Every community has its own "scholars"... our task is to find those scholars within, and to re-connect them with the community as part of its social capital support network.

villageprojects@aol.com

The Scholars Within Projects were launched with the realization that even those of us from underrepresented groups become entrapped in mainstream ways of knowing, often to the discounting of community knowledge. We have not compared what we have learned in the mainstream to what is relevant to underserved communities. We are less likely to be actively involved in policy and other decisions. Failure to do this renders us more likely to perpetuate disparities, and to remain silent.

We posit that students/graduates may not be learning from, nor contributing to, the knowledge base of underserved communities. We may have failed to see the importance of advice/ feedback/critiques from the community. Subsequently research is developed and completed within a mainstream framework. This research returns to that mainstream majority, as a part of its body of knowledge. The original community, which presented these students to the mainstream, is often left without the direct benefit of informing the work, or knowing more about it. Underprivileged communities remain underrepresented, and underserved. When knowledge is taken from a community, it becomes a drain on the social capital of that community. The Scholars Within brings the knowledge back to the community, and reconnects persons with their communities of origin.

We feel that these Scholars Within are valuable assets to the community and can Stand in the Gap and assist with the formation of Villages of mentors. We are your link to the community. You need the communities, and the communities need you! Email us today villageprojects@aol.com