Covering the Changing American Dream: Patch Launches "Dispatches"

Patch is excited to inaugurate a new series for Readers: "Dispatches: The Changing American Dream."

Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses, and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying: national debates about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government and private enterprise all touch on fundamental ways in which we see ourselves and our communities. Patch wants to explore that conversation on a daily basis so everyone can better understand how our neighbors are adjusting to the challenges and opportunities that surround us.

No one thinks there is one American Dream, but a multitude of American Dreams that a multitude of people are working toward. Looking out across nearly 900 Patch sites, you can see businesses holding their breath deciding whether to expand; college graduates returning home because they can't find jobs and senior citizens bringing boarders into their homes to help pay their bills. We also see bold new volunteer efforts, inspiring stories of local businesses that succeed because they innovated, and locals who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

At the purely local level, Patch wants to know where we, as Plymouth neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

Nationally, there's a debate about which government-building efforts are "shovel-ready." Locally, we know that the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools is feeling the pinch and downtown business owners are trying to make the most of a down economy.

"Dispatches" will be built upon the compelling vignettes and snapshots unearthed across all of the Patch sites.

And, of course, they want your help: Tell them what issues and what stories in Plymouth go to the heart of your American Dream.

What issues and stories in Plymouth define your American Dream? Tell Patch in the comments section of this original post on Patch.com!

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As Read on: http://plymouth-mi.patch.com/articles/covering-the-american-dream-patch-launches-dispatches?ncid=M255