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Maren Vodrazka

Debra Jizi

UWRT 1104

23 October 2017

Research Proposal: How to Lower Crime Rates Using a Community

1. Research Proposal Question: What can communities do to lower crime rates among

disadvantaged youth?

2. What is my primary purpose in researching this topic?

My primary purpose for this research proposal is to discover what the everyday

person can do to contribute and help lower the crime rates in their community. At

some point I want to foster disadvantaged children or work in a youth/rehab

center and give back to the people that need it. I want to prove that just because

someone comes from a generational background of crime and lives in an area

where it seems like their future is set in stone that they can be successful and go

against the majority. I believe that this problem is solvable and that public

servants and surrounding communities are the answer to this growing issue. My

character strength of leadership is something that I believe could be incredibly

beneficial in this field, as I am quite good at handling projects and delegating as

well. I would love to be in charge of a youth center or at least volunteer there one

day. I am also good at creative problem solving, so that has caused me to delve

into this subject matter and search tirelessly for a practical solution.

3. What prior beliefs/knowledge do I possess about this topic?

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I have always believed that people in more impoverished areas were subject to far less

opportunities for success. I grew up in Memphis, and while I did not live directly in the

projects, we were not far and I was not unfamiliar with it. It was considered so dangerous

that even venturing into the vicinity was unheard of and really meant that someone might

not come back. Because of the frightening stigma surrounding it, no one in our

community or in any surrounding one wanted to help the underprivileged children.

Though dangers may exist, you hear a lot of success stories about youth centers being

planted strategically, in areas like Chicago or Detroit, and having a profound effect on the

futures of young people. Stories like these caught my attention in years past and made me

wonder about this subject matter for years.