At the 2022 Cradle to Career Network Convening last month, we gathered with changemakers, community leaders, youth, experts, government leaders and more to explore how we can unite around our shared vision and get to transformational change for kids across the country. The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network already reaches one in seven young people…
When we transform systems, we open pathways for youth to thrive. Systems transform when changes are embedded in a community and its institutions, creating permanent shifts to policies, practices, resources and power structures. The way a community works together leads to better outcomes for kids, especially for Black, Indigenous, Latine and Asian youth and…
When we first landed on this year’s theme for the annual convening, What Unites Us: Their Future. Our Work., I immediately thought that Eric Liu would be a perfect speaker for the occasion. For the last 15 years I’ve kept a copy of his book, The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker, on my…
Stories create and sustain our unique and shared cultures. These stories become a set of data that informs our beliefs and values – and influence the systems that perpetuate the disparate and inequitable results kids and families of color and those experiencing poverty face across our country. Clint Smith kicked off the second day of…
On paper, Dr. Robert George and Dr. Cornel West make an unlikely pair. “I’m an old-school, traditional conservative. Cornel is honorary chairman of the Democratic Socialists of America. That’s pretty far apart,” said Dr. George. But despite having opposing views on topics from politics to philosophy, the two share a long, close friendship that can…
When Liz Dozier arrived at Fenger High School, it felt like someone had dimmed the lights. At the time, it was known as one of most violent and underperforming schools in Chicago. During Dozier’s first year as principal, 300 arrests happened in the building. The school’s drop-out rate was 20%, and the graduation rate was…
StriveTogether President and CEO Jennifer Blatz opened the 2022 Cradle to Career Convening with a bold vision to place 100 million young people on a path to mobility in the United States. The Cradle to Career Network already reaches one in seven young people ages 0-24. Its work to change lives by changing systems is…
In an ideal community, resources would flow to support kids. Public and private funders would invest in what’s working to get better and more equitable outcomes. Instead of competing for dollars, organizations could work together to make sure that each has what they need to fulfill their mission and contribute to the community’s shared vision.…
Just as building materials are the core of physical infrastructure, trusting relationships are at the heart of civic infrastructure. Like the roads and bridges of physical infrastructure, civic infrastructure holds a community together and allows it to grow and thrive. Unlike physical infrastructure, though, civic infrastructure is the connections and structures that we can’t see…
What’s possible when a community comes together around a shared vision, uses data to make decisions and invests in creating lasting change? In Milwaukee, more kids are getting the early care and education they need, students are getting funding for opportunities after high school, voices from across the community are reflected in decisions and more.…
“So, what do you do?” We’ve all heard this question. Sometimes, our answers are met with nods of recognition; other times, helping someone understand our role requires more explanation. People working to develop their community’s civic infrastructure might need to share a lot of extra explanation. Civic infrastructure isn’t something we can see or touch.…
Meditation is old and honorable, so why should I not sit, every morning of my life, on the hillside, looking into the shining world? Because, properly attended to, delight, as well as havoc, is suggestion. Can one be passionate about the just, the ideal, the sublime, and the holy, and yet commit to no labor…