Social Solution: An Outsourced Town

Some see a town of empty windows, abandoned and left to die. We see a town of possibilities, an empty canvas for the next generation of creative thinkers.

In the process of learning about globalization, students examined the reality of globalization and outsourcing by analyzing a fictional town of Springerfieldville, Michigan. After delving into the issues, they worked cooperatively to develop solutions for redefining this town in a digital age. Some of the solutions included a transnational, global solution (becoming a knowledge center, a tech-integrated town) while others were more regional / transnational (movie studio, organic farming town).

A few general trends emerged. Nearly every group mentioned either technology or eco-friendly ideas. In other words, they saw the need to use the tools of globalzation while still remaining stewards of the land. In our class discussions, some students struggled to reconcile the two concepts. For them, the profit motive attached to technology would always trump taking care of the environment. Others, however, saw technology as part of the solution for turning the town green. Another common trend included breaking down the barriers between the school and the community. Most groups included an internship or community service component to re-thinking the town's schools.

Each group spoke for 3-5 minutes followed by a large-group, class-wide Town Hall Meeting. The dialogue included nearly every student in the class and helped move from six to ten smaller plans to one or two larger plans that students voted on.

After our first day, we realized that the town was not as remote or fictional as we once believed. We were analyzing our own reality within the Maryvale Village of Phoenix. This was our story and our neighborhoods and our own experience of grasping for an identity in a globalized world. We talked about the factories that closed down (such as Motorola and Revlon) and the shift toward construction jobs after the outsourcing of industry. We mentioned what this meant for the housing crisis, the lack of money for education and the crime that plagues individual neighborhoods.

Though this might be idealistic, it is our dream that Maryvale might some day find transformation as we grapple with our globalized reality. Will we choose micronationalism or transnationalism? What industries will relocate here? Could we become a hub for green (especially solar) technology? Perhaps it will be this generation of students, after they go to college, who come back to this community and lead the transformation that will redefine Maryvale forever.

So, check out our blog at Globalization Solutions! Please leave some comments and mention vote for which one would work the best.

Photo Credit:
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