You may remember Dr. Robert Putnam from his key note speech at the 2016 Grow Our Own Summit. His research on the opportunity gap, showcased in the book “Our Kids,” helped inspire the work of Grow Our Own a holistic approach from cradle to career to help all our southwest Minnesota kids get the best start to life. We’re excited to share Dr. Putnam is hosting a new four-part documentary Our Kids: Narrowing the Opportunity Gap airing on Pioneer Public Television Saturday mornings at 9:30 a.m. June 15 through July 6. This series is a great way to continue learning about the issues facing children living in poverty, and to hear new perspectives.
Our Kids: Narrowing the Opportunity Gap highlights nine communities across the country — including stopping in Minnesota to get inspired by what the Duluth community is working on. Each one-hour episode explores a circle of influence impacting kids’ opportunity to reach their full potential: families, parenting, schools, socio/economic status, legal justice and communities.
The series features interviews with kids, parents, educators, community leaders, nonprofits and those spearheading grassroots efforts to close the opportunity gap and restore a greater chance for upward mobility for all our kids. Many of these grassroots programs can be adapted and adopted by communities across the country with the necessary local support.
Visit Pioneer’s website for the local channel listings to see the documentary series. And check out our website to watch Grow Our Own: Supporting Our Kids from Cradle to Career, with highlights from the 2018 summit, exclusive interviews and complete presentations from the summit’s national and local speakers.
If you want to dig even deeper, you can access the exclusive interview from 2016 when our own Diana Anderson talked to Dr. Putnam about how southwest Minnesota kids compare to others across the country.
