Reimagining Opportunity: Highlights from the 8th Annual Poverty to Possibilities Summit
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 8th Annual Poverty to Possibilities Summit on November 12, 2024. We hope you left inspired to imagine the possibilities:
- What if where you live didn’t determine your success?
- What if systems and structures truly benefited everyone?
- What if every voice was heard, and we created spaces for necessary, even uncomfortable, conversations?
Our keynote speaker, H. Luke Shaefer, challenged us to rethink how we address poverty. He emphasized shifting away from blaming individuals for systemic issues and focusing on solutions like reducing everyday costs, strengthening safety nets, and implementing successful policies like the expanded child tax credit. These approaches have shown how unconditional support can transform lives.
Last year, over 300 community leaders and members attended. Now in its eighth year, From Poverty to Possibilities continues to bring the community together to disrupt poverty at its roots.
This year, while continuing to focus on deconstructing narratives and disrupting systems, we also want to lean into the possibilities. Consider these questions: What if? What if where you lived didn’t determine your success? What if systems and structures benefited everyone? What if every voice was heard? What if we created spaces for uncomfortable but necessary conversations? What if we built a more just, resilient, and equitable community? Let’s imagine the possibilities and our role in realizing them.
SPEAKER
H. Luke Shaefer, PhD, is the Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy and Professor of Public Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. At U-M, he is also the inaugural director of Poverty Solutions, an interdisciplinary, presidential initiative that partners with communities and policymakers to find new ways to prevent and alleviate poverty.
Shaefer is one of the nation’s leading scholars of poverty and social welfare policy. His research has been published in top peer-reviewed academic journals in the fields of public policy, public health, health services research, sociology, social work, and history, and his work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and U.S. Census Bureau among other sources. He has presented his research at the White House and before numerous federal agencies, has testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, and has advised a number of the nation’s largest human service providers.
Full Bio https://fordschool.umich.edu/faculty/luke-shaefer
For questions or cancellations please contact
Heidi at heidih@uwpc.org or 253-597- 7490
Representative Marilyn Strickland
From Poverty to Possibilities Synopsis
Thank you to this year’s sponsors,
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