GLOBAL EVENTS THROUGH LOCAL EYES

THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF BALTIMORE

APRIL 15, 2009

INTRODUCTION

We are students of THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL in Baltimore. The Community School is an academic and mentoring program for inner city youth between the ages of 16 and 18 who are working to earn a GED credential and, hopefully, go on to college. There are just 14 students at The Community School and most of us have never left the communities in which we live—communities where our families struggle to get ahead, despite tough economic and substance-addictive environments.

Each week, we write an essay about a specific theme related to our world…and THE world. “Globalization” was a recent theme.  We would now like to share excerpts from our essays on this subject.

Globalization has played a large role in my life by impacting the way that I learn in school. For instance, when the French students visited us, we learned about the French culture.

Teaching us in the class and tutoring us after school, we have volunteers and staff members that have lived in different countries all around the world.

We plan to travel to Canada in the spring. This will allow us to view the Canadian way of life and let the people of The Community School impact the people of Canada.

Globalization is about how people can influence the way one another live their lives around the world. It is not just about how people affect me and the school. It is also about how we in the school affect the world.

Kris Watt

I experience globalization every day because I go to a school that has people of many different cultures coming to take their time to tutor us in certain subjects. Some of the people, such as Martin, come from Africa. He helps us in Geography. Another person who helps us is Susama, who is from Chicago, but she was raised with the cultural traditions of India. She helps us with Math. As a matter of fact, she just received her Ph.D! It’s amazing to know that so many people from around the world come to the United States to further their studies, learn more about American culture, and share their culture with us.

Lindsay Bigham

I see globalization as bringing the world together as one—different cultures, religions and ethnic backgrounds. For example, I live in Baltimore city, never left the United States a day in my life, but I’m now practicing to be a Muslim. That’s globalization. A religion that originated from another country is now mine.

Globalization has helped us in many ways, but it has also harmed us. As immigrants come to America, they take our jobs because they work for less. Ordinary working people that need a job in order to feed their families might then resort to violence in order to get what they don’t have.

Jarrad Gladden

The workforce in the United States is growing rapidly with many foreigners. The foreigners are willing to work for less than Americans, which results in employers hiring them instead of Americans, so they can save money. When the employers hire these immigrants, they ultimately give their fellow Americans less chance to get jobs. The decrease in jobs can be seen as a domino effect because when the immigrant gets the jobs, it takes away money from American families. This means that the families aren’t spending money, which results in the failing economy. One example of foreigners being hired in place of Americans can be seen when you call a company, like Comcast. A person in India answers and services your cable.

Anthony Mulcahy

For the most part, globalization is a good thing. Globalization can expand a country’s economy. It can also help people see things differently and respect what else is out there. People can learn a lot from globalization.

Globalization has changed America and made us more powerful, like how we have connections with other countries. It has also caused issues such as war, the 9/11 attacks, and being hated by other countries.

Larry Kearns

Globalization, in my eyes, is like the 9-11 situation. People from another country came to ours and caused a catastrophe for our country and the families that live here. After that, our president sent soldiers to Iraq and began war. A result of that was an increase of oil prices for our country.

Freddy Chilcote

Without globalization, the world would probably be in a bigger mess than it is now. Impoverished countries wouldn’t have the support of well-industrialized countries. Several places would be low on oil and, without trade, would very soon run out. The world needs globalization to function.

Erin Foltz

Because of globalization, I was able to meet my friend, and math tutor, Susama, who comes from Indian ancestry. Without her, I wouldn’t be able to learn math as well, or be able to learn about her life in India.

But with pros, there are cons. When everything comes together, it takes away from cultural purity. If something loses its individuality, then it may lose its meaning.

Sara Ciulla

Cultural diffusion can be good because people can get used to new cultures and traditions. This allows people to explore new worlds. It can be harmful if too many people start to act alike, and we lose the diversity in cultures.

When people think of globalization, they tend to think about how other nations and cultures affect certain parts of the world. I think it’s bigger than just that. Everybody is connected, from the Indonesian islands to the villages of India, to the big cities of the United States. We all affect each other.

Evan Green

I see Hispanic people all the time listening to hip-hop. I listen to Reggae, a Jamaican type of music. If you travel to China, you would see a McDonald’s on the corner. If you travel to France, you might see a Starbucks. I guarantee if you look on your tag, your clothes aren’t made in the United States. The world is mostly connected through economics.

Desmond Carter

Look at all the types of clothes and food products in our country. I have eaten many foods from other countries. I have shoes from Vietnam, and a hat from Bangladesh.

Freddy Chilcote

Globalization is cultural consumption—clothes, foods, and traditions. It not only affects our cultures, but also our economies. Without the United States trading with Vietnam, I wouldn’t be able to wear a lot of clothes that I like. Almost every product that I use is made in a foreign country and is shipped to the United States.

Lindsay Bigham

Religions are an example of globalization. There are only a handful of religions, but most of the people in the world are religious.

Desmond Carter

Trade is also globalization because it helps us interact with other countries. Globalization affects us all.

Amanda McCarty

When the French students came to visit, we all discussed where we lived in terms of what was different and what was the same. After the French students left, some students kept in touch by email, so you can see how advances in technology are important to globalization.

Ebony Love

Global education and learning different languages allows for greater understanding of people around the world. Also, the mixed culture of the U.S. allows people to communicate better with each other and understand each other better. This is the greatest aspect of globalization.

Kevin James

It is safe to say that we would not be the same without globalization. People from other countries make our clothes and export them here. We have friends from India and Africa. We have computers to make communication a lot faster. We also have to worry about terrorists while having close ties with a lot of countries. All these things tie together and make globalization what it is.

Samantha Sloat

CLOSE

We thank you for your attention and hope that our views on this subject have contributed to your conference.