Emmy-winning journalist and self-proclaimed Democracy junkie Maria Hinojosa’s words stung like a paper cut, conjuring up my memories of growing up Black and invisible in a semi-rural white community. As she kicked off the fourth day of the 2021 Annual Convening, I found myself relating to the powerlessness she described of young Latinx children who…
Going further together Listening to Heather McGhee break down “zero-sum” thinking and its crippling impact on our nation at the 2021 Annual Convening underscored for me the importance of the Cradle to Career Network. “We’re all on the same team.” If we are going to change the “zero-sum” thinking that has been holding back all…
Home is sacred. Home is safe. Yet as we heard from Matthew Desmond, author of “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City,” and Terri Ludwig, president of Ballmer Group Philanthropy at Tuesday’s keynote plenary at the Roots to Rise 2021 Cradle to Career Network Convening, home is, far too often, out of reach…
Over a decade ago, communities stood up and said we want something better for kids and families. From Seattle, Washington, to Spartanburg, South Carolina, place-based partnerships emerged to eradicate inequitable outcomes and transform the systems that perpetuate them. Ten years later, we know that change is possible. The roots of the StriveTogether Cradle to Career…
How shifting grantmaking practices leads to better results Authors: Kara Shibiya and Brittany Speed The philanthropic sector is well-positioned to lead and support an equitable recovery in our country; however, redesigning systems amid a pandemic requires rethinking how communities are accessing the resources they need, as well as the role funders can play as a trusted partner. At StriveTogether, we’ve…
A shared vision for what’s possible for every child, cradle to career, is at the heart of our work. The systemic obstacles we’re facing are too large for any one entity to tackle on its own — it takes a collective approach to address the underlying challenges youth and families are facing. To be…
StriveTogether is partnering with Walmart.org to support the Retail Opportunity Network, which is a community of leaders focused on upskilling and learning, job success, and economic mobility for all people working in frontline roles across America. Orlando Cazarez, a senior program manager at the Center for the Future of Arizona shares some of his learning…
The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network is uniquely positioned to leverage the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) given our decade-long experience building civic infrastructure in nearly 70 communities across 29 states. We have the knowledge, skills, tools and relationships to support districts and municipalities with the direction of American Rescue Plan Act funds. Our aim…
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to be a part of an amazing all-female panel discussing the role of neighborhood organizations and the networks that support them in improving outcomes for youth and families. Moderated by the brilliant Angela Glover Blackwell, I joined Dreama Gentry and Sondra Samuels to share what we have learned…
Ray Charles’ “Hit the Road Jack” begins to play as the StriveTogether Leadership Program seminar concludes. Several participants chuckle as they pack their materials to head home, having discovered that the music over the previous two days was themed given the activity or time of day. For decades, researchers have studied how music affects people’s productivity,…
This is an excerpt of a piece published in the Cincinnati Enquirer. Read the full piece here. The COVID-19 crisis demands leadership at its best and women are answering the call in Cincinnati and Ohio. Women everywhere have the opportunity to step up and lead in their neighborhoods and communities. No act of empathy, kindness…
