RE-PURPOSING - "Re-defining", "Re-branding", and "Un-trapping" Milwaukeeans

Milwaukee, WI - Milwaukee Professionals Association moves forward with steps to ensure that the All Hands on Deck, WE, Not Me Initiative-Plan-Project promotes awareness and education of the People.

SHORT Fast Facts
-- All Hands on Deck was born January 23, 2010.
-- It is an outgrowth of MPA Smart Growth Signature Plan (2005-2010).
-- Smart Growth Signature Plan (2005-2010) initial findings

GOAL - To get a feel of how patterns of leadership, policy and day-to-day practices create a trend that perpetuates “poverty” for neighborhoods in Milwaukee.

Observations of well-known public, private and philanthropic organizations involved in partnerships that acquire government funding and spending on behalf of the City of Milwaukee. It included those that were elected, hired, appointed, volunteered, partnered and goodwill.

The initial findings were somewhat surprising, mixed and telling. Common strands were: 1). lack of “NO transparency” – heavy bureaucratic, 2). known wrong by in-house staff but no will of change (powerless), 3). a controlled environment of fear of dismissal, 4). external power players with contracts-procurement of goods and services, 5). widespread cronyism, 6). Heavy government funding with waste, 7). arrogance, 8). lack of customer care, 9). lack of accountability and best practices, 10). Supported by elected-hired-volunteered-appointed, partners and donors. Widespread “discrimination” that is “racial” and “class” based – often with people of color as “gate keepers” – doing as told.

This is also the "culture" seen at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, our highest public school.

Collectively the findings create barriers for implementing 36.01(1)(2), the Selective Mission and the 1956 founding premise. It also contributes to the deficit in education attainment and its outgrowths for quality of life and economic development. It helps to create and perpetuate "Enduring Concentrated Poverty" for Milwaukeeans, especially African American, other People of Color and the Work-Challenged. It sends the wrong messages to its Board of Regents appointees-UW System hired President-UW-Milwaukee hired Chancellor-UW-Milwaukee hired staff and impressionable students. Thus, a status quo that allows missteps that go against moral will and best practices of principled-centered leadership.

So what is the "repurposing"?
It is a BOTTOM-Up initiative to identify, train, tool and partner "hidden talent" and "emerging markets" at the neighborhood-level for competitiveness. It is "bundling" the findings for economic development and sustainability that will create a NEW Middle Class in the iconic city of Milwaukee.

-- BOOSTING Graduation
This includes diploma/GED, certification, Associate, 4-year, graduate and post-graduate level achievements. We encourage a goal of obtaining at least two of the options.