 Settlement work began in 1880s as reaction to organized charity  Goal was to bridge the gap between races and classes  Eliminate the sources of distress  Improve urban living and working conditions through the preventive approach

 Live and work with the urban poor  Be objective and positive  Base work on needs and desires of their neighbors  Bolster self-respect and accept people for who they are  Encourage people to retain and be proud of their own Old World traditions

 Concentrated on problems of an entire area and neighborhood  Looked at strengths rather than weaknesses  Provide an atmosphere where people of different backgrounds and positions in life could cooperate  Residence, reform, research

 Idealistic young men and women  About 25  Single  Fairly well-to-do, college graduates  Native born  From Northeast or Midwest  Women had few outlets for talents or education

 Establish a residence  Establish good relations with neighbors  Kindergarten and day care center  Clubs, gymnasiums, employment bureaus, kitchens, music halls, art galleries, dispensaries, savings banks, schools in citizenship

 Speeches, magazine articles  Research (Pittsburgh study)  Social action, teaching democracy, encouraging cooperative action  Strong ties to labor movement  National organization re: women’s labor, child labor, social insurance, peace