306 - Stephanie Krauss on Readiness, Opportunity, and The Right to a Decent Life

Today Tom is speaking with Stephanie Krauss; an educator, social worker, researcher, and writer. Her work focuses on what young people need in the first quarter of life for them to thrive and be ready for adulthood. She is a senior advisor to JFF and a staff consultant for the Youth Transition Funders Group.

In this episode, Tom and Stephanie discuss the ways her childhood ultimately led her to follow up her teaching career with an education in social work. Her new book, Making It: What Today’s Kids Need for Tomorrow’s World, focuses on the rarely discussed but extremely important currencies required for kids today. During the discussion, Stephanie highlights the social and financial realities of kids, the inequities and injustices that exist in the education system, and how adults can equip young people with the competencies they need to survive.

Key Takeaways:

[:11] About today’s episode with Stephanie Krauss.

[:43] Tom Vander Ark welcomes Stephanie to the podcast!

[1:22] Stephanie chose to pursue social work to better understand the social and financial realities of kids.

[3:27] The “Readiness is a Right” philosophy.

[7:59] Stephanie’s book, Making It: What Today’s Kids Need for Tomorrow’s World, unpacks the complexity and explains the injustice of what is required for readiness.

[12:36] Stephanie describes the new currencies she focuses on in her book, Making It.

[20:11] Injustices and inequities in social capital and the role it plays in a child’s life.

[25:07] How young people can be discerning about choosing credentials and cash.

[27:32] Stephanie tackles the lack of access to capital/cash for students living in poverty.

[31:44] Specific ways educators and community leaders can be currency builders.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Stephanie Malia Krauss

Making It: What Today’s Kids Need for Tomorrow’s World, by Stephanie Krauss

Who You Know: Unlocking Innovations