Blum Center for Poverty Alleviation Strategic Plan

Harnessing the vast stock of ingenuity and knowledge on campus to address the interrelated challenges of poverty alleviation, sustainable development, compassion, and peacebuilding at home and abroad.

Imagine solving the world’s most complicated social and environmental challenges and providing students with skills that will transform them into compassionate problem solvers and thoughtful leaders.

The University of California system’s vast stock of knowledge and other resources are unmatched in the United States — or anywhere on the planet. The Blum Center for Poverty Alleviation draws on the capabilities of the entire UC system and benefits from its location in a state that has an influential global identity and a long history of innovation. By harnessing our expertise in such areas as poverty, climate change, compassion and forging partnerships worldwide, we can help meet society’s most pressing problems.

Incredibly influential organizations, such as the Aspen Institute, Human Rights Watch, Harvard’s Belfer Center, and Columbia’s Earth Institute, generate knowledge and shape our responses to contemporary challenges. Through our strategic plan, the Blum Center is on a path to join this elite group within a decade.

Our Strategic Plan Phase I

Consultation, Capacity Building, Program Piloting – Completed

Phase I focused on building capacity and support, piloting programs, and raising funds in extensive consultations with numerous global leaders. We established partnerships with influential organizations around the world like Duke University, Fundación Paraguaya, and the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research. We raised funds to establish an innovative program on compassion and empathy.

Phase II

Consolidation of Core Strengths (2019-2023) – In Progress

We are organizing the Blum Center into four synergistic areas. Our compassion program enriches all other areas and bestows immediate and measurable personal and social benefits.

Empowering Girls and Women

Environmental Peacebuilding

Partners: United Nations Duke Columbia ELI EnPAX MIT Solve

Partners: Global GLOW UN Women Malala Fund MIT Solve

Modeling Extreme Events

Compassion Action Project

Partners: Living Peace UCSB Dahdaleh Institute

Partners: Dahdaleh Institute Nepal CCR Fundación Paraguaya Marea

Compassion Action Project The Compassion Action Project is a continuation and extension of the work of the Blum Center and Living Peace Foundation toward building a global and sustainable, university-based compassionin-action program. To date, the Blum Center has engaged in a range of activities, including: Online Science and Practice of Compassion course, available to all UC students l Intensive Compassion and Altruism seminar l Global Service Scholars program for undergraduates that includes coursework and a four-week summer international service project l Small Change Better World competition enabling students to develop and implement small projects to impact global problems, and l Distinguished Visiting Scholar program, engaging leading humanitarian scholars l

The Compassion Action Project enables us to promote compassion within the university and become a global resource for programs and policies to build a more compassionate world.

We also will develop three new areas to expand our reach and sustainability: l Compassionate University l Children’s Compassion Network (CCN)

Phase III

Global Reach (2024-2028)

The foundation laid through Phases I and II will allow us to build an institution that will put us on par with thought leaders around the world, such as the Aspen Institute. We will establish ourselves as catalysts in spreading the science and practice of compassion across the globe. Success in this final phase will require significant investments by like-minded supporters to provide the required staffing, space, faculty leadership and student support.

l Compassionate Capitalism Initiative

With focused vision and partnerships, we can soon join that small group of incredibly influential organizations and play our part in creating a more compassionate, sustainable and peaceful world.

University of California, Irvine 5548 Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway Irvine, CA 92697 blumcenter@uci.edu blumcenter.uci.edu