Revitalizing the American Dream
22.8% of Boston children do not have a parent in the workforce, more than twice the national rate.
Creating a blueprint for change
In June 2006, United Way launched a year-long series of community forums to ignite civic leadership and create positive and lasting change in our community, fueled by the question: Is the dream of educational, social and economic opportunity getting harder for working class and low-income families to achieve?
To answer this and other questions United Way of Massachusetts Bay (UWMB), in partnership with Bank of America and Northeastern University , launched Living the Dream on June 5, 2006 . It aims to jump-start the dialogue and inspire people to seriously think about what changes are needed to make the American Dream accessible to everyone throughout Greater Boston. Ultimately, the discussions will manifest in a community blueprint that will identify the action steps and key players needed to make social, economic and educational opportunities available for future generations.
Over the course of the year, United Way will hold a series of individual panels, featuring high-profile experts in key issue areas, each focused solely on one of seven issue areas: Housing, Employment, Diversity, Justice, Access to Technology, Education, and Health Care.
This is a public forum and everyone is encouraged to attend. The next panel discussion will be held in October. Please go to www.uwmb.org/livingthedream (or contact Gabrielle Dorsey at 617.624.8141) for more information, future dates, venues and papers addressing social and economic opportunity.
“The American Dream was certainly alive for past generations of Bostonians, fed by a tradition of industry, opportunity and progressive reform,” said Milton J. Little, Jr., president and chief executive officer at United Way of Massachusetts Bay . “But the “ladder” to security and prosperity that folks have been using to climb up is coated with more slippery substances today – high housing costs, jobs that demand highly-skilled workers and an increasing hopelessness among our youth. We must take action to improve the pathways of educational, social and economic opportunity for children and families. We need to talk. We need to act. And we need to hold ourselves accountable.”