We are very excited to announce our 2024 Summit Breakout Sessions and speakers! This year’s Summit will focus on the causes, impacts, and potential policy solutions to child poverty in Missouri. Sessions will be offered in three tracks, focused on our core issue areas: Affordable Housing, Criminal Legal System Reform, and Food Security, as well as some sessions focused on other important poverty issues and advocacy tools and skill-building.
Read a preview of our offerings below, and check back often as we add more information.
Bridging the Benefits Cliff for Economic Stability
Presented by: Amanda Walker-Jackson (Advisory Board Member, KC Parent Leadership Training Institute)
Join us for a compelling session addressing the critical issue of the benefits cliff, a term used to describe individuals losing essential support as their income rises marginally. Walker-Jackson will provide accounts of the challenges of parents impacted by this phenomenon, as well as her own experience with homelessness after reaching minimum wage and losing benefits. The session will shed light on the harsh realities faced by many striving for economic independence. Through personal narratives and policy insights, this session aims to evoke empathy and deepen understanding of the systemic issues contributing to the benefits cliff.
Hear from the Experts: Experiences of Incarceration, Reentry, and Advocacy
Panelists: Bobby Bostic (Writer and Speaker, Mind Diamonds), Syreta Toson (Executive Director, A Home for Her), and Mataka Askari (Peer Support Specialist and Group Facilitator, Connections to Success)
This session is a panel discussion featuring three experts with lived experiences of incarceration who are active in vital advocacy work in Missouri. Bobby Bostic is a writer and speaker who has authored an autobiography, books of poetry, and more. His focus is on helping troubled youth and pushing for systems change. Syreta Toson is a motivational speaker and podcaster, as well as Executive Director of A Home for Her, a nonprofit organization that directly assists women affected by domestic violence and those returning home from incarceration. Mataka Askari is a Certified Peer Specialist and group facilitator. He is currently employed by Connections to Success where he does reentry work and facilitates classes while also doing work with Columbia Public Schools. This panel session will be facilitated by Patrick Benson, Empower Missouri Community Justice Intern.
Economic Security Programs and Policy Change for Children in Poverty
Presented by: Gina Aitch (Policy Analyst, Missouri Budget Project)
State policy decisions can have a meaningful impact on children living in poverty. In this session, a Missouri Budget Project speaker will provide a brief overview of several economic security and safety net programs that provide financial assistance to Missouri children and their families, as well as the impact the programs have in the state. Emphasis will be placed on current policy debates and issues regarding the EITC, child tax credit, Medicaid/CHIP, SNAP, and TANF. Advocates will learn about policies that can be changed or implemented to expand these programs so that more children living in poverty will have the opportunity to thrive.
Empowering Tenants: Self-Advocacy via Accessible Tenant Education and Outreach
Presented by: Abbie Leonard (Social Worker – Housing and Consumer Law Units, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri) and Jessica Hallermann (Paralegal and Office Manager – Housing Law Unit, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri)
Over the past two years, the Housing and Consumer Law units at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri have developed several strategies to better inform and empower low-income tenants for self-advocacy. These resources include a Court Help Desk to assist tenants navigating Housing Court, a pro-se tenant website (MOTenantHelp.org), and a comprehensive Tenant Toolkit. This session will walk through these tools, focusing on their development, community input, and distribution planning, as well as how their effectiveness is analyzed through feedback. Participants will gain insights into ongoing efforts to ensure these resources reach the tenants who need them most.
Turning Hungry Kids into Happy Kids
Presented by: Jeremy Milarsky (Senior Project Coordinator, MU College of Health Sciences Center for Health Policy) and Bill McKelvey (Senior Project Coordinator, MU Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security)
Food insecurity impacts approximately 250,000 children in Missouri, or nearly 19% of those under the age of 18. This presentation will explore some of the trends associated with child hunger in our state, including discussion about the impact of child food insecurity, child-focused state and federal programs, and policy considerations.
P.A.U.S.E. the School to Prison Pipeline
Presented by: Sydney Smith (Community Engagement Restorative Justice Fellow, ACLU Missouri) and Iyaun Bell (Community Engagement Restorative Justice Fellow, ACLU Missouri)
Learn more about the school to prison pipeline and the ACLU’s work for Hayti P.A.U.S.E. (Project Against Unjust Suspensions and Expulsions). This session will describe the school to prison pipeline along with key trends, including zero tolerance policies and the importance of restorative justice. Hayti P.A.U.S.E. is a pilot model where community advocacy can lead to school district-level changes.
Protecting Audio-Only Telehealth for Access to Care
Presented by: Amy R. Beck, PhD (Clinical Psychologist)
This session will review increasing access to healthcare, particularly for rural Missourians, via protecting audio-only telehealth. Participants will receive an overview of telehealth, as well as details about the journey to codify audio-only telehealth protections. Participants will also have the opportunity to join the fight in supporting this legislation in 2025.
Addressing Youth Homelessness
Presented by: Dr. Felicia Spratt (Vice President of Justice and Crisis Operations, Behavioral Health Response)
Youth homelessness is a critical issue in Missouri and across the nation, affecting thousands each year. These young people face serious risks, including exploitation, mental health struggles, and barriers to education and employment. Addressing this requires understanding the root causes, such as family conflict, economic hardship, and inadequate support systems, especially for LGBTQ+ youth and those aging out of foster care. As a community, we must provide long-term solutions like affordable housing, mental health services, and job training to help homeless youth build secure futures.
Equity at the Center: Influencing Policy with Data, Evidence, and Storytelling
Presented by: Dan Ferris (Associate Director of Education and Training, Washington University in St. Louis)
This session explores and reimagines the roles of analysis, data, and evidence in advancing policy. In today’s complex and data-rich world, policymakers, analysts, advocates, and organizational leaders alike must effectively and equitably collect, analyze, interpret, and utilize data to drive evidence-based policy-making processes. Participants will gain knowledge and familiarity with specific methods and frameworks for leveraging data and evidence in the design, implementation, and evaluation of public policies. Through case studies, practical exercises, and interactive discussions, participants will apply their own experience and policy priorities to considering how blending data, evidence, and storytelling can address complex policy challenges and drive positive social change.
Ending Extreme Sentences for Kids
Presented by: Amy Breihan (Missouri Co-Director, Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center)
Learn about the progress our country has made in pushing back against the extreme sentencing of youth, what that progress has looked like in Missouri, and how you can help to ensure people sentenced as kids receive a meaningful opportunity for release from prison.
Innovating for Nutrition Access in Rural Missouri
Presented by: Trina Ragain (Policy Strategist)
Details coming soon!
Power of a Picture: ID Access
Presented by: Sara Ruiz (Executive Director, Ashrei Foundation) and Christine Dragonette (Director of Social Ministry, St. Francis Xavier College)
This session will explore the power of a simple picture, specifically on a Missouri photo identification card. Speakers Christine Dragonette and Sara Ruiz both run weekly programs that help Missourians obtain a copy of their birth certificate and a non-driver photo ID. Additionally, they co-facilitate the MO ID Access Coalition, which recently kicked off a three-year project to pursue structural and relational changes to the systems that govern ID access and strengthen the statewide coalition. Evidence-informed, community-led advocacy efforts can expand ID access and advance policies to eliminate inequities.
The “I” in Poverty Prevention Begins with the “You” in Ubuntu
Presented by: Merideth Rose (President and CEO, Cornerstones of Care)
Details coming soon!
In addition to the sessions above, the Summit will feature two incredible keynote presentations from Andrea Elliott and Merideth Rose, as well as a special screening of the documentary Preschool to Prison. On Tuesday evening, participants will also have the option of attending a special Advocacy 101 Training Session (with dinner provided), for attendees new to advocacy. Attendees who are already established in our Affordable Housing Coalition (AHC), Food Security Coalition (FSC), or Community Justice Coalition (CJC) can join one of these groups for an offsite dinner.
Tickets are only $149 per person, and are available at empowermissouri.org/summit/. Sign up information for Tuesday evening dinners will be sent after tickets are purchased.
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