To view the recording of this program, click here.

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge welcomes the community to its next virtual Lunch with the League at Noon, Tuesday, May 18 when Allison Wentz, Program Manager for Nurture the Next of East Tennessee, will speak on “Caring for Tennessee’s Children.”

Previously known as Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee, Nurture the Next’s name change seeks to emphasize what the organization does rather than what it prevents. Convinced that parenting is a skill passed down from one generation to the next, Nurture the Next utilizes a “two generation approach,” supporting both parents and children. Staff members work to strengthen parenting skills, while also assisting parents in addressing problems stemming from issues such as joblessness, poverty, and domestic violence. In the words of Kristen Davis, CEO and President of Tennessee’s Nurture the Next, the additional support gives parents, “the capacity to be more nurturing caregivers. . . . By improving the lives of children today, we’re also improving the lives of their families for generations to come.” 

Based at the YWCA building in Oak Ridge, the presence of Nurture the Next in East Tennessee is well timed. “Not all childhoods are created equal,” Davis observes. More than 20 percent of Tennessee’s children live in poverty, and 1 in 20 is the victim of a reported case of child abuse every year. Unsurprisingly, it is those children who are most at risk for ending up in prison or battling drug addiction or mental health issues as adults. 

Tennessee taxpayers are currently spending over $1 billion a year on incarceration and close to another half billion on programs addressing mental health and substance abuse issues across our state. “This,” Davis observes, “is equal parts an economic issue and a social justice issue. And it’s completely within our power to fix.”

Lunch with the League welcomes League members and nonmembers alike to this informative presentation. Members will automatically receive a link to the live presentation. Nonmembers should contact maryannreeves1 [at] att.net to request the link. A couple of days after the presentation, the recorded presentation may be viewed on the League’s website (https://my.lwv.org/tennessee/oak-ridge). 

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge is a nonpartisan political organization for men and women. It encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.