Purnell named ‘Person of the Year’ by St. Louis American

​Jason Q. Purnell, assistant professor in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and project director of For the Sake of All, the groundbreaking initiative on the health and well-being of African-Americans in St. Louis, was named the 2016 “Person of the Year” by The St. Louis American.

Grinstein-Weiss discusses new CDA program with Israeli media

Michal Grinstein-Weiss, associate director of the Center for Social Development, spent part of December with Israel’s leading media providing insight on the country’s new law creating Child Development Accounts, the Savings for Every Child law.

CSD research informs New York City’s new child savings accounts

The mayor of New York has announced a new child savings account to help thousands of New York City public school children save for college. City officials relied on research from the Center for Social Development to develop the three-year pilot program, which starts next fall.

Event focuses on mental health of college students of color

More than 200 mental health practitioners, scholars, university administrators, parents, students and community leaders gathered for the conference “Young, Gifted & @Risk: Promoting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color” on November 11 at the Brown School of Social Work.

South African researcher visits CSD

A researcher from CSD’s sister center in South Africa met with CSD staff members recently. Jacqueline Moodley is a research psychologist and researcher at the Centre for Social Development in Africa at the University of Johannesburg.

Workshop focuses on tools for clients’ financial well-being

​A program specialist from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a senior consultant from ICF helped to lead a recent professional development workshop at the Brown School, “Behind on Bills: Tools to Help Your Clients Secure Greater Financial Well-Being.”

Special issue focuses on financial capability, asset building

“Financial capability and asset building” is the theme of the 60th anniversary issue of Social Work. Articles by several researchers at the Center for Social Development were published in the October 2016 issue of the flagship journal of the National Association of Social Workers.

CSD hosts seminar for visitors from South Korea

The Center for Social Development hosted a seminar this month for social workers and others from South Korea, part of a larger training program focused on developing financial capability for Korean youth.

Bonn meeting focuses on building community resilience

Benjamin Lough, PhD, faculty director of International Service for the Center for Social Development, presented at the Conference for International Volunteer Cooperation Organizations this month at the United Nations Campus in Bonn, Germany.

Post-Dispatch features ‘Grand Challenges’ questions on debate day

To contribute to public discourse on how to make the United States more equitable, safe and livable for everyone, Michael Sherraden and Richard P. Barth submitted the opinion piece “12 questions for the presidential debate” to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Brown School scholars discuss lifelong asset building

​Social Security provides an important base of income, and without it about 50 percent of America’s elderly would live in poverty, said David Certner, legislative counsel and legislative policy director for government affairs at AARP.

Based on Grand Challenges, 12 questions for the candidates

The American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare has developed a list of 12 questions for candidates for president, Congress, and state and local offices. The questions stem from work at the Grand Challenges policy conference, September 15-16, which drew more than 250 experts, advocates, and leading academics from all over the United States.

How student debt increases odds of financial struggle

Students who come out of college with debt — especially larger amounts — are more likely to face hardship and financial difficulty during their lives, finds a new study from the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis.

Available now: Grand Challenges conference photos

Our photo album from the September 2016 “Social Innovation for America’s Renewal” features more than 130 pictures. If you or your organization would like to use a some to promote the Grand Challenges, you may download them.

Sen. McCaskill welcomes Grand Challenges conference participants

​U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) sent a video to welcome and encourage the more than 250 attendees of the Grand Challenges for Social Work policy conference, “Social Innovation for America’s Renewal,” September 14-16 at the Brown School of Social Work.

Conference takes on nation’s ‘Grand Challenges’

More than 250 experts, advocates, and leading academics from all over the United States converged this week on the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis to outline a comprehensive range of solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing the nation and the next administration.

Conference to focus on ‘12 Grand Challenges’ for America

National experts, advocates and leading academics will gather at Washington University in St. Louis on Sept. 14-16 as part of a policy conference designed to hammer out constructive solutions to pressing social issues facing the country and the next administration.

CSD receives College Kids Ambassador Award

On August 18, the Center for Social Development received the College Kids Ambassador Award from the St. Louis Treasurer’s Office of Financial Empowerment.

D.C. forum highlights international volunteer service

Hosted by Brookings and the Building Bridges Coalition, the June 14 event in Washington, D.C., was the 10th anniversary forum on the role of volunteers in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 and on the coalition’s impact research.

CSD leaders chart best practices for Israel’s new CDAs

​Building on a longtime working history, leadership from the Center for Social Development formally advised the Israeli government in May on best practices for implementing the country’s new law to confer universal savings accounts on children born in Israel. The law takes effect in January 2017.

Policy conference takes on race and inequality

More than 100 people converged on Washington University in St. Louis for Influencing Social Policy’s 2016 national conference, “Race and Inequality: Policy & Advocacy for Structural Change.”

Officials in Ghana hear YouthSave findings, explore next steps

​Top Ghana officials, representatives from more than 20 financial institutions and practitioners met in April in Accra, Ghana, to learn about YouthSave research findings and how they could encourage young people to open bank accounts and save.

CSD research reveals racial disparities in education debt

New research from the Center for Social Development at Washington University showed that low- to moderate-income black students and graduates accrued $7,721 more education debt than their white counterparts.

CSD celebrates, highlights global partners’ work in Asia, Africa

We are pleased to share news from and highlight ongoing collaborations with our global partners the Centre for Social Development Asia, at the National University of Singapore, and the Centre for Social Development in Africa, at the University of Johannesburg.

Experts explore how to urge Americans to save part of tax refund

​In the midst of the 2016 tax season, leaders from philanthropy, policy, practice and academia convened in at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for a symposium about using tax time to build Americans’ financial capability.

How Israel implements child accounts will be crucial

Michal Grinstein-Weiss, associate director of the Center for Social Development, spent part of December traveling in Israel on an important mission: to spread the word about how Israel can best implement its new law to provide universal child savings accounts known in the United States as Child Development Accounts, to all newborns.