DETROIT, MI. April 22, 2019— Strategic Staffing Solutions, an international IT and business services company headquartered in Detroit has committed to be a LEAD funder of The PuLSE Institute’s Junior Fellows Program. The competitive leadership program is open to high school students (https://thepulseinstitute.org/junior-fellows-2/) who have a keen and demonstrated interest in issues of poverty and economic inequality. The one-year fellowship allows students to immerse themselves in issues of extreme inequality and learn how to build critical thinking skills in dealing with complex political and socioeconomic issues relating to poverty.
The support of Strategic Staffing Solutions, which is ranked the sixth largest diversity staffing firm in the nation, will enable the program to empower fellows with the necessary leadership skills and training to become the anti-poverty champions of the future.
“S3 is pleased to support The PuLSE Institute’sJunior Fellows Program because every Detroiter’s voice should be heard when we work together to eliminate poverty in our community,” Cynthia J. Pasky, president and CEO of Strategic Staffing Solutions said in a statement. “As these fine young people grow into adults, they will be ready to successfully continue the work that our city’s leaders have already begun to improve the lives of every Detroit resident.”
The Institute’s president and director of research, Tina M. Patterson, an attorney and Detroit native welcomed the support of Strategic Staffing Solutions.
“The point of pride of The PuLSE Institute is our Junior Fellows Program, where we educate our youth about the long-lasting and devastating social impacts of inequality, as well as sharpen critical thinking, advocacy, and communication skills necessary to offer sound policy prescriptions to combat poverty,” Patterson said. “We understand that our work in this current era is not enough alone to undo the wrong of the past, and that we must invest in future leadership to carry out our efforts. Now, with the support from Strategic Staffing Solutions, we can continue to train leaders that will influence and guide their generation and beyond to reverse the cycle of economic disparity for a more prosperous future to be enjoyed by all.”
Students in the fellowship also specialize in different areas of interests, develop anti-poverty projects and are encouraged to do research and write columns periodically about issues of their choice. For example, two of the fellows Lonnie Renfroe Jr. of Renaissance High School and Katherine Heath of Bloomfield Hills High School recently wrote columns debating the disparities in STEM education (https://thepulseinstitute.org/2019/03/27/give-us-a-seat-at-the-stem-table/) and the unequal funding of public education in poor districts like Detroit. ((https://thepulseinstitute.org/2019/03/27/does-uneven-funding-negatively-impact-students/).
“Looking at the eight high schoolers in The Junior Fellows Program, I see the triumph of youthful curiosity, zest and hope. The program has been an inspiring success and I am confident that the splendid support from S3 will help make it a bigger success,” said C. Paschal Eze, the institute’s board chair and a humanitarian disaster expert.
Launched in July of last year, The PuLSE Institute, Detroit’s independent and non-partisan anti-poverty think tank was inspired by the writings of prominent journalist and author Bankole Thompson, whose work has elevated the discourse around poverty and inequality in Detroit. Thompson has been an influential voice on the question of economic inequality through his insightful, impactful and impassioned columns and community forums that drive conversations toward equitable solutions to the issues.
The Detroit-based Institute provides deep analysis and well-informed perspectives on a broad spectrum of issues affecting those on the lowest rung of the socio-economic ladder, who are often left out of solution-geared conversations about social inequality.
The Institute’s website is now archived by the University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library (thepulseinstitute.org/2019/02/12/um-bentley-to-archive-detroits-anti-poverty-think-tank/) because of the significance of its work for posterity.
The Institute also boasts a brain trust, the National Advisory Panel. The members are:
Dr. Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and a voice for global justice.
Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK, and leader of the “Nuns on the Bus” campaign.
Herb Boyd, best-selling author and historian.
Janis F. Kearney, former presidential diarist under Bill Clinton.
Robert S. Weiner, former White House spokesman and aide to the late U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy.
Dr. Bernard Lafayette, former top assistant to Martin Luther King Jr., and coordinator of the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign.
Rev Lawrence T. Foster, Harvard-trained theologian and Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church in Detroit.
Luba Lukova, Internationally renowned visual artist and social justice campaigner.
Joan Blaney, British author and international inclusion advocate, who was honored with the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by the Queen.
For more information about the Institute contact info@thepulseinstitute.org
Thank you Pulse Institute and Strategic Staffing Solutions! What an amazing opportunity for youth in the Detroit area – learning early the power of one, and Maya Angelou’s life philosophy of “When you get, give. When you learn, teach.”