Conference on “Poverty: Consequences and Solutions”

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The Kansas Association of Community Action Agencies (KACAP) will be holding its annual

conference on July 15-17 in Topeka at the Downtown Ramada.  Keynote presentations and

workshops will cover a range of issues related to poverty and its solutions.  Here we highlight

three of the keynote presentations:

Two-generation approaches are at the cutting edge of today’s anti-poverty efforts.

Reverend Vivian Nixon, the Executive Director of College and Community Fellowship in

New York, will kick-off the conference talking about how her organization is developing

a two-generation model to provide formerly incarcerated mothers and their children

with educational opportunities, economic supports, and access to stronger social

capital, such as trusted networks and community organizations.

Whether the public understand the causes, consequences and solutions to poverty

depends in large part on how experts and advocates communicate about the issue. In

her presentation Lynn Davey will share research on the most effective strategies for

improving public understanding of social problems writ large and poverty specifically.

Dr. Davey is a psychologist and advocacy communications expert who helps policy

advocates implement evidence-based communication and advocacy strategies that will

improve support for public policy solutions.

Scott Miller is CEO and founder of Circles® USA, and the lead developer of Circles®

model, a community-building approach that builds relationships across income lines to

support families moving out of poverty and into economic stability.  Scott began his

focus on poverty in the late 70’s as a volunteer serving people who were homeless in

Rochester, NY.  Since then, he has initiated projects throughout North America that

directly help families out of poverty while educating the community about what changes

must be made to eventually eradicate conditions that cause poverty. Circles® is now in

75 plus communities in the US and parts of Canada, and has been featured on the CBS

Evening News, TedX, CNN, PBS, and the Huffington Post. Kansas has more Circles®

communities than any other state.

Details about workshops and keynote presentations, including bios of speaker, can be found at

www.tinyurl.com/2015kcop.

Reporters are welcomed to sit in on any of the sessions.  If interested in interviewing one or

more speakers contact Gary Brunk.

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