One of our favorite ways to create a public conversation around the policy issues we care about and work to solve is to gather some folks together and watch a movie – especially one followed by an interesting panel discussion.
Which is why we’re so thrilled that a local partner, the Health Equity Circle @ OHSU, is hosting a screening of a new documentary series called The Raising of America.
And while it may sound like it’s all about raising kids in the United States, it’s also about their parents and how hard they’re struggling in a country with next to no modern work-family policies to make it possible for families to meet the competing demands of work, family and finances. This ambitious documentary series (finally!) links work-family policy to how our children are doing, with an obvious conclusion: we need better work-family policies in this country. For our children – AND the adults who care for them.
Our Executive Director, Andrea Paluso, will be on the post-film panel to provide perspective on paid family leave and other policies that exist – or don’t – for parents and other caregivers. Promises to be a great conversation! We sure hope you are able to join us for it.
Details, Details:
- Who: You! And a friend if you like.
- What: Movie screening and panel discussion, The Raising of America
- Where: The Aladdin Theater in SE Portland (here’s a map)
- When: Monday, November 10 @ 7 PM
- Why: Because you’ll learn something about work-family policy in the U.S. and leave inspired about the changes we are poised to make in Oregon and across the nation. Oh, and get out of the house, too!
- Tickets: Grab your $5 ticket online to guarantee a seat (or bring a new children’s book or two non-perishable food items and admission is free).
- Childcare? On-site childcare is not available, but Wee Village offers certified drop-in care in the Portland area: http://www.wevillage.com
- Facebook: Yep, there’s a Facebook event for this screening – please spread the word and use it to invite friends!
We really like what the filmmakers have to say about this project:
“Through the stories of families from different walks of life, we discover how the lack of paid parental leave and high-quality affordable childcare, stagnant wages and overcrowded housing, depression and social exclusion, and perhaps most of all the time crunch too often undermine even the efforts of parents and caregivers struggling to provide the nurturing environments all children need to thrive.
By exploring how things got this way—the history of U.S. child and family policy over the past century, the victories as well as the defeats—The Raising of America seeks to better understand what stands in the way of progress, and what we can do. The film lifts up those struggling to make good on a vision where all our children matter, all are nurtured and all have opportunities to thrive.”
Hear, hear!