Preparing for our region's future, or 'We're so smart we don't need education.'

As my first post with CitizenPowered.org, I want to thank them for this venue to share information, and for their ingenuity in bringing people and resources together. Within these posts, I’ll talk about preparing our region for the future – and policies and programs that can help. I’ll cover the U of I Extension programs that will help Cook County maintain its competitiveness in a 21st century economy. Extension is based out of the Urbana-Champaign campus (my alma mater) and has offices across the state which provide community outreach and education.

So first, here is a little about myself. I am a fifth generation Chicagoan with a public school education and a call to public service. This blog will undoubtedly be influenced by my previous set of experiences in (chronological order) land assessment, environmental remediation, the arts, healthcare, adult literacy, ex-offender reentry and substance use treatment, affordable housing and homelessness services, transit advocacy …and community education…phew. I’ve been a camp counselor, a movie theater ticket taker and popcorn maker, and a babysitter too, but those don’t weigh as heavily – though I will say I don’t have children, and have a hard time eating movie theater popcorn – more on that later.

This list of experiences is not meant as a pat on the back. But it does help me to speak to the diversity of quality-of-life issues that make our communities thrive or dive – and how each can affect our competitiveness as a region in the future.

Did you know that Chicago is considered a global city? (For info on this, see among others, The Flight of the Creative Class by Richard Florida.) We have a diversity and abundance of talent, cultural attractions, transportation, and university research that makes us an attractive place for human talent and corporations. (Of course we could argue over whether we have a world-class transit system, etc. but like the popcorn, that is for another time.)

Unfortunately, not everyone in Chicago is getting a taste of the global life. There is great disparity in opportunities for education, advancement and success throughout our communities – and that brings me to Extension. Extension is working to ‘level the playing field’ by bringing educational programs to all the people of Cook County, with the understanding that the students of today – no matter their age – are the county’s workforce of tomorrow. And I will cover a specific area of focus as I continue to blog.

For now, I saw this bumper sticker a while back and it has stuck with me…”We’re so smart we don’t need education.” I love it. And I love the fact that people still affix bumper stickers! So this is where I will end, as I would love your take on it:
“We’re so smart, we don’t need education.”