The founder of the Harlem Children’s Zone in Harlem, New York, is set to speak in Longview next month.
Geoffrey Canada, the subject of books and documentaries like “Waiting for Superman,” will headline a daylong poverty conference.
The Junior League of Longview is putting on the conference. Canada, a social activist and education reformer, will speak about the crisis facing youth and community revitalization, according to Junior League of Longview president-elect Kristen Ishihara.
“There is a serious poverty issue in Longview. About 25 percent of our children go to sleep in poverty each night, and that’s really unacceptable. We felt like we needed to find a way to do better to raise awareness in our community,” Ishihara said.
The Longview Junior League has been focused on fighting poverty for decades, according to Ishihara. She hopes that Canada’s two-hour presentation will provide the springboard organizations need to put poverty fighting programs in motion and to refine existing ones.
“We really hope that this can be the start of a movement toward really revitalizing some of our community, and providing those resources and that commitment to our youth,” Ishihara said.
Afternoon breakout session presenters will address poverty, community revitalization and other topics. The conference will take place Oct. 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. at LeTourneau University’s Belcher Center, 2100 S. Mobberly Ave., in Longview.
The Junior League’s last poverty conference two years ago attracted 400 people. More information is at thepovertyconference.org or on social media @thepovertyconference2015.
Qualified educators may receive Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) for attending.
