Utahns envision education as the key to improving their quality of life and creating better communities for themselves and for future generations.
The Background
Since its initiation in 2013, the Your Utah, Your Future effort uncovered that Utahns value children more than anything. They recognize that a high-quality education is critically important to build great communities and to provide their kids with a good life. Well-educated people have better opportunities to get good jobs and provide for their families. Through education, people also gain knowledge and experience that make them better citizens, which in turn leads to a better, more secure community for themselves and future generations.
An educated workforce attracts employers and fosters innovation, creating a robust economy. In fact, Utah economists rate workforce education levels as having a greater impact on the state’s economy than any other factor. Those with postsecondary education also tend to be:
More civically engaged through voting and volunteering
Healthier
Less likely to be incarcerated
Less likely to commit crimes
Less likely to need social services, such as food stamps, unemployment benefits, etc.
In sum, education is the key to a safe, prosperous, and neighborly community.
The good news is there are things we can do to improve education in Utah.
Following the Your Utah, Your Future initiative, Envision Utah made education one of the top priorities in our work. For the last six years, Envision Utah has facilitated an Education Steering Committee to help lead the way in making the Your Utah, Your Future vision a reality. The steering committee includes Utah’s top education and civic leaders, researchers, activists, technical experts, and other influential members of the community.
PATHS TO SUCCEESS
Envision Utah has identified two paths we must take as a state to improve education. Our Early Childhood Education campaign focuses on how individuals and families can enable children’s success, and our Utah Teacher Initiative campaign focuses on what we can do as a larger community to support education.
To learn more about our education project, check out Education About Page →
We want to help Utahns understand what we can do together, to improve education. Explore the videos below to learn more about My Education, Our Future.