WHERE – New York City
New York, NY (aka “NYC” or “The Big Apple”) is home to 8.3 million people and is America’s largest city by population. NYC has a long history for being at the forefront of world commerce, trade, and entertainment and the city retains that legacy in being the global hub for following industries:
- Finance (Wall Street)
- Entertainment (Broadway and TV)
- Arts & Culture (Fashion, Hip Hop, and Food)
NYC also holds sway in the political area with very powerful lawmakers setting precedent that reverberate around the nation. The city has long been the world HQ for the United Nations. There are estimates that 170 languages are spoken in NYC [1] and that 36% of the population is foreign-born [2].
With this global backdrop, it is understandable that 44 million tourists visit NYC each year. They come to see some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. The tourists go visit the Statue of Liberty or the NY Stock Exchange. And many will visit the bustling Times Square area, where an estimated 1.5-2.0 million pass through each day.
New York City has long symbolized the promise and opportunity of America. And it is in this city that ACT selects and trains caring business professionals as mentors for our interACT Mentoring Program.
If I didn’t go to Africa and just stayed in New York living my life, I would’ve never seen how God would use me in this world. – Maria Bae, 16
WHY – South Africa and Cape Town
South Africa has a troubling underbelly despite its bustling economy and commerce. The nation was ravaged by colonial rule then apartheid for many years. These atrocities created large disparities within South Africa for the “haves” and “haves not”.
Approximately 25% of the population suffers from chronic unemployment [3]. Nearly the same amount people live on less than $1.25 per day [4]. Visitors to Cape Town and Johannesburg have noted how you can go from lush, Western environs to deeply impoverished, shanty communities in minutes. As recent as 2002, 56% of Africans lived below the poverty line, 36% of coloureds were in the same category but only 6.9% of white South Africans lived in poverty.
The dour backdrop, as supported by the following statistics, can be saddening:
- 10% of their population is infected with HIV/AIDS (Medical Research Council)
- 1.4 million orphans due to AIDS in 2007 (avert.org)
- 7.7 million people live in 1.4 million ‘dwellings’ in informal settlements without proper water, sewage and/or electricity.
- Only 22% of black African youth make it to Grade 12.
Cape Town, in particular, is particularly troubling. The city has one of the highest murder rates in the world and many of its crime rates surpass other parts of the South African nation. For individuals under the age of 30, nearly 70% of black Africans and about 40% of coloured people were unemployed [5].
The aforementioned stats serve as fierce headwind to efficacy of education and development in Cape Town school kids. Students in the ACT interACT Mentoring Program hail from the notorious “Cape Flats” area of Cape Town which has a world-renowned reputation for high rates of crime, violence, and HIV infection rates.
ACT firmly believes that caring mentors can staunch the negativity and challenges facing these youth. We believe that these nurturing relationships can transform lives, people, and communities.
Footnotes:
[1] “Queens: Economic Development and the State of the Borough Economy” (PDF). New York State Office of the State Comptroller. June 2006. http://www.osc.state.ny.us/osdc/rpt3-2007queens.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
[2] “The Newest New Yorkers: 2000″ (PDF). New York City Department of City Planning. 2005. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/census/nny_briefing_booklet.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
[3] “South Africa’s Unemployment Rate Increases to 23.5%”, Bloomberg, May 5, 200
