Milwaukee Succeeds’ work contributes to Collective Social Innovation award
The 2023 StriveTogether Cradle to Career Convening in San Francisco.
The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network, of which Milwaukee Succeeds is a member organization, received global recognition at the 2024 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, at which they were awarded the Schwab Foundation Social Innovation Award for Collective Social Innovation. In partnership with the World Economic Forum, the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship is the foremost global community of pioneering social innovators driving systemic change.
Helping Children Succeed
As a network member, Milwaukee Succeeds is part of a national movement to help every child succeed in school and in life, regardless of race, ethnicity, zip code or circumstance. Their work with community partners is closing gaps and creating opportunities across education, health, housing and more, changing these systems to advance equity and improve results.
“Each member of the Cradle to Career Network is integral to our collective vision of putting more young people on the path to economic mobility,” StriveTogether President and CEO Jennifer Blatz said. “This global honor recognizes the incredible work of organizations like Milwaukee Succeeds that are innovating new ways to improve the lives of children and families.”
Building Civic Infrastructure
StriveTogether supports network member communities to build civic infrastructure — a collective accountability for eliminating disparities and creating opportunities. Civic infrastructure ensures that every child is supported to thrive through equitable access to education, employment, health care, housing and more.
Most notably, Milwaukee Succeeds uses data, advocacy and the rich lived experiences of our partners to advance equitable outcomes in the areas of early childhood education (ECE) and high school success. By growing and supporting a diverse coalition of ECE champions, Milwaukee Succeeds has been able to improve program quality, support recruitment and retention, build mental health capacity among educators and families, and influence public investment into this essential industry.
On the high school success side, Milwaukee Succeeds convenes stakeholders across the city through its youth-centered initiative, Youth Forward MKE. Together, we work to empower and uplift the voices of youth by increasing their representation at decision-making tables. Through our Design Your Future Fellowship, youth led the way in creating proposals to improve high school education, with mental health at the core. Those proposals are now being enacted, providing another path for young people to receive the support and training they need to succeed.
Advancing Equity Together
Milwaukee Succeeds started when Milwaukee came together with a shared mission: to support the success of every child, cradle to career. Hundreds of cross-sector representatives serve as partners in this work, including school district superintendents, higher education administrators, early childhood educators, business and philanthropic leaders, community and corporate funders, and government officials.
“At StriveTogether, we believe that success is possible for every child when we address the systemic barriers that get in the way,” Blatz said. “Together, we’re building a future where a child’s potential isn’t dictated by race, ethnicity, zip code or circumstance.”
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About StriveTogether
StriveTogether is a national network of nearly 70 communities across the country working to build a future where a child’s potential is not dictated by race, ethnicity, zip code or circumstance. StriveTogether provides coaching, resources and rigorous approaches to create opportunities and eliminate inequities in education, housing and more. Together, the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network reaches 14 million young people — more than half are children of color — across 29 states and Washington, D.C. Learn more at StriveTogether.org.
About Milwaukee Succeeds
Milwaukee Succeeds was launched by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation in 2011 as a way to unite the community around a common goal: bringing about lasting change to the way education works for children in Milwaukee. Milwaukee Succeeds collaborates with local and national partners to enact a common agenda, prioritizing community voice, racial equity, and systems change. Since 2019, their efforts have focused on two key areas of importance: early childhood education and high school success.