AmeriCorps’ Post

At the beginnning of my career I had the opportunity to serve as a VISTA. It has informed my approach to every professional choice I’ve made since. This is an interesting and little discussed perspective:

FUNDING OPPTY - Apply to Host a 2024-2025 Youth Service AmeriCorps VISTA. Priority Deadline: February 2nd. Final Deadline: March 8 AmeriCorps Member Placements with Community Partners During the 2024-2025 Academic Year. YSA’s planning for this program is funded by an AmeriCorps State and National American Rescue Plan Planning Grant. When youth become involved in their community, they establish deeper relationships with peers, caring adults, and community institutions, which builds social capital and a sense of belonging and mattering. We know that increased social capital and connection to community result in improved education and economic well-being outcomes. A recent Search Institute study found that young people who had higher levels of social capital reported greater progress toward their education or employment goals, more of a commitment to paying-it-forward to others, and to believe in their collective efficacy to change education and employment systems to be more accessible and equitable. By partnering with organizations across the United States, Youth Service America seeks to reduce barriers to youth participation while expanding opportunities to serve and connect with others by hosting the Youth Service AmeriCorps VISTA program. https://lnkd.in/eh9NJUaf

All children regardless of race or zip code deserve the opportunity to learn and grow, develop the skills they need to become contributing adults, and achieve the future they envision for themselves.  In our NCYL blog, I dive into a California bill that bolsters diversion programs that keep kids in their communities and out of the juvenile justice system. Learn more about California's Youth Reinvestment Grant and why it's so vital that we build on its progress:  https://lnkd.in/gq9ey-r8

#STRATA9 is dedicated to fostering social and economic mobility for all members of the American populace. The McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility’s new report explores the impact of place on Black residents’ life outcomes across seven distinct profile communities. It emphasizes the pivotal role of geographic location in perpetuating inequitable economic prospects and impacting physical and mental well-being, overall quality of life, and sense of community inclusion for Black residents. The report shares a shocking statistic: At the current rate of progress, it would take between 110 and 320 years to eliminate outcome disparities between White and Black residents. How can we, as a country, expedite efforts toward equitable access to a higher quality of life for Black Americans? 1. Invest in initiatives within specific communities: Prime examples include the Harlem Children's Zone, East Baltimore Development, Inc. (EBDI) Initiative, Atlanta’s East Lake Foundation, and San Diego’s City Heights Community Development Initiative. National nonprofits, philanthropic investors, and government entities can support these local efforts. 2. Create affordable housing in low-poverty neighborhoods: Roughly half of all renter households nationwide spend more than 30% of their income on housing; a quarter spend more than 50%. Black residents are less likely to own homes and more likely to be cost-burdened. 3. Provide early childhood education: High-quality early childhood development programs can change the trajectory of disadvantaged Black children’s lives. Formal childcare and pre-K also can be critical to parents’ ability to work and provide for their families. Learn more about the report here: https://mck.co/3HZbPSG #EconomicMobility #EconomicOutcomes #Careers #Equity #AffordableHousing #EarlyChildhood #Education #BHM #blackhistorymonth

Our latest Sector’s Manifesto piece is from Luke Sparkes Dixons Academies Trust He sets out three policies to put schools at the heart of a civic mission: - a joint workforce plan between local services, enabling multi-disciplinary work to happen smoothly - mandating local convening partnerships in every area to ‘make people who live and breathe communities the core of the solution’ - a national mission to ‘reset child protection and wellbeing, fix the parlous state of children’s services and the care system, and fully recognise that childhood is now partially online’ ‘Education is a profession of ideas and delivery: we have proven that we can continue to deliver on the vapour trails of budgets long wrung dry. But the world has changed and so must the system. ‘We need a government who listens and responds, and who understands that a nation is built of individuals. Of one child, at one table, learning day by day’ You can read the full piece here👇 https://lnkd.in/eCKmwhp6

NC and WI are similar in terms of being on the "frontlines of the battle for American democracy" according to this CAP article. In the last two decades, Wisconsin has been a primary target for attacks on democracy, education, and anti-labor laws. In 2010, Wisconsin Republicans redrew new voting districts that produced the most gerrymandered voting district maps in the country. Act 10 followed next, a law that effectively ended collective bargaining rights for most of Wisconsin’s public employees. The next step was passing legislation to make Wisconsin a right-to-work state banning unions from requiring membership dues in privately held companies and allowing employees to be fired “at will” or without cause. Conservatives also repealed Wisconsin’s prevailing wage law that required a federal formula for state-funded capital projects. These efforts and others singled out Wisconsin due to its long legacy as a progressive bastion for labor rights. While we have new voting maps and a lawsuit challenging Act 10, NC will be important for us to watch and follow suit: https://lnkd.in/gtjbvhsN

Consider this. 119,000 young people in Connecticut are at-risk of not graduating high school. More than 40,000 young adults have high school diplomas but are not connected to meaningful employment despite a CT labor market with 90,000 unfilled living wage jobs. The 119k Commission is engaging young people, community members, school leaders, businesses, agencies and nonprofits across the state to understand the root causes of this crisis of disconnection and develop actionable strategies that will reduce the number of off-track young people by 50% in 10 years. We all have a role to play in supporting our young people so they can fulfill their given potential and realize their dreams. Learn about this crisis here: https://lnkd.in/ev2j5GMD

The next government has been told to prioritise the needs of young children. Early Education has issued a pressing call to action to the upcoming Prime Minister, urging immediate reforms in early childhood education and care. The charity's president, Professor Dame Cathy Nutbrown, emphasises the need for a holistic review and the incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into UK law. The letter advocates for strategies to combat child poverty, improve early years workforce conditions, and create a cross-government strategy focused on the well-being of young children. Beatrice Merrick, Early Education's chief executive, highlights the necessity of a 21st-century inclusive education system that addresses underlying issues such as poverty and homelessness. "We want government to ensure early childhood education is inclusive and fit for the 21st century, with a workforce who are valued." - Beatrice Merrick, Chief Executive, Early Education Join the conversation! How do you think the government should prioritise early childhood education? #EarlyChildhood #EducationReform

Cataclysmic shifts have rocked the U.S. electoral landscape in the last five days, but one thing remains the same: The right-wing Project 2025 agenda threatens the health and well-being of all Americans and especially of our children. This week, First Focus on Children’s analysis of Project 2025 examines the radical agenda’s plan to eliminate the Department of Education and close down public schools. Project 2025 outlines a plan to “empower students and families” that, in reality, would shutter thousands of public schools, end supports for low-income students, divert taxpayer funds to the private education of wealthy students and, ultimately, destabilize public education across the country. See our complete analysis here. https://lnkd.in/e2FeSzTg BRIGHT SPOT: The new presumptive Democratic candidate for President has long supported the exact opposite approach to caring for our nation’s children. As a candidate in the 2019 presidential primaries, now-Vice President Kamala Harris promoted her Children’s Agenda, a comprehensive plan to “put children at the center of her decision-making and treat their needs with the same urgency and importance as we treat any other national priority.” With just about three weeks until the Democratic National Convention, Harris already has begun promoting a vision of America “where no child lives in poverty.”

This op-ed by Chana Edmond-Verley and Furqan Khaldun highlights the importance of community input in crafting public policy and the real-world impacts that Michigan policymakers are not considering in their proposed School Aid Budget. In our work gathering feedback from Michigan stakeholders when writing the PreK for All Roadmap, the most prevalent feedback we received was the imperative to include community-based early care and education providers. Doing so would increase their survivability in an already strained early care and education system, support parent preferences, and preserve Michigan as a national leader in mixed delivery PreK. The perspective of the authors represents a broader coalition of organizations and individuals directly impacted by the proposed legislative language on PreK for All. It also underscores the necessity of ongoing advocacy for children, families, and providers. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gG3zGSgs Vibrant Futures, Early Childhood Investment Corporation, Black Family Development, Inc., First Steps, Michigan Women Forward #EarlyChildhoodEducation #PreKForAll #CommunityVoices #EducationPolicy #MichiganEducation