3 people speaking to crowd

Group of St. Louis Residents want Transparency in Education Spending | St. Louis Public Radio

Group of St. Louis Residents want Transparency in Education Spending | St. Louis Public Radio

St. Louis Public Schools’ budgeting process is too insular for parents and teachers to understand and contribute to, a group of north St. Louis residents claim.

collage of black people

16 North City Residents, Students, Alumni, Educators Launch Campaign for SLPS Budget Transparency

16 North City Residents, Students, Alumni, Educators Launch Campaign for SLPS Budget Transparency

A North City-based coalition of 16 launch their inaugural campaign, demanding increased SLPS budget transparency and community input, Tuesday morning. In two weekends, a teach-in and letter writing event, will educate the public on concerns of access and engagement.

two Black women connecting in parking lot

Visioning Our Futures through Courageous Conversations

Visioning Our Futures through Courageous Conversations

As part of our Engage Community programming, we are partnering with Black Futures Lab on the Black Census Project. Kristen Trudo, St. Louis field organizer with the Black Census Project, reflects on the Project’s recent community organizing training in Atlanta.

smiling young Black woman standing near city street

On Reading Out loud and Encouraging Imagination

On Reading Out loud and Encouraging Imagination

One afternoon in grade school my teacher made up a new rule: each student must finish reading a section aloud from their book before leaving the classroom that day. I couldn’t make it through a page. I was stuttering so badly. Then to add to my embarrassment, I caused my classmates to miss their bus.

Black woman speaking into microphone on stage

Social Entrepreneurship, more about the ends than the means | EQ

Social Entrepreneurship, more about the ends than the means | EQ

Bijal Desai-Ramirez, WEPOWER’s VP of entrepreneurship and investments views social entrepreneurship as a tool to realize equity across the region and country, “To realize this dream of equity we’re going to need to be disruptive—we’re going to need to imagine and invest in scalable ventures that build economic power in our communities and solve big systemic social challenges.”

smiling woman

WEPOWER Welcomes Bijal Desai-Ramirez to Lead Economic Power-Building

WEPOWER Welcomes Bijal Desai-Ramirez to Lead Economic Power-Building

During these last months our team has been busy dreaming, challenging, and fortifying our values, our strategies, and our definition of impact.  Our first pilot program hit its half-point mark, and we are cultivating a sense of energy and purpose with our regional partners and our inaugural cohort of power-builders.

phones hanging off the hook

How to have Uncomfortable Conversations | Teen Vogue

How to have Uncomfortable Conversations | Teen Vogue

In this op-ed, Charli Cooksey explains how to have uncomfortable conversations about issues—political or otherwise.

smiling woman

On Daring More Boldly and Scaling Community Ventures

On Daring More Boldly and Scaling Community Ventures

Diverse minds represent diverse ideas, whether they come from entrepreneurs themselves or diverse teams.  They generate ideas that others may not recognize as opportunities, and solve some of our community’s greatest challenges.

two smiling Black women taking a selfie

Canvasing with our North City Power-Builders

Canvasing with our North City Power-Builders

As part of our second weekend with our cohort of north city residents, we engaged in developing and practicing some fundamental community organizing skills and principles!

group of Black people at conference

Learning from Peer Education Advocates

Learning from Peer Education Advocates

On Saturday afternoon leaders in education reform joined us to share their varied experiences and perspectives of St. Louis’ public education systems.