Simon Chandler
Non-Resident
Keywords: community service, soccer, public schools, climate change, segregation, identity
Biography
Simon Chandler was born in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. He graduated from North Staffordshire in 1990. After that, he began traveling through America. He got to El Paso in 1991 to work as a volunteer in Casa Anunciacion. Before coming to the United States, Simon had impacting life experiences in Africa and Israel, shaping his approach to community life and community service. After that, he came to the United States to know the culture more profoundly, leading him to El Paso as a volunteer at Casa Anunciación. His plans to travel to Peru changed unexpectedly, keeping him and his family in the city for over 30 years. Currently, Simon Chandler is Assistant Director of the Community Engagement Program at the El Paso Independent School District and directs the Segundo Barrio Fútbol Club.
“I think that in any other part of the world I would have canceled [the soccer match] because of the high temperature…”
Interview Summary
Born and raised in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England, Simon Chandler has devoted himself to community work and community service in places like Ciudad Juárez (Rancho Anapra) and the Segundo Barrio. Part of his view about community was developed in his trips to Africa and Israel, motivating him to always try to live in the community he works for. Passionate about soccer, Simon developed projects with youth in the Segundo Barrio, from serving as a public school teacher to creating a soccer team run by volunteers. Based on his experiences, Mr. Chandler describes the differences between Segundo Barrio schools and housing versus other areas in El Paso. He also speaks to the climate changes that he perceives in the El Paso/Ciudad Juárez region over more than30 years that he has lived in the area, and how that particularly affects low-income communities such as the Segundo Barrio.
Interview Summary
Born and raised in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England, Simon Chandler has devoted himself to community work and community service in places like Ciudad Juárez (Rancho Anapra) and the Segundo Barrio. Part of his view about community was developed in his trips to Africa and Israel, motivating him to always try to live in the community he works for. Passionate about soccer, Simon developed projects with youth in the Segundo Barrio, from serving as a public school teacher to creating a soccer team run by volunteers. Based on his experiences, Mr. Chandler describes the differences between Segundo Barrio schools and housing versus other areas in El Paso. He also speaks to the climate changes that he perceives in the El Paso/Ciudad Juárez region over more than30 years that he has lived in the area, and how that particularly affects low-income communities such as the Segundo Barrio.