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Pages tagged "community organizing in Iowa"


In Workforce Summit, AMOS Calls For Public Investment in Human Capital

Posted on News by West/Southwest IAF · July 24, 2020 7:53 PM

[Excerpt]

A group of nearly 100 people gathered Thursday to address challenges facing the state’s workforce and what needs to be done as the state continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

The meeting, hosted by AMOS Institute of Public Life, the education and training arm of AMOS [A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy], drew members of the region’s faith-based community, business leaders, and state and local government officials.

The meeting focused on Project IOWA, a nonprofit organization that offers support and training to Iowans looking to improve their careers.

Paul Osterman, a professor of human resources at the MIT Sloan School of Management, the keynote speaker of the meeting, said job training programs, such as Project IOWA, have had great success in helping low-wage workers climb the ladder to better-paying jobs.

He said nothing has changed since the pandemic began to spread, “it’s just intensified it,” in reference to the need for services.

Osterman said one challenge that needs to be addressed is helping people move from one job to another, something Project IOWA focuses on.

There isn’t a strong public system to help with that, so the work Project IOWA does is essential to not only train workers, but also provide access to good jobs and creating good jobs.

“And these programs do both of these,” Osterman said. “You provide training, skills and connection to employers, but programs like these also create worker jobs, because there is research that shows that in communities that have effective human capital, skill development systems, employers do better. More jobs are created. It’s better for entrepreneurs. It’s better for employers. It helps new businesses coming to the community when they can see that the community is invested in the skills of its people, and sharing the cost of developing the skills of its people.

“Over time, it actually improves the economic health of the community,” he said.

Change Needed in Job Training, Development in New Pandemic Workforce, Business Record [pdf]

 


AMOS Fights for Expanded Mental Health Coverage

Posted on News by West/Southwest IAF · April 06, 2017 11:57 AM
Six months after a fall assembly in which hundreds of AMOS leaders pressured state legislators to restore mental health funding, leaders persisted in their quest -- writing an OpEd and testifying before the legislature.

"This isn't just a tax issue. This is an issue of life or death," testified Travis Stanley, pastor of Norwalk Christian Church and leader with AMOS. AMOS criticizes a state law capping the amount counties can collect for such services to the amount they collected in 1996, regardless of whether the county grew since then. "Keeping the cap at 1996 levels — when I was 16 — has killed people. People have lost their lives because of this," he said.

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AMOS Expands Affordable Housing Options in Ames, Iowa

Posted on News by West/Southwest IAF · February 14, 2017 1:00 PM
Six months after advocating that a 10-acre city-owned property be developed with a variety of affordable housing options for local working families, AMOS leaders succeeded in expanding the number of rental and lower-priced housing units to be made available.

Initially, the land parcel was zoned for single family detached homes, with some of the loudest voices calling for exclusively owner-occupied units. Thanks to the intervention of AMOS leaders, Ames City Council voted for more affordable housing to be developed on-site, including 60% to be made available at affordable rates, and to include rental housing in its Request for Proposals.

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AMOS Makes Racial Profiling a Focus in Iowa

Posted on News by West/Southwest IAF · August 18, 2015 4:46 PM
Over the last year, as part of a multi-year strategy to address the racial bias of the criminal justice system, leaders of AMOS (A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy) have recorded the stories of black Iowans racially profiled by store clerks, security guards, police and others. Says one mother of a teenage son, "I never, ever want to be that mom on TV who is crying … because something has happened to my son."

Black Iowans Fell Profiled by Police, Des Moines Register


AMOS Points out Local Progress on Juvenile Justice

Posted on News by West/Southwest IAF · December 22, 2014 10:30 AM
The Rev. Dr. Brigitte Black and Rev. Denny Coon pointed out that over a year ago they, as clergy leaders of AMOS, 'lamented the alarming increases in the filings of delinquency and detention holds on Polk County juvenile .... the disproportionate impact that was having on youth of color.' Their words triggered a firestorm of news stories, government studies and efforts to address root causes of the situation. AMOS clergy point out that amidst that firestorm, signs of hope emerged...

Polk County Makes Progress on Juvenile Justice, Des Moines Register


AMOS Leaders Challenge Iowa Congressman on Immigration & Unaccompanied Minors

Posted on News by West/Southwest IAF · August 13, 2014 10:59 AM
At a town hall meeting held in Ames, Iowa, Congressman Steve King was confronted by AMOS leaders unhappy with his recent votes on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and treatment of unaccompanied minors from Central America.

Shari Reilly appealed to the Catholic faith shared with King when she asked him to take a more "humanitarian approach" to the unaccompanied children arriving from Mexico and Central America. On behalf of AMOS she invited the Congressman to a public assembly to be held in September at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.

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AMOS Backs Greater Emphasis on 'Restorative Justice' For Juvenile Offenders

Posted on News by West/Southwest IAF · August 16, 2013 5:42 PM

"In the disagreement between Polk County officials and the citizen group AMOS, logic seems to favor AMOS. Especially in the long run.

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Debate Over Race & Juvenile Justice Heats Up in Iowa

Posted on News by West/Southwest IAF · June 26, 2013 3:32 PM
Citing concerns about an exponential rise in juvenile filings and detention holds, clergy leaders of A Mid Iowa Strategy (AMOS) are calling on their County Supervisors to vote against increased funding for juvenile attorneys, calling it a "direct result of the more punitive approach" recently taken towards children. An editorial written by several clergy triggered a heated response by the County Attorney (both pieces included below).

AMOS advocates a return "to the best practice model the County Attorney's office pioneered from 2006-2009" which made good use of "informal adjustments and alternatives to detentions for non-violent, non-repeat juvenile offenders."

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AMOS Wins $200K for Project IOWA Training: Governor Signs Bill

Posted on News by West/Southwest IAF · June 25, 2013 4:36 PM
Photo of AMOS leaders at Governor's Signing of $100K for Project IowaRepublican Governor Terry Branstad of Iowa signed into law a bill that will appropriate $100,000 per year for Project IOWA for the next two years. Project IOWA is a labor market intermediary that prepares adults for dignified participation in the labor market by training for jobs that already exist, and thus also helping employers find motivated and skilled workers. Project IOWA was established with the support of AMOS to better address the jobs -skills mismatch in the state.


Project IOWA Lauded for Getting People "On Track"

Posted on News by West/Southwest IAF · May 01, 2013 9:59 AM

"A rose to AMOS, a central Iowa church group, for another approach to getting people on the right track to meaningful careers... Project Iowa helps direct unemployed or underemployed participants into careers that happen to be in demand, such as welding or health care. The project was initiated last year by AMOS (A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy), a non-profit group formed by religious leaders and church groups. The program helps participants get training and certification for jobs with local employers looking for workers with specific skills. Project Iowa has assisted 57 participants, and more than 80 percent of those who have completed job training are employed."

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