Opinion: Norwalk ACTS director’s weekly shout outs

Anthony Allison is the executive director of Norwalk ACTS

This week, I would like to recognize people and organizations in our community that are illustrating that “it takes a village” to lift up and improve outcomes for all children.

Shout Out to Alfreda Turner, Executive Director of Bridgeport Prospers, and to her entire team at United Way of Coastal Fairfield County, who organized a thought-provoking Cradle to Career Convening this week, focused on the Collective Impact work taking place in Bridgeport. Many of the initiatives that were highlighted by our fellow StriveTogether partner focused on working together around a shared community vision, echoed the work taking place in Norwalk. Learning from each other and lifting up what is working will lead to better outcomes for all children.

Keynote Speaker Jeff Edmondson, Managing Director of StriveTogether, discussed the critical differences between Collaboration and Collective Impact:

• Convening around outcomes, not programs
• Using data to improve, not prove
• Working together is what we do, not in addition to what we do
• Advocating for what works, not ideas

Shout Out to the 12 talented Norwalk student artists whose artwork was chosen to be displayed in a new exhibition, “Focus on Youth: The 2016 Ralph Sloan Award Winners.” Ralph Sloan served as Norwalk Public School’s Superintendent from 1983 to 1998. After he retired, an art collection comprised of student art was established. Today, the collection includes more than 200 award-winning pieces. The new exhibit is on display in the Mayor’s Gallery, on the second floor of City Hall.

Best,

Anthony Allison