A few years ago I found myself in a room with my colleagues who were working on teen pregnancy prevention. We were discussing strategies with leadership in the agency. Despite our attempts to get them to see that this is a highly complex issue requiring a spectrum of approaches, they kept pressing us for "the silver bullet" - the One Thing that would make the biggest difference. A certain type of birth control, or involve parents, or engage males in the issue, etc... After a brief silence (we were all out of words), I said, "Make college free for all young people." It pretty much ended the conversation.
So we can imagine my excitement over the news that a bill is about to be introduced to Congress to make four year public colleges and universities tuition free. Wow: college accessible to all young (and not-so-young) people in the U.S. We can also imagine the hurdles such a concept will need to clear before becoming reality. But just entering into a national discussion about the root issue - not just reducing student debt - is like a fresh spring breeze. Hope. The Illinois prison system gets it.
Illinois recently passed two bills that should go far in encouraging non-violent offenders to pursue formal education:
Brace yourself.Yours in the struggle - Carla Follow this blog by using the Facebook button or RSS Feed over there on the right.
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AuthorCarla is a dancer, writer, observer, spouse, sister, daughter, aunt, friend, expatriated New Yorker turned Maine-iac, and warrior for a saner world. For less interesting details, check her out on LinkedIn. Archives
May 2016
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