End Child Poverty Campaign
After 3 years of intensive policy discussions and moral reflection at 24 churches and other religious institutions throughout Wisconsin, a coalition of faith-based networks and anti-poverty groups announced a campaign to end child poverty in Wisconsin. The campaign has twin goals of reducing child poverty and associated racial disparities by half in the next decade.
The lead coalition partners are four statewide organizations:
– WISDOM
– Wisconsin Council of Churches, Kids Forward
– Citizen Action of Wisconsin Education Fund
The focus on child poverty is due to the fact that children are the poorest segment of society. Racial disparities in poverty are greater in Wisconsin than in the US as a whole, so any efforts to reduce childhood poverty overall need to reduce those as well. The negative consequences of childhood poverty and racial disparities on a child’s health, development, and life prospects can persist into adulthood and future generations, affecting the vitality and productivity of the whole community.
Part of the inspiration for this project comes from the success of United Kingdom’s efforts over the past two decades to dramatically reduce child poverty.
In the course of the forums, an interfaith theological statement and a policy statement were developed, giving the religious and moral reasons for committing our state to this goal.
Resources for Congregational Engagement in End Child Poverty Campaign
- Leaders Guide
- Statement Summaries with Discussion Questions for Participants
- Participants resource link PDF
- Invite members of your congregation to endorse the child poverty reduction goal:
- Bulletin Inserts
