08.10.2011 blog
This post is written by Samantha Jones, a recent graduate of Northeastern University. One of the Be The Change, Inc. interns, Amanda Yamaguchi, wanted to recognize Sam's dedication to promoting and improving education. In this review, Sam is sharing her thoughts on her current involvement in the Teach for America Corps Program. She is currently teaching Government and Economics at The Soulsville Charter School in Memphis, Tennessee.
07.11.2011 blog
As you know, one of OpportunityNation’s goals is to enhance economic mobility in America. As we work towards this mission, we feel it’s important to listen to the American people themselves and gauge how they perceive economic mobility in general, as well as their own prospects for career advancement and the possibility of eventually reaching their American Dream.
In 2009, the Economic Mobility Project launched a national poll that works to identify how most Americans view their prospects for economic mobility. What’s more, results of the poll might be considered surprising. In the midst of the Great Recession, people seemed optimistic regarding their possibility to succeed financially and to get ahead in life. 79% of the people surveyed indicated that they believed it possible to succeed given the economic climate of the time. Perhaps most interestingly, when asked what factors were essential to economic mobility, the vast majority of the people surveyed listed “hard work” and “ambition” as answers.
Read more »07.01.2011 blog
At its center, OpportunityNation is working to increase economic opportunity and mobility in America - working to bring together a diverse set of unlikely allies, from the grasstops and grassroots, from the left right and center, and from a variety of sectors, to revitalize the American Dream and decrease the the opportunity gap in the United States, something that is a serious problem, especially for a country which was founded on a notion of opportunity, possibility and mobility.
And that’s why whenever we hear about new facts and statistics relating to opportunity, we’re always eager to dive into them. After all, how can we decrease the opportunity gap without knowing - and sharing with you - the newest information about it?
Read more »06.16.2011 blog
E! News Correspondent, Michael Yo, sat down with actor, comedian, and television personality Nick Cannon on Tuesday to share Nick’s story of achieving success for the Opportunity Nation Mentor Chat Series. For those of you who missed the interview, Nick revealed personal elements and advice to listeners across the country.
Read more »06.14.2011 blog
The National Conference on Volunteering and Service is the major event for the leaders in volunteering and service around the country- from AmeriCorps members to elected officials. This was the first year they included a track on economic opportunity, with a focus on how volunteers can make a constructive impact. There is simply no better place in America for that discussion than New Orleans. Even staunch Democrat James Carville and ardent Republican Mary Matalin (who recently returned to the city) agreed New Orleans would not be where it is today without many volunteers filling in to build houses and neighbors banding together to clean up their communities.
Read more »05.19.2011 blog
Be the Change announced on Thursday that, following a national search, Kevin Jennings will succeed Alan Khazei as President and CEO. Mr. Jennings will officially begin his new role on July 25, 2011.
Josh Bekenstein, Board Chair and Managing Director of Bain Capital, had this to say about the change:
We are delighted to draw a leader of Kevin's caliber to succeed Alan. His experience both leading a national nonprofit as well as working in the federal government makes him the ideal leader to take the reigns as Alan takes on new challenges.
Read more »05.11.2011 blog
Riding bikes was one of my favorite childhood activities. My friends and I would ride our Toys ‘R’ Us two-wheelers around our neighborhood, looping circles in my drive way or racing from one end of the street to the other with no real purpose other than to see who could pedal faster. Sometimes I would ride my bike off into streets I didn’t recognize, just to see what was down that path. Inching forward, ever so slightly farther and farther before ultimately getting nervous I went too far away from home. I'd worry that somehow my mother could sense where I was and would scold at me for disobeying her instructions to stay within the limits. More than challenging my mother, by pushing those limits I was challenging my own fears - the fear of the unknown, the fear of getting lost and never finding my way again, or that ever looming fear of the omnipresent boogie-man. Riding bikes was more than just something nonsensical and fun - it gave me freedom to explore my relative world, discovering new things about my neighborhood with each push of the pedal.
Read more »04.28.2011 blog
Many people (and especially all of us here at BTC) love finding new reasons to be inspired, and one way we do that is by learning about great people who are doing amazing things. That’s why we were excited to see the 2011 TIME 100 – a list of 100 people who TIME’s editors have chosen as the world’s most influential. As we perused the list, we were really happy to see a ton of familiar names – people who we work closely with everyday on our projects, as well as people who are doing great things not only in the service world but also in multiple advocacy areas.
What activists made this year’s list?
Read more »04.22.2011 blog
Join us Tuesday April 26 at 1pm Pacific for a live online video conversation with E! News correspondent Michael Yo and “Vampire Diaries” star Kat Graham!
Read more »04.15.2011 blog
This post originally appeared in The Huffington Post on April 14, 2011 and can be accessed here.
Every night in America, at least 107,000 veterans sleep on the streets. Very few Americans know that one out of every three homeless adults has served in our military -- often during times of war. This means those who have served in defense of our country make up a disproportionate share of those who fall into homelessness. This is unacceptable.
At a time when so much has been asked of members of the armed forces, during the last decade of war and in previous conflicts, these sobering statistics beg the question -- why?
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