my BEAUTIFUL Providence

This week from the reading and documentary what stood out the most was a video called, Our Providence. I don't know if I was exactly suppose to write about this documentary or the one above it, but I picked "Our Providence" because it fixes perfectly with the reading and its personal to me. 

I grew up in Providence 5 blocks away from where Youth In Action is located on the South Side of Providence. Although I have visited other countries and cities in the United States, Providence is home to me. I am proud of my city and this is what this video talked about. A lot of people who think about Providence think about what the media exposes. I invite people to see beneath what the media portrays! Providence is beautiful. Yes, there is crime and it might not be the cleanest city with green grass everywhere but theres still so much more. Providence is filled with Youth who want to learn, give back to the community and learn about others. In the reading it explained how Youth have a voice too. This isn't limited to cities or towns. Youth workers shouldn't come into Providence because they feel bad either. There are low income students everywhere, but students do not think about that from day to day; they try to embrace what they have in front of them. I love what Youth in Action is doing, especially from the side of town and city I grew up in. I want the youth of Providence, and any city or town they belong to, to take pride in their surroundings, and making something even when their is nothing. 

My name is Mairim Perez. I was born and raised on the South Side of Providence, Rhode Island. I honor my Hispanic roots, but recognized my mother used her "village to raise a child." As a youth I participated in the YMCA, Elmwood community center, and City Year of Providence to enhance my love for gardening, ceramics, and creative writing. I now, thanks to my community sit at Rhode Island College beating the statistics that my background placed me in, with the help of my family and the city I grew up in. As life progresses, the cycle will continue and I will be that helper that once helped me.