What Happens (or Doesn’t Happen) in One Generation Affects the Next: Two-Gen Strategies for Alleviating Poverty

In this GLR Week 2023 session, United Way Worldwide, Ascend at the Aspen Institute and CGLR engaged a powerhouse of national and local leaders, including Ralph Smith of CGLR; Ayeola Fortune of United Way Worldwide; Camille Busette of the Brookings Institution and the Race, Prosperity, and Inclusion Initiative; Marjorie Sims of Ascend at the Aspen Institute; Becca Bice of United Way Greater Austin; and Amy Weber of United Way of Greater Cincinnati. Mission aligned around an aspiration for children and families that envisions an intergenerational cycle of opportunity, the panelists discussed two-generation (2Gen) strategies — an approach to achieving improved outcomes for families by intentionally working with both the children and the adults in their lives simultaneously.

Brookings offered up a new framing for consideration for our work around poverty — one that seeks well-being as a human right and challenged the audience to invest in transformative change. Ascend shared their theory of change, data and evidence to support the approach, outlining the core components of a 2Gen approach: Education, Economic supports, Social capital and Health and well-being. Serving in the role of catalysts, leaders and champions for CGLR’s work and Aspen’s 2Gen Network, the United Ways of Austin and Cincinnati described how they have contextualized 2Gen approaches in their respective communities and shared insights on the internal systems and the policies/processes needed to support this work.

Science and experience affirm that the development of children is inextricably linked to parents and caregivers. This session explored how communities are integrating services for primary caregivers and their children to achieve better outcomes. By serving both generations together, more children and their parents are moving toward educational success and economic security.