Together for Change StriveTogether

In our field, we often talk about the importance civic infrastructure, the connection between people, institutions, and systems in a community. We also love to engage in discussions power. But have you ever stopped for a moment to really break down what those words mean or thought about how people outside the Cradle to Career movement engage with those ideas? 

In this episode, we dive into this deep world of power, civics, and democracy with founder of Citizen University, Eric Liu. Eric is one of the keynote speakers at the 2022 Cradle to Career Network Convening.
 
 

Many organizations are hindered by the very funding mechanisms that make their work possible because they aren’t able to move upstream...but there is another way. Outcomes Financing is an innovative way for governments to invest in better results for their communities and only pay for what works. These projects start with a critical community need and local leadership. This episode features Andi Phillips, co-founder and managing partner at Maycomb Capital, and Mark Sturgis, founder and CEO of Seeding Success.
 

 

When we think about the audacious vision of a more equitable world and what it takes to get there, those of us in this sector can often lose sight of an important component of what it means to build something that lasts. Specifically, I’m talking about ourselves. Burnout is something that is all too common in helping roles so today, we’re going to focus on the role of resilient leadership in unleashing large-scale social change.
 
 Our guest is Becky Margiotta principal and owner of Billions Institute. Becky is also author of the new forthcoming book,  Impact with Integrity: Repair the World Without Breaking Yourself.  Download the first chapter for free here.

In recent years, attacks against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the United States of skyrocketed. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there have been over 10,300 documented incidents of hate. Today, we’re joined by Manjusha P. Kulkarni, Executive Director of AAPI Equity and co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, to learn more about how data is being collected and shared in the movement to stop Asian hate. 

This week, we’re speaking with Christian Rhodes, Chief of Staff for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the Department of Education, to not only hear about his own personal journey, but to get a better understanding how the government can fulfill its role with nonprofits and intermediaries doing this work. We’ll also be talking through some recent developments and what the Cradle to Career field can expect in upcoming years. 

Many of us in this field have used the phrase “holding equity at the center” but what does it mean? What does it look like in practice? Some of you might be imagining a solar system with planets in orbit around the sun. In this case, the sun itself has a gravitational pull that keeps everything on track. Others might be thinking of what it’s like to be at the center of things – maybe the main street of a town, or to be the life of the party. In that case, it has more to do with proximity and to be closely involved with what’s happening. 
 
 Over the next two episodes, we’re going to be looking at different sides of what it means to place equity in the center of our framework for change. This week, we’re speaking with Denise Forte of Education Trust and Jeff Moore of Independent Sector to hear more about what is happening directly on the ground, on the main street of change so to speak. In the next episode, we’ll be hearing from Christian Rhodes, Chief of Staff for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the Department of Education.