5.4 Working Hard But Struggling to Survive: Meet Pennsylvania’s ALICE Population and Learn How to Advocate for Your Communities

Presenter: Philip Falvo

Title: Public Policy Director 

Organization: United Way of Pennsylvania

Workshop Description
UWP will present the ALICE project through a presentation that outlines the general ALICE population data as well as new ALICE children specific data. The presentation also explains how UWP advocates for ALICE and how external partners and community members can advocate for ALICE. The purpose is to show the audience that easily understood data, like the ALICE report, can be used as an asset in advocacy and storytelling. The presentation also highlights assistance programs, like Head Start, that are important to the ALICE population’s success in becoming financially stable.

Beyond the presentation, the workshop will also use an interactive tool called ALICE: The Experience (https://www.uwp.org/alice/alice-the-experience/) which allows participants to simulate living like ALICE. Pre-written discussion questions around this tool and the ALICE population are used to start the conversation about advocacy. When presenting ALICE, most audience members often found that they have experienced living as ALICE at some point in their lives. This discussion engages the audience members in utilizing their own stories and experiences to share and advocate for ALICE. The workshop creates an opportunity for important dialogue about lived experiences and utilizing those experiences as a platform for advocacy which is then enhanced by the ALICE Report’s data.