The Mayors Challenge is the first component of Mike Bloomberg’s recently announced American Cities Initiative – a $200 million effort to empower U.S. cities and mayors to drive innovation and create policies that move our nation forward. Bloomberg Philanthropies created the Mayors Challenge to help city leaders think big, be bold, and uncover inventive ideas that have the power to spread. In 2013, the Mayors Challenge grand prize winner: Providence, Rhode Island, did just that and is the focus of our podcast today: The City of Providence came up with an idea to tackle the word gap and introduced “Providence Talks.” Launched with a $5 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge and embraced by Mayor Jorge Elorza’s team in City Hall, Providence Talks is the first city-led education program supporting children at the critical stage of birth to age three. Mayor Jorge Elorza, of Providence, Rhode Island speaks to former Bloomberg Philanthropies Government Innovation team member Garnesha Crawford about launching Providence Talks and its success. In this episode we also hear from the former Executive Director of the Providence Talks program, Courtney Hawkins, and Jennifer Calderon, whose daughter participated in the program.
The Mayors Challenge is the first component of Mike Bloomberg’s recently announced American Cities Initiative – a $200 million effort to empower U.S. cities and mayors to drive innovation and create policies that move our nation forward.
Bloomberg Philanthropies created the Mayors Challenge to help city leaders think big, be bold, and uncover inventive ideas that have the power to spread.
In 2013, the Mayors Challenge grand prize winner: Providence, Rhode Island, did just that and is the focus of our podcast today:
The City of Providence came up with an idea to tackle the word gap and introduced “Providence Talks.” Launched with a $5 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge and embraced by Mayor Jorge Elorza’s team in City Hall, Providence Talks is the first city-led education program supporting children at the critical stage of birth to age three.
Mayor Jorge Elorza, of Providence, Rhode Island speaks to former Bloomberg Philanthropies Government Innovation team member Garnesha Crawford about launching Providence Talks and its success. In this episode we also hear from the former Executive Director of the Providence Talks program, Courtney Hawkins, and Jennifer Calderon, whose daughter participated in the program.