Escondido woman's online magazine tackles social issues

By: GARY WARTH - Staff Writer | Saturday, May 21, 2005 9:11 PM PDT ∞

After looking at other online sites about social activism in San Diego, Jessica Petrencsik saw room for improvement.

"This is going to sound awful, but a lot of them are tacky," she said in her mother's Escondido kitchen one recent afternoon.

Despite the progressive sites' good intentions, they too often were amateurish, gaudy or even shrill with their message, she said. Even more deadly, some were just bland, and Petrencsik, 31, said she believed they were just as likely to scare people away as to draw them in.

Her solution is Concrete Magazine (www.ConcreteMagazine.com), an online compilation of articles, artwork, book reviews and calendar events aimed at social causes. The first and so far only edition, launched in March, is still online and contains articles about an ecological designer, a home for people with AIDS, urban gardening, a court decision affecting the homeless and other topics.

Social justice, equality and human rights sometimes can seem like abstract ideas, but Petrencsik wanted to treat them as something tangible, a goal that inspired the magazine's name.

"When we talked in writing class, people said to give concrete details," said Petrencsik, a San Pasqual High School graduate and a 1996 graduate of Point Loma Nazarene College who lives in Escondido.

As she explained on the Web site: "Concrete refers to something tangible. Something that can be seen, felt, heard. People sometimes pay lip service to ideas of justice and equity, claiming an interest in the plights of others, while in reality insulating themselves when real concern requires change. Concrete Magazine wants to see palpable acts of justice, real and lasting changes in systems, attitudes, and personal interactions."

Petrencsik earlier had considered calling the magazine "Neighborhood," and the site has a community feel with sections called "The Alley," "The Backyard," "The Neighborhood" and "The Library." The tone is decidedly non-abrasive.

"In Concrete Magazine, you will find no use of words like 'liberal' or 'conservative,' 'leftist' or 'right-wing,'" Petrencsik wrote on her site. "We are not interested in fanaticism of any type. We are interested in reconciliation ---- in bringing folks who care about people together, to work together."

Petrencsik wrote an article about how Pam Shimmin of Escondido inspired her children by taking them with her as she fed the homeless. Another article spotlights eighth grader Hope Tweed of Escondido, who helped build homes in Mexico. A third article lists different organizations that work for social justice by supporting various causes through merchandise sells.

There is one label that Petrencsik does not shy away from: Christian. Most of the writers on her staff are friends from her church or Point Loma Nazarene College.

"My view of social justice is Christ-based," Petrencsik said, adding that she does not want to alienate anybody who is not a Christian.

"Though our founder's philosophy is explicitly Christ-centered, we provide comprehensive coverage of interfaith and secular efforts in all areas of justice," the Web site reads.

While her own Christian beliefs guide her moral compass, Petrencsik said writers and contributors are not expected to share the same religious views, although they likely do share a common cause.

"We all believe that we are responsible for San Diego County in an intentional way," she wrote on the site.

"We believe that our spiritual and philosophical ideas are only as good as their pragmatic application, that talk doesn't cost nearly enough, and that our most honest investment in people and community comes through direct involvement."

Petrencsik joined the Peace Corps after graduating college and spent three years ---- one longer than her original commitment ---- teaching English in Zimbabwe.

"I'd wake up in the morning and go outside, look at the valleys and the hillsides, and I felt happy and content to be where I was, and I hadn't really felt that before," she said about why she stayed so long.

She returned to San Diego and taught at Hoover High School, then briefly studied communications at Marquette University in Wisconsin. She returned in spring 2002 and married Brent Petrencsik, a fellow Peace Corps worker.

She is working part-time at Crossroads Christian Reform Church as a youth director, but plans to leave that job this summer to join her husband in Albany, N.Y.

That leaves the future of Concrete Magazine uncertain, but Petrencsik said she hopes it will continue without her and even grow to inspire other Concrete Magazines around the country.

For now, the site encourages people to do whatever they can to "make this justice stuff personal," as stated in the site's Backyard section.

"Maybe you personally don't have time, but you can teach these values to your children," Petrencsik said. "To say we don't have time, that's not a good enough excuse."

Jessica Petrencsik is seeking writers to contribute to Concrete Magazine and help it grow. Contact her at editor@concretemagazine.com. Details about contributing to the magazine can be found at www.ConcreteMagazine.com.

Contact staff writer Gary Warth at gwarth@nctimes.com or (760) 740-5410.

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