In the Arena with NOW

We’re excited to share with you a special bonus episode as we reflect on the year and look ahead to 2024. We return again to Vital Village Networks’ annual National Community Leadership Summit, and tune in this time to our 2022 keynote conversation with writer, storyteller, and educator, Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts. She is the award-winning author of Black Joy and shares with us a powerful reflection of what it means to make room for joy -- in all of its forms -- and what it looks like for joy to co-exist in the same vessel as pain, grief, and trauma. She draws upon deeply personal and painful experiences to deepen our understanding of Black joy and what it can offer all of us as a path forward to healing and restoration. We hope you enjoy this conversation and look forward to connecting in the new year. 

Featured guest:

• Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts, writer, storyteller, and educator; author of Black Joy 
• Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, NOW at Vital Village Networks

Additional Resources:

• Learn more about Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts’ work: https://www.traceymlewis.com/ 

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing
Music: Want U W/ Me (Instrumental Mix), by Akira Sora, From the Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0
Edited By: Resonate Recordings 

In our final episode of the season, we return to Vital Village Networks’ 10th annual National Community Leadership Summit and tune into the dynamic closing keynote conversation with Camille Bennett, Founder and Executive Director of Project Say Something. Connecting the personal and political, Camille speaks to her and her family’s multi-generational work advocating for racial justice in Alabama. She shares the efforts that she and coalitions are leading to dismantle white supremacist culture and fight against anti-Black policies, lifting up how grassroots efforts are seeking to promote education and reproductive justice. She explores what partnership with community looks like in policy and advocacy, and the need to affirm and elevate community power.

Featured guest:

• Camille Bennett, Founder and Executive Director, Project Say Something ​ 
• Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, NOW at Vital Village Networks

Additional Resources:

• Find out more about Project Say Something’s work here: https://www.projectsaysomething.org/ 
• Explore the featured resource from the NOW Resource Library, Working Principles for Health Justice and Racial Equity, from the Praxis Project here: https://www.thepraxisproject.org/our-principles  

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing

Recorded by: MediaBoss

Music: Want U W/ Me (Instrumental Mix), by Akira Sora, From the Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0

Edited By: Resonate Recordings 

In this special episode, we tune in from Vital Village Networks’ 10th annual National Community Leadership Summit, where hundreds of grassroots community leaders gathered in Boston in October. Hear opening remarks from Founding Director, Dr. Renee Boynton-Jarrett, followed by an intimate conversation with best-selling author and educator Kiese Laymon and Ronda Alexander, Vital Village’s Director of Partnerships. Delving into the summit theme, Writing Our Story, Kiese reflects on his personal journey growing up in Jackson, Mississippi with radical honesty and vulnerability, sharing insights on racism, family, dignity, and the power of sitting in grief. He explores what joy, healing, and justice look like and the importance of writing, telling, and owning our own narratives. 

Featured guest:

• Kiese Laymon, Bestselling Author, Social Critic, and Essayist
• Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, NOW at Vital Village Networks

Additional Resources:

• Find out more about Kiese Laymon and his work: https://www.lyceumagency.com/speakers/kiese-laymon/ 
• Learn more about 2023 Summit takeaways and coalition building reflections in our latest article by Gabby Cockerham: https://www.networksofopportunity.org/post/coalition-building-key-takeaways-from-the-2023-national-community-leadership-summit 

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing
Recorded by: MediaBoss
Music: Want U W/ Me (Instrumental Mix), by Akira Sora, From the Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0
Edited By: Resonate Recordings

Please note, this episode does contain some adult language.

We continue our conversation with Inés Palmarin, a long-time Boston community builder, coalition co-founder, and Vital Village National Advisory Board member dedicated to holding and creating space for mothers to connect and create solutions together. Inés unpacks what collaborative and shared leadership looks like, and shares more about her work with community economic development and other collaborative efforts that seek to ensure local resident leaders and young people not only have a voice but meaningful and authentic decision making power. We explore with Inés the importance of embracing lifelong learning and how to honor grace, hope, and dignity for ourselves, each other, and future generations of leaders to come.  

Featured guest:

• Inés Palmarin, Co Founder of Boston Mothers Care & Community Weaver /Vital Village Board Member
• Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, NOW at Vital Village Networks

Register for the 10th National Community Leadership Summit: https://www.vitalvillagesummit.org/register

Learn more about Boston Mothers Care: https://www.bostonmotherscare.org/ 

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing

Music: Want U W/ Me (Instrumental Mix), by Akira Sora, From the Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0

Edited By: Resonate Recordings

How can we practice collaborative relationships differently? For Inés Palmarin, long-time Boston community builder, coalition leader and Vital Village National Advisory Board member, this starts with building trust and creating intentional spaces to connect around our shared “why” and hopes for our communities. Ines reflects on her own personal journey, the creation of the Boston Mothers Care coalition, and the evolution of collaborative practices that seek to center racial equity. We explore with Inés what it looks like to sustain “heart work” within coalitions to create wellbeing and opportunity for children and families to thrive.

Featured guest:

• Inés Palmarin, Co Founder of Boston Mothers Care & Community Weaver /Vital Village Board Member
• Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, NOW at Vital Village Networks

Register for the 10th National Community Leadership Summit: https://www.vitalvillagesummit.org/register

Learn more about Boston Mothers Care: https://www.bostonmotherscare.org/

Additional Resources:
Explore the featured resource from the NOW Resource Library, Building Diverse Community Based Coalitions, here: https://www.networksofopportunity.org/resources/Building-Diverse-Community-Based-Coalitions 

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing
Music: Want U W/ Me (Instrumental Mix), by Akira Sora, From the Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0
Edited By: Resonate Recordings 

Tune into the next part of our conversation with Reann Gibson, a community-based researcher, community changemaker, and social justice advocate in Boston and beyond. Reann delves further into her experiences with facilitating community-based participatory research and coalition building efforts, asking the critical question, “What does it mean to create spaces with community ownership of change?” particularly in the realm of health and wellbeing research. We explore what it looks like to create spaces where community members have the resources -- and the power -- to co-design research, and other community initiatives, and how collaboration rather than competition can help foster innovation and transformation. 

Featured guest:

• Reann Gibson, Community researcher and social justice advocate 
• Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, NOW at Vital Village Networks

Read Reann’s latest article on ownership of change at: https://www.rwjf.org/en/insights/blog/2023/06/researchers-build-community-power-to-influence-health-in-gentrifing-neighborhoods.html?channelid=xsp&cid=1003629

Register for the 10th National Community Leadership Summit at: https://www.vitalvillagesummit.org/register 

Additional Resource:

Explore the featured resource from the NOW Resource Library, Beyond Lessons In The Field: Community Engagement in Promise Neighborhoods, here: https://www.networksofopportunity.org/resources/Beyond-Lessons-In-The-Field%3A-Community-Engagement-in-Promise-Neighborhoods 

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing

Music: Want U W/ Me (Instrumental Mix), by Akira Sora, From the Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0

Edited By: Resonate Recordings 

How can collaborative action support joy and community healing? And what does this mean for how we define and understand leadership? In our next episode, we speak with Reann Gibson, a community-based researcher, community changemaker, and an advocate for social justice in the fields of health equity, food systems, community development and more. Reann reflects on her decades-long work to support food access, transformation justice and community-based participatory research in the Boston area and shares how collaborative action can shift the narrative of leadership, making space for all different types of leaders. We explore with Reann the power of fostering community-controlled and authentic spaces to support long term healing, and how participatory research efforts, such as the Healthy Neighborhood Study, can offer important lessons for creating these opportunities. 

Featured guest:

• Reann Gibson, Community researcher and social justice advocate 
• Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, NOW at Vital Village Networks

Resources from the episode:

• Learn more about the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition at: https://www.mattapanfoodandfit.org/
• Read more about the Edgewater Food Forest in Mattapan at: https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/05/25/edgewater-food-forest-mattapan-boston-food-forest-coalition
• Learn more about The Healthy Neighborhoods Study at: hns.mit.edu 

Additional Resource:

• Explore the featured Resource from the NOW Resource Library, A Community Builders Toolkit, here: https://www.networksofopportunity.org/resources/A-Community-Builders'-Toolkit 

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing

Music: Want U W/ Me (Instrumental Mix), by Akira Sora, From the Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0

Edited By: Resonate Recordings 

In our second episode of the season, we continue the conversation with Allentza Michel, of Powerful Pathways, who reflects on the evolution of creative placemaking and community-led design work and her hopes for the future. We unpack the challenges faced in advancing systems change and navigating the fear of change in transforming oppressive systems. Allentza discusses the critical role of imagination, and how Powerful Pathways is creating spaces and opportunities to bring people together across differences, to be able to collectively imagine and build a just future together.  

Featured guest:

• Allentza Michel, Powerful Pathways 
• Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, NOW at Vital Village Networks

Learn more and stay connected at: https://powerfulpathways.org/

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing
Music: Want U W/ Me (Instrumental Mix), by Akira Sora, From the Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0
Edited By: Resonate Recordings 

Welcome to Season 2 of In the Arena with NOW! As organizers, advocates, and communities continue to work towards systems transformation, what does it look like to make cities more equitable and sustainable? And, what can we learn from leaders who are centering anti-racism and anti-classism through creative placemaking and equitable community design? In our first episode of the season, we speak with Allentza Michel, of Powerful Pathways, who has long been leading efforts to elevate community leadership at the intersection of community design, urban planning, and arts and culture work. We learn more about the need for social change agents and creative thinkers more broadly, particularly in the realm of public policy and community development planning processes that have historically excluded community voices and leadership. Hear more about Allentza’s journey, hear examples of bright spots in Boston, MA, and unpack what it means to shift away from creating policies “for” community and instead design and make policy decisions “with” community. 

Featured guest:

• Allentza Michel, Powerful Pathways 
• Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, NOW at Vital Village Network

Learn more and stay connected at: https://powerfulpathways.org/ 

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing

Music: Want U W/ Me (Instrumental Mix), by Akira Sora, From the Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0

Edited By: Resonate Recordings

Based in New York City, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), in partnership with Fifth Avenue Committee, LSA Family Health Service,  BACDYS (Bangladeshi American Community Development and Youth Services), and Masa, launched the Linking Immigrant Families to Quality Early Care and Education (LIFE) Project to connect quality early education to immigrant families including the city's Pre-K and 3K programs. Their work builds on the passion that immigrant families have for educational opportunities and existing relationships with community programs, identifies unique barriers and challenges faced by immigrant families, and aims to build trusting relationships with the communities served. In our final episode of Season 1, we learn from Rosario, Liza, and Kim, members and leaders of the LIFE Project. Guests reflect on what brought them to this work, the strength of the communities they work with, and the lessons learned as they champion for a more equitable early education system in New York City for immigrant communities. 

To learn more about the New York Immigration Coalition and their projects please visit, https://www.nyic.org/.

Guests include:

• Rosario Jimenez, Community Health Worker & Early Care Education Advocate, LSA Family Health Service Inc
• Liza Schwartzwald, Senior Manager of Education Policy, New York Immigration Coalition 
• Kim Sykes, Director of Education Policy, New York Immigration Coalition
• Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, NOW at Vital Village Network

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing

Music By: Morgan Breland

Edited by: Resonate Recordings

What does it look like to engage with community stakeholders to co-design a community plan for revitalization that authentically centers the needs of the local neighborhood? In our 14th episode we feature Austin Neighborhood Network, located in the largest geographic neighborhood of Chicago, to learn more about their participatory efforts to collectively transform their community. Listen in to learn more from Jose Abonce, Ruth Kimble, and Sandra Diaz, as they share the successes, challenges, and insight about how their coalition works to build up community infrastructure by following four of the highest priorities set by community members as part of their Quality of Life Plan, including 1) access to quality early learning opportunities, 2) living wage careers, 3) safe neighborhoods and, and 4) healthy and affordable housing.  

To learn more about the Network and their backbone organization, Austin Coming Together visit their website https://austincomingtogether.org/.

• Jose Abonce, Lead Organizer, Austin Coming Together
• Ruth Kimbel, Community Partner & Owner/ Operator of Austin Childcare Provider’s Network
• Sandra Diaz, HUB Coordinator, Austin Coming Together
•  Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, Vital Village Networks

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing

Music By: Morgan Breland

Edited by: Resonate Recordings

What does it look like to create a trauma-informed early care and education community? Why is centering parent leaders critical to achieving this vision? In our 13th episode, we learn about the innovative work that the Essex County Council for Young Children (ECCYC) is leading to foster meaningful cross-sector partnerships between agencies and parents to create healthy, thriving, and resilient communities. Based in Newark, New Jersey, ECCYC is made up of a coalition of parents and families, along with providers and other community members as active partners, who identify and discuss the issues that affect the health, education and safety of children from pregnancy to eight in Essex County, including the important role of childhood trauma and adverse early experience. A leading statewide model for authentic parent engagement and leadership, ECCYC is made up of majority parent involvement in key leadership roles and is actively working with peer communities to share their trauma-informed and parent leadership approach across the state of New Jersey. Through our conversation, we learn about why parent leadership matters, their cross-sector collaborative approach, and the importance of meeting people where they are at and honoring each of our gifts in this work. Learn more and stay connected with ECCYC at https://www.facebook.com/Essex.Council. 

Guests include:

• Dr. Beverly Lynn, CEO, Programs for Parents, Inc
• Judy Bennett, Consultant to Essex County Council for Young Children 
• Altorice Frazier, Parent, Essex County Council for Young Children Co-Chair; Executive Director, Parents Engaging Parents 
• Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, Vital Village Network

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing
Music By: Morgan Breland
Edited by: Diana Rivera

How can providers honor the children and caregivers they work with as the experts of their own lives? In our 12th episode we feature Brazelton Touchpoints Center, located in Boston, Massachusetts, to learn about shifting to mental models that honor the dignity of children and their caregivers, a key strategy for creating a sustainable world where children grow up to be thriving adults in their local community. Listen along as we hear from Josh Sparrow and Mindy May share the story of Brazelton Touchpoints Center, their experiences with shifting mental models in their efforts to make the Brazelton vision become reality, and the lessons learned as mentors in the NOW Learning Community. 

To learn more about the dignity framework developed by Ubuntu Research and Evaluation, visit https://www.ubunturesearch.com.

To find out more about Brazelton Touchpoints Center and its professional development offerings on changing mindsets, visit https://www.brazeltontouchpoints.org/. 

Guests include:

• Josh Sparrow, Executive Director, Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Boston Children’s Hospital
• Mindy May, Director of Partnership and Professional Development, Brazelton Touchpoints Center
•  Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, Vital Village Networks

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing
Music By: Morgan Breland
Edited By: Tiffany Rodriguez

What are the critical components of a successful workforce development program? The Family Engagement Network (FEN), located in Pima County Arizona, is leading the way in a holistic and family-centered approach to supporting caregivers and their families to empower themselves through the opportunity to build critical workforce skills. In our 11th episode, we hear from Lorena, a parent champion in the workforce program, who shares her experience in the program. We then learn from FEN members, Heather, Tamara, and Pam, who discuss the importance of centering families and how they navigate the needs and desires of families as a unit to improve how the network serves its community. 

Guests include:

• Lorena Robles, Parent Champion, Family Engagement Network 
•  Heather Friedman, Pima North Regional Director, First Things First
•  Tamara Nicolosi, Director of Business Development and Engagement, Pima Community College
•  Pam Valencia,  Workforce Enrollment Specialist, Pima County Arizona at Work
•  Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, Vital Village Network

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing

Music By: Morgan Breland

Edited by: Camila Beiner

Episodio 10: Adelante, Adelante: El movimiento hacia la justicia del idioma y la equidad

Con sede en el condado de Jefferson, Colorado, la coalición Adelante es una red de familias, agencias y organizaciones que toma en cuenta la voz de la comunidad LatinX y hace decisiones con respecto a la salud y la educación. En nuestro décimo episodio, presentamos nuestro primer podcast bilingüe en el que practicamos la justicia del idioma hablando con tres líderes en el centro de Adelante: Cynthia Zapata, Lorena García y Paulina Erices. Estas líderes reflexionan sobre la importancia de reunirse con las familias y comunidades hispanas donde se encuentran a través de lugares culturalmente inclusivos donde pueden sentirse apoyados y respetados con dignidad, para liderar el cambio que desean ver en su propia comunidad querida. La transcripción en inglés se puede encontrar aquí:

Los invitados incluyen:

• Cynthia Zapata, Campeona de la comunidad y Coordinadora de redes, Adelante
• Lorena García, Coordinadora de red, Adelante
• Paulina Erices, Coordinadora de red, Adelante
• Camila Beiner, campeona de justicia de idiomas y entrevistadora, Vital Village Network

English transcript can be found here: https://bit.ly/Adelante-podcast-transcript-english
Based in Jefferson County, Colorado, the Adelante coalition is a network of families, agencies, and organizations that brings the voice of the LatinX community to decision making regarding health and education. In our tenth episode, we present our very first bilingual podcast episode in which we practice language justice by speaking with three leaders at the heart of Adelante: Cynthia Zapata, Lorena Garcia, and Paulina Erices. These leaders reflect on the importance of meeting Spanish speaking families and communities where they are at through culturally inclusive places where they can feel supported and respected with dignity, in order to lead the change that they want to see in their own beloved comunidad. 

Guests include:

• Cynthia Zapata, Community Champion & Network Coordinator, Adelante
• Lorena Garcia, Network Coordinator, Adelante
• Paulina Erices, Network Coordinator, Adelante
• Camila Beiner, Language Justice Champion & Interviewer, Vital Village Networks

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing

Music By: Morgan Breland

Edited by: Camila Beiner

How can we use data to tell community stories and create actionable change? What is the role of narrative in advancing equitable policies that improve the health and wellbeing of children and their families? In our ninth episode, we explore these questions with Allison Bovell-Ammon and Dr. Megan Sandel of Children’s HealthWatch (CHW). Headquartered at Boston Medical Center, CHW is a nonpartisan network of pediatricians, public health researchers, and children’s health and policy experts working to improve the health and development of young children by informing policies that address and alleviate economic hardships. Through our conversation, we learn about CHW’s collaborative efforts to advocate for holistic and innovative policy solutions that are grounded in community voices and address root causes of health inequity, including their policy efforts to design pathways to stable homes and expand access to Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) benefits. Learn more about their efforts, including resources and supports for families to find safe and secure housing during COVID-19, at: https://childrenshealthwatch.org/. 

Guests include:

• Allison Bovell-Ammon, Director of Policy Strategy, Children’s HealthWatch
• Dr. Megan Sandel, Co-Lead Principal Investigator, Children’s HealthWatch
• Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, Vital Village Network

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing

Music By: Morgan Breland

What would it look like if every community had the resources and support to be in charge of their own change and transformation? The Voices and Choices for Children coalition has been working to drive equitable processes for improving childhood health, educational, and economic outcomes, as well as improving the representation and leadership of communities of color and American Indian communities across the state of Minnesota by partnering with parents, state agencies, non-profits and community stakeholders. In our eighth episode, we learn from three coalition members who believe in walking the talk of centering the dignity of children and their communities by unapologetically addressing implicit bias that exists in the fundamental mental models that have driven the system in which we live in. They share their coalitions experience passing legislation to invest in their community, the importance of persistence when shifting mindsets, and the hope that they have for the future the Community Solutions Grant Program and the children living in the state of Minnesota.  

Guests include:

• Dianne Haulcy, Senior Vice President of Family Engagement, Think Small - Minnesota
• Bharti Wahi, Executive Director, Children’s Defense Fund - Minnesota
• May Losloso, Senior Organizer, Children's Defense Fund
• Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, NOW at Vital Village Network

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing

Music By: Morgan Breland

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) works with a diverse network of communities and partners to reduce breastfeeding disparities among African American women and to strengthen the health and wellbeing of babies and families, particularly in communities of color. In our seventh episode, we speak with Andrea Serano of ROSE and learn about their multi-pronged approach to transforming the breastfeeding landscape to be more accessible, inclusive, culturally relevant and equitable -- from mentoring and support groups, to training, education, and legislative advocacy. Andrea also shares highlights from ROSE’s new report, Saving Tomorrow Today: An African American Breastfeeding Blueprint, which builds on research, community listening sessions, and stakeholder engagement to identify key disparities in breastfeeding faced by African American women, and offer innovative community solutions and policy recommendations. learn more at: http://www.breastfeedingrose.org/. 

Featured Guest:

• Andrea Serano, Program Director, Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE)

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing

Music By: Morgan Breland

Based in Berkeley County, South Carolina, the Berkeley Early Education and Care Collective (BEE Collective) and its network of partners are working to create a system of care for social and emotional development that can support the wellbeing of families and communities at large. In our sixth episode, we speak with members of the BEE Collective and learn about the powerful efforts they are leading to advance equity, align systems, and build Beloved Community, including their work to address the disproportionate exclusion and expulsion of Black and brown boys in early learning settings, as well as the barriers Black mothers face in accessing quality and culturally responsive services. Guests share their personal stories -- as mothers, doulas, and community members -- and reflect on the importance of community-driven solutions, women-of-color led safe spaces, and authentic truth telling for community transformation. 

Guests include:

• Alexa Stephens, Project Coordinator, Berkeley County First Steps 
• Richie Simone Lee, Doula and Community Champion, Berkeley Early Education and Care Collective
• Adrienne Troy-Frazier, Executive Director, Berkeley County First Steps

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing
Music By: Morgan Breland

Based in Navajo Nation, New Mexico, the McKinley County Early Childhood Coalition (MCECC) seeks to eliminate health disparities and improve the wellbeing of American Indians and Alaska Natives in their community. In our fifth episode, we learn from members of MCECC about the transformative efforts they are leading to promote healthy, prosperous, and empowered Native children and families, grounded in honoring their indigenous culture, language, and traditions. Guests reflect on their ongoing work to foster partnerships, invest in existing community resources, align efforts with tribal leadership, and build capacity for systems change led by Native communities themselves.  

Guests include:

• Robert Alsburg, Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment
• Gabriel Claw, Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment 
• Colleen Roan, Navajo Nation Early Intervention Program
• Esther Rodriquez, Community Champion, ATD Fourth World
• Erick Sanders, ATD Fourth World
• Emerson Toledo, McKinley County Early Childhood Coalition
• Host: Ronda Alexander, Director of Operations, NOW at Vital Village Network

Produced by: Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing

Music By: Morgan Breland