Employing a collective impact convening model towards a more equitable region

Metro Atlanta was leading the nation in income inequality long before COVID-19 began to affect our economy. When COVID-19 shut down the region’s schools and businesses in March 2020, it was clear that COVID-19 would impact low-income and historically marginalized populations disproportionately, causing exacerbated income and educational inequities. Without a community-wide effort to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, many in our region will face decades-long reductions in future earning power and a lack of opportunities for economic mobility.

The prosperous people team, tasked with creating pipelines to economic mobility through equitable access to high-quality education and workforce development programming, began to convene a diverse set of expert nonprofit practitioners and thought leaders who serve those most affected by COVID-19 in our region. These include community members who are BIPOC, disabled, formerly incarcerated, homeless or formerly homeless, immigrants, LGBTQ+, older people (aged 55+), refugees, women, youth (aged 15-24), and/or have been displaced from work due to COVID-19. The conversations we have had with our partners around collective impact and systems change have been energizing, inspiring, and enlightening.

We convened leaders in both the Prek-12^th grade and workforce development sectors, with a focus on identifying shared challenges, unique best practices and innovative solutions, and opportunities for collaboration and system-wide impact. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing blog posts written by leaders of organizations who have been participating in the Workforce Development Collective Impact Convening. These leaders will highlight the work their individual organizations are doing and the clients they serve.

The goal of this blog series is to highlight not only the inequities in our region and the challenges that members of historically marginalized populations face, but to also highlight the amazing work these organizations are doing to train highly skilled workers to adapt and be successful in a rapidly changing economy. Our region’s successful future depends on a strong, robust and equitable education ecosystem, from early childhood all the way through postsecondary education and inclusive of life-long access to high-quality workforce development programming. We can only achieve that goal through collaborative collective action, removing barriers to success that perpetuate inequity, and supporting programming that allows community members  to access high-quality jobs with career pathway trajectories that will allow for long-term success.

The organizations who have participated in the Workforce Development Collective Impact Convening implement the types of programs that our region needs. Please click on the links below and follow this blog series to learn more about their work.

Automotive Training Center
HABESHA
Partnership in Action for Healthy Living (PAHL)
Per Scholas
STRIVE
Tekton Training
The Place of Forsyth
Tommy Nobis Center
Year Up

Photo credit: Per Scholas