The US Initiative
The Opportunity Challenge
Imagine a community where all citizens have the opportunity to develop all of their talents and put all of their talents to full use. Where everyone is the CEO of his or her own career, and the community communicates the value of learning every day in every way? Where one’s “portfolio of work” is made up of multiple sources, some paid, some unpaid, that evolves and adapts throughout life to changing circumstances? What would this mean to the ability for all people to climb the economic ladder?
The places that thrive today are those with the highest velocity of ideas and the highest density of talented people. But developing talent in the fullest sense is not just the result of schools or early childhood education or workforce development. It is also the result of intense practice with the prospect of failure, taking risks, trying new things, putting one’s talent to work in new and unfamiliar settings, the provision of opportunity, a whole web of public amenities such as libraries and community services, and the culture of a place. But these links are not often enough made, and further, these areas of specialty don’t function as a system with a common goal.
What would it look like if your community communicated the value of learning every day?
Memphis: A City of Opportunity
On February 16-18, 2011, CEOs for Cities and Mayor AC Wharton will ask urban leaders in Memphis to imagine the future of opportunity as expressed in the Declaration of Interdependence: We can develop all of our talent and put all of our talent to work.
Staged over 2.5 days in Memphis, the Opportunity Challenge will bring together a team of national experts with local city and civic decision makers and citizens to develop a compelling vision and practical strategies to determine what it takes to develop Memphians' talent to the fullest extent.
In addition to producing big ideas and quick-start strategies for Memphis, results of the Opportunity Challenge will be reported nationally as part of the US Initiative.
