Rebekah+B.

Phase I: Who Am I? What's My Place?


 * What __really__  makes up your identity?

My name is Rebekah Waters Brewer, and I am a student, mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, and future teacher. These things make up my identity because at any point in time I could introduce myself as one of these things. Although there may be other identifying traits that make up me, these are the traits that I attribute to being the person I am. The past, present and future of my being.


 * What __really__  makes up your sense of place?

My sense of place is made up of my most important sense of identity, wife and mother. The most important "place" I an be is with my family. This is my most grounding feature, it anchors me to home. Home is a combination of familiarity and change. It holds my roots that feeds my branches.


 * What roles do your identity and sense of place play when you work with others in a group project?

My identity and sense of place allow me to draw connections with others in a group. As my identity has many facets, one is apt to correspond with other identities. The passion I have for my place is only equal to the passion I have for learning about others' sense of place. I see my identity and place as attributes that are influx and can be accented through contributing and listening to others.


 * What are the qualities that you bring to the GLIP conversation that will help you make a contribution to your global group?

Though it may seem like an odd attribute, I believe it is my common sense approach to given task that most often benefit people that I have worked with throughout my years. I have lived in places other than my childhood home, and this experience only expanded my common sense approach to task. I appreciate many different intelligences and have often assisted in making those that understand things in a different way to meet at a common point in an effort to move forward.


 * What is one local problem (where you live) that you believe needs to be addressed? Suggest some steps could you take to try to solve it?

I currently live in the small town that I grew up in. The town is situated between two metropolis areas, yet for twenty years it has teetered as to whether it would like to remain a small town or grow as the areas around it has. This is most evident in the school system where we have just recently completed a second high school and third middle school. At which point these schools were complete they were filled to capacity. As the school system has lagged behind in building schools it has created increased class size and a reduced opportunity to those students attending public schools. In an effort to force the issue of growing population despite the local governments' wishes to remain a small town I would like to bring awareness to the undeserved students and the resulting academic ramifications of over crowded schools. In order to do this I would need to gather comparative date from schools that institute strict class size policies with that of the local school system. Through the freedom of information act this information can be gathered, but the process is often timely and constantly changing.


 * Finally, some problems have been around for a long time. What qualities do you think a person must have to step up and try to solve them?

In short, a willingness. Problems are often times seen as an inevitable truth that many lack the willingness to challenge. A person wishing to address issues within the community, or the world, must be steadfast in their willingness to see the task through. This often times is interrupted by life, but it is through consistency that long time problems are solved. Those that are willingly to put self promotion aside for the greater good can achieve great things.

Phase II: Sense of Place

Upload image (s) here:



This a picture of Sanford, North Carolina taken from Depot Park. Lee County, the smallest county in North Carolina, was a major railway stop for those traveling to the surrounding metropolitan areas. Sanford is situated within an hour of Raleigh, Greensboro, Fayetteville, Durham, and Chapel Hill. This picture also indicates what for many years was the driving economy in Sanford, bricks. Until recent years the sign coming into Sanford informed you that it was the brick capital of the world. In the most recent years the economy has resulted in many of these brick companies closing. Sanford is a typical southern with a "church on every corner". This picture encapsulates the essence of Sanford, NC. Sanford does not hold any particular cultural events, but it does hold a farmers' market every Saturday starting in the spring and continuing through the fall. Local farms grow strawberries, asparagus, tomatoes, pumpkins, and many other seasonal produce. After a devastating tornado that swept through half of our small community last year, the community came together to help their neighbors in anyway possible. For many hours strangers helped strangers clean up, because in Sanford no one is a stranger for long.

What are your initial thoughts about how your image addresses the questions above? Later, you will be working with the members of your group to create a __travel package__ that includes visits to each group member's home location (see Phase II)

Phase III: Identify Local Issue:

What is your local issue?

A local issue for Sanford, North Carolina may not seem significant compared to those issues that have been addressed by the rest of the group, but in reality the domino effect of the a stagnant community can result in a lose of the community as a whole. As we have discussed, leadership is a very important element to advancement of the human race. Without adequate leadership and forward thinking leaders I fear the community I live in will crumble, I fear those who are under-represented with continue to be oppressed, I fear that the deterioration of small town America will be the start of an irreversible decline.

What can you do to be address the issue?

I think one of the most important things I do as individual is play an active role in the political process in my community. I work to support local politicians that support education, community development, and address local issues from nonpartisan positions.

What is the global impact of your local issue?

Adequate local leadership breeds global leadership. As the lack of such leadership will breed lack of global leadership. I believe that if we approach issues at a local level we can create a strong foundation for global action.

Add these thoughts to your Group's Discussion Forum on Local Issues