We are so pleased to bring you State of the Re:Union’s 2011 Fall Season with the following episodes:

The Bronx, NY: Still Rising from the Ashes
The Bronx has long been seen as a symbol of America’s failings.  For many people here, ‘making it’ means escaping the crime and poverty of their borough.  But some have refused to flee. This episode shines a light on the hold-outs and the dreamers, people who’ve committed their lives to keeping chaos at bay in the Bronx.

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Mississippi Gulf Coast: Defending the Gulf
After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the area, Mississippi Gulf Coast residents were forced to come together to deal with the aftermath. Then, just as they were starting to get back on their feet, the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster dumped millions of barrels of oil into the water just off their shores. Cumulatively, these events have made environmentalists out of a whole lot of Gulf Coast residents who may not have considered themselves as such. We tell an hour of stories about the fight for the natural world bringing Gulf Coast residents together … both with one another and with unlikely partners. And how, in some instances, that fight is turning out to be exactly what a community needed to survive.

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Wyoming: The New Old West
People are few and far between in Wyoming.  Those that do live here prize tradition, self-reliance, and their connection to the land.  So when change comes to the high plains—an oil boom, a minister with new ideas—communities here are tested.   And neighbors have to strike a balance between preserving their independent way of life and learning to rely on one another. We trek to the small towns and remote ranches of Wyoming, meeting people as they adapt to the New Old West.

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Cleveland, OH: Entrepreneurs at Work
Cleveland, Ohio, is a city that was made by entrepreneurs. But for decades, it’s been known as a city that’s a shell of its former manufacturing-era glorious self. However, Cleveland is being embraced by a new generation of entrepreneurs as a place to put their dreams in motion. This is a now a city of entrepreneurship in a range of incarnations … in their kids’ education, in the environment, even in beer. This is an hour of entrepreneurial stories, taking a look at that go-get-em-seize-your-dreams energy in a variety of forms.

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Sacramento, CA: All Hands on Deck
There’s been a lot of bad news coming out of Sacramento lately: homelessness, the foreclosure rate, unemployment, and political gridlock in a state crippled by the recession.  Add to that a stubborn case of political fatigue, and you’ve got a lot of reasons to write this cityoff.  But we trekked to California’s beleaguered state capital to take a peek behind the national headlines and find out who keeps this city running—day in, day out—despite all that’s going wrong.  And we left with the realization that people in Sacramento are remaking the American city, in surprising and deeply moving ways.

We are perpetually moved by the incredible stories, people and communities we encounter in making each SOTRU episode. This season is no exception and we are sure that you will be as surprised as we were to learn the things happening in our communities.  You can visit the above pages to listen and download full episodes. There will also be some additional goodies (pictures, articles, and in some cases, a video documentary) you can peruse, adding even more insight into each episode.

Please listen for State of the Re:Union on your local public radio station. In the event your local station isn’t carrying us, you could always give them a call and request it! We’re sure they would love to hear from their listeners anyway. Thanks again for supporting SOTRU. We hope you enjoy the new episodes, documentaries and other bonus features from our travels.

*Listeners in Northeast Florida, you can celebrate the launch of the fall season with us at our annual fundraising event.  Together, Jacksonville’s Museum of Modern Art (MOCA) with SOTRU’s very own, Al Letson, will be hosting and entertaining with a live performance. ‘State of the Re:Union Live’ on Saturday, Oct 22, 2011, will have two shows: the first begins at 7:00 p.m. and the second is at 8:30 p.m. The seats are VERY  limited, so to make sure you don’t miss out, you can purchase tickets in advance for $15 here, or $20 at the door (provided there are seats still available).  See you there!

In preparation for SOTRU’s new season beginning September 16th, we offer you a sneak peek of a featured city you can look forward to learning more about. This week’s School Spotlight will focus on on two New York City public schools in the Bronx, recently recognized by the NYC Department of Education and the NYC Service initiative during their first annual “Service in School” awards.

These public city schools have refused to tarry at the threshold of a predictable fate confined to mediocrity.  Students are stepping outside of comfort zones (yes, sometimes that “step” is more of a “push” from faculty who believe and dream bigger than expected by students.), taking  back control of their neighborhood with service to the community. They are being recognized for one of two service award categories:

• Excellence in Service, which acknowledges exceptional service programs demonstrating significant student engagement and initiative, community partnerships, and sustainability.
• Remarkable Growth in Service, which recognizes new school service programs that have significantly impacted its community during its first or second year in operation.

Excellence in Service Winners

P.S. 132 Garret A. Morgan completes a series of community-based service projects. Students are able to witness the direct impact of their community service efforts through projects like school beautification on Earth Day and a grassroots campaign to raise asthma awareness among parents. They also engage service partnerships with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Remarkable Growth in Service

Bronx Early College Academy for Teaching
and Learning

Two afterschool clubs at the Bronx Early College Academy for Teaching and Learning give students an opportunity to improve their community. The “Community Service Club” and “No Place For Hate: the Anti-bias Club” have generated partnerships with community organizations like City Harvest, the Anti-Defamation League, the LGBT Community Center, and an orphanage in Uganda.

The Mission for Service in Schools: Strive to expand the number of NYC students engaged in transformative community service and service-learning experiences that enable them to use their voice, skills, and critical thinking to affect positive change in their communities and the world.

These are just two of the schools in New York City participating in the Service in Schools program. There are many more students who are rising to the call and rallying for the betterment of their community through actions of service. To find out more about the program and additional schools awarded, click here.

Through the Service in Schools program,  they are taking control of their futures, for both children and community. Young men and women are learning firsthand how being a responsible and caring steward of their neighborhoods can influence lives. They are rising above and wiping away the less-than-stellar stigma associated with this borough. Small steps pave the way to hope, and these small steps will affect a change raising the bar that was set too low in past years. These Bronx youths are now being held to higher standards, creating an understanding of just how capable of they are achieving extraordinary goals.