On Friday, March 18, 2011, United Way of the Bay Area hosted an Academic Summit to foster discussion around the root causes of poverty. The event, co-sponsored by United Way of Silicon Valley and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, focused on programs and policies that build pathways out of poverty. The event drew over 100 participants from diverse backgrounds, including scholars, policy makers, and practitioners.
Participants of the Summit heard and discussed local cutting-edge viewpoints on the causes and solutions for poverty. The program was designed not to present just one approach to the issue, but to showcase a range of divergent and promising ideas.
During the Summit, speakers and participants were interviewed about their aspirations for community. Below is a clip of those interviews:
Summary of speakers:
- Linda Shelby of Bank of America / Merrill Lynch told her own inspiring story of growing up in rural California and how teachers and others helped her find opportunities.
- David Grusky of Stanford challenged us with the notion that reducing poverty is not the job of the social safety net but rather the role of labor markets, and that we must correct structural problems that deny people access to training and opportunities. Read more about David’s work.
- Olivia Calderon of the New America Foundation explained how our existing policies to help the poor actually hold them back, and offered a set of bold policy proposals to help people build income and wealth. Read more about Asset Building.
- Woody Powell of Stanford shared his research revealing that non-profit organizations that create strategic plans and actually use them are far more effective. Read more about Woody and his work.
- Leslie Medine of On the Move told vivid stories to demonstrate that environment matters, and that people who have the right support and resources will change the direction of their lives. Learn more about Leslie and V.O.I.C.E.S.
- Tirien Steinbach of UC Berkeley and the East Bay Community Law Center described that the people and organizations changing lives on the ground do three things well in communities: they educate, innovate, and build. More information. Learn more about Tirien and the East Bay Community Law Center.
- Regina Stanback Stroud of Skyline College shared her deep belief that education is liberation, that our higher education system has provided many people with a path out of poverty but is now in danger of being dismantled, and that this time of fiscal and economic challenges is precisely the moment to look forward and innovate. Read more about SparkPoint San Mateo Center at Skyline College.
United Way of the Bay Area will continue its work and planning to cut poverty in the Bay Area in half by the year 2020. Success will require partners from all sectors to join us in achieving this audacious goal.
