I was recently reminded of a poem by Wendell Berry that resonated strongly because it describes the very nature of our work. Berry is one of my literary heroes, we’re both Kentucky natives and University of Kentucky graduates. As an English major, I read much of his poetry and fiction. And I find myself returning…
Improving economic and social mobility in our communities is complex work and cannot happen in a vacuum. As the philanthropic sector continues to grapple with the best way to address these layered challenges, the default is often a siloed approach that provides restricted programmatic support to generate outputs rather than a broader collaborative approach to…
How do you define success? If you’ve been following #SuccessTogether, you’ve heard from young people all over the country sharing their definitions of success. A loving family, a nice home, supporting myself and others. These are some of the goals we’ve heard from the 13.7 million children, 8.6 million of whom are children of color,…
Above: Kelly, left, as a child with her family, looking forward to a vacation in Hawaii. Why All Hands Raised is challenging how educators think about skilled trade professions I still vividly recall the heart-to-heart conversation my father had with me long ago about college. He never went to college or graduated from high school.…
Economic mobility is a term that’s starting to sweep the social sector. I hear it when I attend meetings across the country; I see it in newsletters, RFPs and research briefs. So many smart people are collecting and analyzing data and writing deeply about indicators and strategies for achieving greater upward mobility. I have learned…