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Jimmy was a participant in an innovative <br /> " summer youth employment program <br /> called Inner City Mappers . Initiated by the � <br /> Greater Eastside Community Association , <br /> this unique , collaborative GIS project had A� q <br /> three basic objectives . The first objective <br /> was to provide summer employment for <br /> inner-city youth ; the second was to teach li) <br /> them marketable job skills ; and the third <br /> was to have them provide a service for <br /> their community by mapping Brownfields y� <br /> in Flint and Genesee County, Michigan . <br /> The ultimate goal , of course , was to help <br /> " these young folks envision what a positive, <br /> productive life they could have and give them a beginning means of achieving this future <br /> for themselves and their own families . <br /> Above right and below left: Knowing the <br /> a 3 �_11Wx171 1:1 ,�, exact locations of the problem would help <br /> rid Flint, Michigan, of blight- To that end, a <br /> - - GIS map of data with an exterior physical <br /> inventory and building assessment was <br /> - created. <br /> • Flint , Michigan , is a classic example of <br /> growing inner-city blight and urban distress . <br /> _ Factors such as the loss (since 1978) of <br /> - close to 50,000 General Motors jobs and <br /> -_ _ the subsequent out-county population <br /> migration has left the core city with many <br /> problems such as a proliferation of <br /> abandoned buildings and the highest child <br /> poverty rates in Michigan . A very large percentage of the City's children (and their well- <br /> being ) are deemed at risk by indicators such as health , educational attainment, family <br /> structures , and adequacy of income . <br /> • According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation ( from their annual national report, "Kids Count") , <br /> a child is at high risk if they live in a family with four or more of the following characteristics : <br /> Child is not living with two parents <br /> o Household head is high school dropout <br /> o Family income is below the poverty line <br /> Child is living with parent (s) who do not have steady, full-time employment <br /> v Family is receiving welfare benefits <br /> o Child does not have health insurance <br /> Given the above conditions , plus significant high school dropout and teen pregnancy rates , <br /> ' the scarcity of job training opportunities , and few recreational activities, it's not surprising that <br /> teenage gangs and crime-related activities in Flint are proliferating . Inner City Mappers is a <br /> program designed to offer youth a more positive alternative . <br /> 204 <br /> GIS Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan Chapter I - Departmental GIS Needs Assessment <br />