Problem:
The wealth disparity in Gainesville, Florida is huge compared to other cities in the United States. We have found that a big reason for this is that Gainesville is a small city with a big University.
Opportunity:
I would like to propose a potential solution to lessen the gap.
Potential Solution:
When it comes down to it, there ain't much I can do as an individual to change the University of Florida's contribution habits. Other than lobbying and joining DIVEST, it would be hard to come up with a service to encourage the university to contribute more to the city and improve wealth disparities.
This means that I will have to approach this from a different perspective. This is obviously moving in the direction of nonprofit. Nonprofits have developed all over Gainesville specifically for this purpose. How will mine be different? I will need to creatively allocate my funds in smart ways because nonprofits are not money machines. But lets start simple and broad. What will my nonprofit do?
My nonprofit's mission: To provide mentorship to Gainesville's bottom 20%. The Heavener School of Business has CAP mentors, who help students draft resumes in the proper ways, and find internships as well as potential employers. This nonprofit will do the same thing to the struggling community in Gainesville.
How we will keep the lights on: Without grants, this nonprofit will fail. It is a nonprofit, after all.
A nonprofit might be outside of the rules of this assignment. I'm sticking with it though because when I'm older, I hope to help those who need it for living.
Living in Gainesville for two years now, I was not entirely aware of this problem in our community. I have seen poverty around some areas away from campus, but it is definitely interesting and surprising to learn this. I think that the proposed mentorship of the lowest earning 20% of the city would be a functional and cost-effective solution that can make positive contributions to the community.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to know that Gainesville has little to offer if you don’t go to school there, work for UF, or work for Shands. Any help from non-profits or UF would be a great for other people deciding to live in that city. I left Gaineville 5-6 years ago but every time I go back I feel that it has changed a lot.
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