janice Ulangca
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bill Schlesinger 
  To: 'Colleague Dialogue' 
  Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2006 9:17 AM
  Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Fifth City Model in Republic of Korea


  It was good to hear Bob Griffin's comments.

   

  Carol and I have roughly (translation is always betrayal, says a Spanish proverb - traducer es traicioner) followed the Fifth City model in Project Vida in El Paso, Texas following our experiences in Chicago, the Oyubari Consult, Asherton and Conacaste.  Delimited geographic area (now expanded and a second area added), deal with all age levels and all life areas (economic, cultural and political), address the underlying contradiction, and create new symbols. Significant program areas include health care, housing (including homeless prevention and recovery), education, microenterprise development and credit union links, youth activities. Outcomes include now construction and management of about 100 units of low and moderate housing, a licensed early childhood program with 70+ children from six weeks to 12 years, Roots and Wings transitional living center for homeless families, an after-school drop in program for about 100 children in two communities (elementary and middle school), 50 member microenterprise association with a revolving loan fund, contracted on-site credit union, and Federally Qualified Health Center with three clinic sites and about 12,000 patients offering preventive and primary care, family planning and behavioral health on site,   There's an annual Community Congress - about 100 folk come each year.    Awards include National Community Development Assn's Achievement Award, HRSA's 'Models That Work,' United Way's 'Alicia Chacon Award for Putting El Paso First,' national citation for 'Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services.'  We've been providing consulting services to others who are interested in this approach - local churches, community groups, other Federally Qualified Health Centers.

   

  Momentum has come for us from having a core of people willing to do the slow slogging over years because they caught the vision and/or loved their neighborhood, having solid financial and programmatic reporting integrity, and having at least 1-2 folk who could articulate what was going on to invite other partners to support the project.

   

  Our learnings:  Need to select a community where the leadership invites you in, where there is visible need, and where few if any other programs see you as competition.  Build links of collaboration with other providers, participate in networks without trying to convert folk, but retaining our own context and offering solutions from that perspective to concrete issues.

   

  Bill Schlesinger
  Project Vida
  3607 Rivera Ave
  El Paso, TX 79905
  (915) 533-7057 x 207
  (915) 490-6148 mobile
  (915) 533-7158 fax
  pvida at sbcglobal.net

  1.  What have been some of the major accomplishments of the Fifth City Model?
  3.  What factors are necessary to sustain the momentum of these projects?
  4.  Are the 5 basic presuppositions still workable?
  5.  What other questions should be asked and answered about the HDPs?



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