Terry Linhart's Blog, page 32
March 12, 2012
Youth and the urban/rural divide
Globalization's most significant divide isn't between countries, but the gap it grows between the have's and the have-not's within countries. One such gap exists between rural and urban youth, particularly in underdeveloped countries where roads and technology don't allow for people to commute very far. Teens in cities have greater access to technology, to learning one of the world's major languages (English, Mandarin, Farsi, Spanish), and obtaining a better education. Thus, they'll likely earn more as adults and have better healthcare and so on.
The world recently reached a milestone when now more than half of its population lives in cities and less than half lives in rural areas. This has some concerned about the future of farming in the world. Farming is a difficult profession, with little prospect for significant 'advancement' or status in life. If you're a dairy farmer, arguably the most demanding lifestyle in the world with little chance to see the world beyond a half day's drive from home…. ever, that is more pronounced. And yet the world's stomachs turn on the daily ability of farmers to produce food.
Historically, people and families moved to urban centers to take jobs in industry, cities serving as the primary source for employment. Now industry has moved away from urban centers and the urban move now is so that people can be 'connected' – to particular occupational fields (i.e. music in Nashville, insurance in Philly, publishing in New York, sleepless in Seattle), or to a particular lifestyle (have you seen a TV show that depicts the rural life as desirable in the 21st century?), or to being close to the 'action.' We feel like we're "in' when we're in the city and we think that those who aren't are out of touch. Seriously. Have you ever heard people in cities talk about those who live in rural communities?
As I read this article, I thought of those who have committed their focus to working with rural youth, youth work being my field, across the USA. Doug and Dawn Routledge developed Crossroads Farm in Michigan and the National Network of Youth Ministry has a rural youth workers' affinity network.
What have been your observations regarding the rural/urban divide? What have you noticed in your context regarding the urban migration?
