The answers to societal challenges can come from surprising sources. It’s a common misunderstanding that the only solution to poverty is more giving, and perhaps, some kind of wealth redistribution or rebalancing. The premise of The Prosperity Paradox by Clayton M. Christensen, Efosa Ojomo, and Karen Dillon, proposes that giving, while admirable, is usually not a holistic answer to anything. The book suggests that solutions for poverty, upward mobility, sustainable development, and even peace, are more likely to come from innovations than from donations.
Veritas Chronicles is following the stories of several individuals and organizations committed to teaching large numbers of young people, especially minority youth, about entrepreneurialism as a more reliable exit from the poverty cycle than sports and entertainment, and certainly more fruitful than the other oft-chosen exit, a career selling illegal substances. Education is a fundamental key to human flourishing and upward mobility, but it takes more than formal education to achieve sustainability.
Dr. DL Wallace, CEO of Success Training Institute, and his wife, Dr. Melva Wallace, President of Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas, are demonstrating the efficacy of soft skills training to help raise the next generation of entrepreneurs. They offer scholarships to lower socio-economic schools and individuals to encourage a breakout from the generational poverty cycle. A systematic approach to soft skills learning can accelerate any career or life choice, at any age, and in almost any circumstance. More than seven out of ten college graduates say their careers would be better with soft skills training.
“It’s the way out, the way up for everyone,” comments DL Wallace. “We launched STI and ImpactU to bring that uplifting and transformative message to America,” he said. §
