* If you/your student previously attended a trip
The Gateway Arch stands ready to welcome visitors to St. Louis, and to serve as a reminder that this city was once considered the "Gateway to the West." Today, this vibrant city is home to world-renowned educational institutions and hospitals, the ever-popular Cardinals baseball team, beautiful botanical gardens, and the expansive Forest Park -- the largest urban park in the country, surpassing New York's Central Park in size. St. Louis is also full of art and a variety of cultural and historical attractions. However, St. Louis is also a very broken city. The racial divisions in St. Louis are so significant that the city was recently featured on a BBC documentary, and the nation's attention has been focused on the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson since an officer-involved shooting in August, 2014. The protests that followed this shooting and the subsequent grand jury decision called attention to racial tensions in St. Louis and in urban areas throughout the country. Poverty, unemployment, and homelessness are alsosignificant problems, especially as much of the industry that helped to make St. Louis a booming city in the first half of the twentieth century, has declined. The decline of the city's population has also made it a popular destination for immigrants and refugees, who have brought with them an additional set of hopes and needs. St. Louis is a city of contrasts, and alongside the brokenness are many people who are working to bring life and restoration back to the city. Indeed, in the aftermath of the unrest of 2014, there have been many displays of unity and hope that make this an exciting time to be involved with what's happening in St. Louis.
While the Mississippi River is a prominent natural barrier, dividing the cities of St. Louis and East St. Louis, Delmar Boulevard is one that is just as significant. Known as the “Delmar Divide”, Delmar Boulevard acts as a socioeconomic and racial diving line in St. Louis, MO. Redlining and discriminatory housing practices in the mid-and-late Twentieth Century created clear north-south geographic boundaries between white and minority ethnic groups. To the South, residents and visitors can enjoy The Delmar Loop, or “The Loop” to residents. The Loop is an entertainment, cultural and restaurant district surrounding the local universities and Forest Park. Neighborhoods are predominately white, and the median income is $50,000. Just north of the divide, the population is predominantly black and the median household income $18,000. The combination of disparate economic realities and current events, including the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown nearby Ferguson, has led to tense race relations in the Greater St. Louis area. Serving YouthWorks in St. Louis affords students the opportunity to serve alongside and learn from people experiencing economic disadvantages and life challenges related to their ethnicity. Our hope is for students to better understand how life circumstances shape personal opportunities in St. Louis, and to share the love of Christ beyond racial boundaries. While YouthWorks cannot address all the race relation issues, we can come alongside local organizations tangibly meeting the daily needs of the community, especially of those living north of Delmar Boulevard, a place equally known as “One of the 10 Great Street in America” and one of the most segregated cities in America.