Inner City

I went to Winnipeg's inner city (North End) with some youth the other day and it was an eye opener to see how much we take for granted only a short drive away. It wasn't so much what we saw, though we did see women standing on the corners, working track as they call it, and boarded up houses, it was the realization of the environment kids teens and parents live in. The system is so messed up and it seems so little one could do to change that. Kids steal cars for the experience because they don't think they'll ever get a drivers license because they don't know anyone who know how to drive, thus no one to teach them, even if that "them" was willing. Or Young adults who don't get jobs because they have grown up in a neighbourhood where they never watched their family or their neighbours go to work, it's just not normal. Now the inner city minister who was touring us around was sure to tell us there are a lot of people living there trying to make their life work in their environment, but it is very hard by the sounds of it. There was so much more that was interesting and informative. This taught me to reserve my judgments of why people are in their self destructing lives. I feel more compassion now.

Visit an inner city where you are if you have a chance, it will help you better understand the people that live there.