1. From Puzzle to Prosperity:
Co-Creating an Equitable System of Economic Mobility for
Our Little Rock Youth & Young Adults
Copyright © 2017 MDC

2. How many of you believe that where a person starts in life shouldn’t determine where they end up?
Copyright © 2017 MDC

3. Southern Economic Mobility
The Network for
Southern Economic Mobility
A network of Southern cities that are committed and equipped to identify long-term, system-changing strategies that can improve upward economic mobility for youth and young adults in the lowest income brackets.
Cohort 1: Athens, GA, Chattanooga, TN, Greenville, SC, Jacksonville, FL
Cohort 2: Fayetteville, NC, Little Rock, AR, Savannah, GA, Spartanburg, SC
Copyright © 2017 MDC

4. Cities in the Network for Southern Economic Mobility have…
shown a commitment to helping marginalized young people,
a foundation of promising programs on which to build,
the presence of industries with career potential for young people,
and top leaders who see the connection between economic mobility and the long-term health of their economy.
Copyright © 2017 MDC

5. Upward Economic Mobility: the odds that a person will move from a lower rung on the income ladder to a higher rung.
If the rungs are far apart or broken, the climb up is harder.
Note that "inequality is about how people are distributed on top and bottom. In discussing mobility here we are looking at who is and isn't moving from one rung to another, particularly from the bottom to the middle and the top. Robert Reich: “Inequality would be less of a problem in America if upward mobility were stronger.
Copyright © 2017 MDC

6. Network Commuting Zones:
Rank out of 729 Commuting Zones
Commuting Zone
Rank out of 729 Zones (#1 is the worst)
Chances of Rising from Bottom to the Top
Chances of Remaining at the Bottom
Little Rock
109
5.4%
38.7%
Source: Equality of Opportunity Project
Copyright © 2017 MDC

7. In a world with perfect mobility odds
The odds a child born into the lowest income quintile ends up in the…
Highest income quintile: 20%
Upper middle income quintile: 20%
Middle income quintile: 20%
Lower middle income quintile: 20%
Lowest income quintile: 20%
In a perfectly mobile society, there would be an equal chance of a child born into the lowest income quintile moving to any other quintile as an adult—in other words, where you’re born wouldn’t tip the odds of where you end up.
Copyright © 2017 MDC

8. Five factors that keep people stuck
Residential segregation
Income inequality
Local school quality
Family structure
Social capital
From Equality of Opportunity Project, Raj Chetty, et al:
The economic situation of a person’s parents matters tremendously to the likelihood of their educational and economic success, but the place where they grow up matters, regardless of family income. There are five place-based factors that are correlated with low levels of mobility. (note: correlation is not causation.)
Residential segregation: Places with higher levels of residential segregation by race or income also tend to have lower levels of mobility.
Income inequality: Places with high levels of income inequality are more likely to have low levels of mobility. As inequality rises, the income quintiles are getting farther apart, like rungs on a ladder.
Local school quality: Places with high levels of mobility are more likely to have consistently high-quality K-12 schools. Unfortunately, in many places, educational quality varies widely between schools and between districts, and residential segregation and school funding formulas often concentrate students from low-wealth families in lower quality schools. 
Family structure: Places with higher rates of single-parenthood are single-parent households have a limited ability to earn and save. This economic insecurity increases the educational and social stress on their children. It’s a two-earner economy.
Social capital: indicators of social capital, which are proxies for the strength of social networks and community involvement in an area, are very strongly correlated with mobility. High upward mobility areas tend to have higher fractions of religious individuals and greater participation in local civic organizations.
Source: Equality of Opportunity Project
Copyright © 2017 MDC

9. How do we co-create an equitable, durable system of economic mobility in Little Rock that connects rewarding and family-supporting work to our youth and young adults who start at the bottom of the income ladder?

10. Talent Development System
Source: Equality of Opportunity Project
Copyright © 2017 MDC

11. “We can’t have a society where only the exceptions succeed or where so much is left to the luck of the draw—especially when the deck is often stacked against those who need mobility the most…we must be about changing the odds, not expecting people to beat the odds.
Changing the odds requires changing the current situation for youth and young adults wherever they are starting from—and that requires acknowledging historical inequities and committing to an inclusive narrative of success that has power to drive new polices, practices and patterns of investment.”
David Dodson
President, MDC
Copyright © 2016 MDC

12. Our Journey Forward Steps to Co-creating a New System
Change the conversation
Change who is in the conversation
Change behavior
Change outcomes
Copyright © 2017 MDC

13. A Systems Story What is a system?
System definition: Group of interacting/interrelated/interdependent parts forming a unified whole and having a specific purpose.
See a “Systems Story” YouTube video for brief explanation of systems thinking:

14. A Systems Story Collection vs. System
Collection vs. System? Add human(s) to just about any collection and you have a system.

15. A Systems Story
Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.
All too often, systems’ results are contrary to what we really want to accomplish.

16. A Systems Story Characteristics of a System
Systems have a purpose.
All parts must be present for a system to carry out its purpose optimally.
The order in which the system’s parts are arranged affects its performance.
Systems attempt to maintain stability through feedback.
Key to understanding a system is knowing its purpose.

17. A Systems Story Putting a System in Context
Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.
To change a system, you must first understand the current system. Systems’ stories should told in simple ways that identify the parts and the relationships between those parts.

18. A Systems Story Putting a System in Context

19. Systems Change Process Building a Foundation for Change
How do we begin to shift from our current reality to a shared vision for Little Rock’s future—from competition to collaboration, from single issues to intersectionality and from scarcity to abundance?

20. Systems Change Process From Waking Up to Getting Ready
Energy for change is created by the tension between where we are (current reality) and where we want to be (vision/aspiration). NSEM-LR is in Stage 1: building a foundation for change and affirming our readiness for change. In this stage.
The next steps for NSEM-LR, therefore, are…

21. Systems Change Process Next Steps for NSEM-LR
Get the entire “system” in the room.
Understand our current system (reality)—system mapping.
Continue building authentic, trusting relationships – ground the conversation in data as well as our personal experiences and perceptions (stories). Keep having the difficult conversations.
Keep doing the inner work while sincerely reaching out to develop your worldview and check our assumptions, biases and beliefs.
Change within our core what we believe is possible for Little Rock.
Align what we believe with how we want to serve and the way we do it

22. Why Co-Create an Equitable System of Economic Mobility for Our Little Rock Youth & Young Adults?
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
– Nelson Mandela