This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, March 21, 2011 - You will make all kinds of mistakes, but as long as you are generous and true and also fierce you cannot hurt the world or even seriously distress her. She was made to be wooed and won by youth. -- Winston Churchill
The words of the late British Prime Minister sum up my feelings about the two-day "Open/Closed: Exploring Vacant Property in St. Louis" event hosted by nextSTL.com. Shortly after arriving at Friday's opener at the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, I realized that the conveners, volunteers and attendees were mostly young people -- bright-eyed, idealistic 20somethings, ready to boldly tackle problems that have plagued our region for decades.
According to a recent report by the Show Me Institute, there are more than 9,000 parcels of vacant property in St. Louis. Yet, when Andrew J. Faulkner, 27, a graduate of the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, described the problem it was done with refreshing optimism:
"If land equals security, stability and potential wealth in the American cultural psyche, then we are sitting on a potential goldmine," Faulkner said before detailing the intent he and his peers had for the event: "The key to discourse is to identify shared goals, shared experiences and potentials for shared success. I hope in our own small way that we managed to build a foundation for such a discourse."
Through panel discussions, a caravan tour of vacant North St. Louis properties and a communal dinner in the basement of Holy Trinity Church, the youngsters were able to thoroughly dissect the subject of vacancy in St. Louis with a contagious vibe of progress. Oh, there were contentious moments -- discussions about solutions and how vacancies negatively impact the region were bound to make a few city representatives and developers jittery. But the disputes and differences were minor blips in the otherwise engaging discussions.
The respectful discourse was a pleasant surprise for University of Missouri-St. Louis student Kasey Klimes, 20, the event's self-professed "nuts and bolts" audio and video guy:
"Upon hearing the makeup of our panels, many expected a fist fight or two. We weren't sure what to expect ourselves, really," Klimes admitted. "While there were fireworks and moments of passion, it was an inspiring moment in which individuals and organizations set aside their differences for the sake of progress."
On Friday, Theaster Gates founder of the Hyde Park arts organization, Rebuild Foundation, welcomed the audience and shared his enthusiasm about RJ Koscielniak, 24, a Washington University grad student, who helped organize the Open/Closed weekend:
"I am so happy it was a 24-year-old who brought us together instead of someone from the city's planning department."
I am, too. No offense to the planning department or any other city agency but many of our seasoned elected officials, activists and civic leaders are entrenched in patterns of engagement that hasn't provided the necessary oomph to nudge the city toward its true potential.
The Open/Closed planners are mostly white, yet they are active participants in activities aimed at improving long-ignored and disenfranchised urban communities. During a panel discussion on regenerating vacant properties, audience members were asked to raise their hands if they had actually walked the streets of North St. Louis recently.
More than 75 percent of the attendees had their hands in the air.
Harkening back to Churchill's comment, our region needs to be wooed by our youth. With a major loss in population in the city and county, according to recent Census figures, we need to engage and keep young, bright minds among us. In a racially and regionally polarized region, we desperately need young folk who aren't afraid to walk urban streets and help create inclusive environments that garner positive headlines about the St. Louis region.
We need the young and the young-of-heart, those who echo the sentiments of 34-year-old Alex Ihnen with NextStl.com when describing the impact of the Open/Closed event he helped organize:
"There should now be recognition that we all seek the same thing. If we can sit face-to-face, black-white, young-old, and repeat what we all want, we can begin to believe it can happen. We can begin to believe that we're stronger working together."
Sylvester Brown Jr. is a freelance writer and founder of When We Dream Together, a local nonprofit dedicated to urban revitalization.