The Idealist.org Podcasts

In this episode we feature one of the winners of the 2009 Purpose Prize. The Purpose Prize awards up to $100,000 to social innovators in their encore careers who are creating new ways to solve tough social problems. The Prize is an initiative of Civic Ventures' Encore Careers campaign which aims to engage millions of experienced adults in work that makes a difference in their communities and the world.

In this interview we hear from Judith Broder who, in her late 60's, created The Soliders Project which provides free psychological support to returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan.

If you'd like more information on encore careers or mid-career transitions, go to idealist.org/midcareer

On the outskirts of Buenos Aires tucked away from the ubiquitous tango clubs and steakhouses, is Hospital Borda, the largest and oldest mental hospital in Argentina. But this isn't your typical psychiatric ward. In the middle of its courtyard stands a small, bustling building full of recording equipment and unbridled energy, where each Saturday patients gear up to take the mic. This is Radio La Colifata, the first radio show in the world to be broadcast out of a mental hospital.
Our latest podcast follows Idealist staff member Celeste Hamilton, a transplanted New Yorker and Cecilia Gil Mariño, a native Argentinean, as they give us an intimate glimpse as to why everyone from taxi drivers to famous musicians can't get enough of Radio La Colifata. We hear from staff and patients, or colifatos as they like to be called, about how it all began, why it's lasted almost two decades-- and why this innovative form of public therapy has spawned 40 similar radio stations all over the world.

Special thanks to Victoria Bembibre and Martín Waserman for help with initial reporting;  C. Andrea Sottosanto and Josefina Murphy for transcription and translation assistance; Carolina Villanueva, Martin Celis, Rodrigo Tabernero and Verónica Carmona Barrenechea for lending us their voices; and Cheba Massolo, Agri, and Julio y Agosto for sharing their music. But most of all, mil gracias to the Radio La Colifata staff and colifatos for inviting Idealist into their world.

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Radio La Colifata: En Vivo desde Argentina 

En uno de los barrios menos transitados de la ciudad de Buenos Aires, lejos de los lugares favoritos de paseo de los porteños, se encuentra el Hospital Borda, uno de los más grandes y antiguos hospitales neuropsiquiátricos de la Argentina. Pero este no es un típico hospital psiquiátrico. En uno de sus jardines, podemos encontrar una descascarada sala de cemento donde si damos la vuelta, vemos un hermoso mural y si entramos, podemos encontrar equipos para grabar, cables, en síntesis: una radio, donde los pacientes van tomando de a turnos el micrófono para realizar el programa. Ésta es la Radio La Colifata, la primera radio en el mundo realizada por pacientes psiquiátricos y transmitida desde el hospital mismo.  

Nuestro último podcast sigue la historia de dos miembros del staff de Idealistas, Celeste Hamilton de Nueva York y Ceci Gil Mariño de Argentina. Ellas nos dan una mirada íntima acerca de cómo fueron descubriendo este mundo y por qué, desde un chofer de un taxi hasta un músico famoso participan de La Colifata. Escucharemos a los coordinadores de la radio y a los pacientes, o colifatos, como todos prefieren llamarse, que nos contarán cómo nació esta idea, por qué sigue vigente y por qué esta innovadora forma de terapia pública y colectiva ha inspirado a más de 40 radios similares en el mundo. 

Un agradecimiento muy especial a Victoria Bembibre y Martín Waserman por ayudarnos con las entrevistas iniciales; C. Andrea Sottosanto y Josefina Murphy por la transcripción y asistencia en la traducción al inglés; Carolina Villanueva, Martín Celis, Rodrigo Tabernero y Verónica Carmona Barrenechea por prestarnos sus voces para su versión en inglés; y Cheba Massolo, Agri, y Julio & Agosto por compartir con nosotros su música. Pero, por sobre todo, mil gracias a la Radio La Colifata y los colifatos por invitar a las chicas de Idealistas a ser parte de su mundo.

Haz clic acá para escuchar este episodio en español.

From our team in Portland, Oregon:

Last November, we blogged about a mentorship program taking place in our office where four of the women on our staff would be mentoring a small group of teenage girls. Coordinated by Girls, Inc. of NW Oregon, the Associates Mentoring Program provides opportunities for busy professional women to join forces with girls in crafting a project to explore different career paths, develop new skills, get to know one another, and have fun in the process.

Seven months and a ton of work later, we’re proud to show off the fruits of their labor: a new podcast!  “Past, Present, and Future…The Voices of Girls and Women” explores the diverse and shared perceptions of women and girls, the stories they tell, and the common themes they share. A team of three girls and four Idealists met every other week to create this new podcast, determining the theme, crafting six questions to ask each person, interviewing 17 women and girls who ranged in age from 14 to 61, and doing lots and lots of editing (with the guidance and assistance of our own Amy Potthast, host of The New Service podcasts). The end result? A twenty minute window into unique dreams and goals, stories of perseverance and ambition, and shared hopes and ideals of girls and women today.

Special thanks to rock stars Christa, Polina, and Galyna, Girls Inc of NW Oregon, and the many fascinating girls and women who participated in our project!

Idealist.org's Jung Fitzpatrick talks with Regina Garner, the Director of Student Financial Services for the Monterey Institute of International Studies, to dispel some common myths that working professionals have about qualifying for financial aid and to learn more about the ins and outs of financial aid for graduate education.

Whether you're thinking about graduate school–or are already on your way–this podcast helps answer many questions about the financial aid process. Topics include the basics of how financial aid is determined, the role of The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 in debt forgiveness and loan repayment as well as other issues for professionals transitioning to graduate school.

If you have more questions about graduate school, check out our free Public Service Graduate Education Resource Center, which in addition to articles on financing your graduate education, includes information on preparing for, applying to and alternatives to graduate school. You can also post questions to our Graduate Education Forum!

Also be sure to check out the upcoming Graduate Degree Fairs for the Public Good this summer in Washington D.C. and New York City and this fall in 16 cities in the United States and Canada.

This episode was produced by our guest contributors, Michael Premo and Rachel Falcone.  If you have a story, click here for more information on contributing it to the Idealist.org Podcast.

In 1983 New York State implemented the Returnable Container Act requiring a 5 Cent deposit on carbonated beverages sold in glass, metal and plastic containers. Commonly known as a “Bottle Bill,” the act is intended to reduce litter, ease the burden on solid waste facilities and encourage recycling activity.  To date, 11 US states and at least 14 countries have enacted similar legislation.

In addition to its intended environmental impact, the Bottle Bill has unwittingly created a necessary and important source of income for homeless and impoverished people. In New York City, people who collect and redeem containers for a living refer to their vocation as Canning. They can be seen around the city reclaiming bottles and cans from commercial and residential waste, contributing to the amount of recyclable materials diverted from the waste stream. They stack what they find in carts they call “wagons.” A popular wagon is a grocery store shopping cart, known to canners as a “$60 wagon” because of the average value of the amount of containers it can hold.

This is an audio portrait of a "canner" named Eugene “The King of Can’s” Gadsden and the work that he and his friends and colleagues Ana Martinez De Luco and Drew Swope are doing to improve the conditions of their community.

This audio portrait takes its name from the not-for-profit organization founded in 2007 by Eugene Gadsden and Ana Martinez De Luco. For more information or to contact Sure We Can, email Drew Swope at drew.swope (at) gmail.com.

For more information about the producers and other stories, visit michaelpremo.com.

Photography by Michael Premo

In recent years, communities across the five boroughs have become more concerned with eating "locally" and developing a sustainable food system for all New York City residents.  Community Supported Agriculture--the model of pairing groups of community residents with small local farms--continues to gain in popularity all over the city as an alternative to supermarket shopping.  But how exactly does CSA work?  What does membership in a CSA model mean for community residents?

In the latest Idealist.org Community Podcast, guest contributor Cambra Moniz-Edwards follows Fort Greene CSA Coordinator Jen Datka as she explains the ins and outs of one of Brooklyn's newest CSAs.  For more information on CSAs in the five boroughs, and on developing a sustainable agriculture system in New York City, visit JustFood.org.





Click here for more information on Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE) and the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project (MARP).

"The poor will always be among you" is a biblical quote often cited by Christian leaders as a reason to not focus on poverty work. Some Christians, however, believe the quote means the exact opposite and that although 1.4 billion people live on less than $1.25 a day, poverty can end.

In this latest Community episode, our summer podcasting intern Alison Killeen explores the beliefs of the Poverty Initiative at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. She speaks with co-founder and coordinator Liz Theoharis, along with the formerly homeless scholar-in-residence Willie Baptist, about the work of their organization and the importance of teaching a new generation of Christian leaders to address poverty in a new light.

After the tragedy of September 11, 2001, some people began thinking about how two cultures could misunderstand each other so much.  How could one group hate another enough to attack them?  Though we live in a time of ever-increasing communication and modern technologies that connect us across continents, we still don't seem to understand each other very well.

In the latest Idealist.org Community Podcast, our guest contributor, Eric Hanser, tells the story of a group called Cultures in Harmony.  This NYC-based nonprofit organization is bringing back an old means of cultural understanding—long ago abandoned by the United States government—by performing music in venues around the world. Set to the backdrop of beautiful global melodies, Eric explores how Cultures in Harmony fosters dialogue, friendship and diplomacy.

In the latest Community Podcast, we look at an organization that's working to bring the internet to all New Yorkers, in and outside of their apartments.  Most of us think of using the internet as a solitary, indoor activity.  NYCwireless thinks differently.  By "lighting up" public parks with free wi-fi access, they're allowing New Yorkers to connect outdoors and helping everyone to create and participate in a new community.

We talk with Dana Spiegel and Laura Forlano from NYCwireless about their mission and projects. We also look at the challenges they face as they work to make internet access an accepted public service.



Click here for a transcript of this episode.

More information on NYCwireless.

This past May in Washington, D.C., people came together in the neighborhoods of Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle to teach each other everything they know.  Literally. 

Learn-a-Palooza is a one-day event in which temporary classrooms are set up across Washington D.C., and regular people share their knowledge and skills with their neighbors for free.  This is the second year for the knowledge bonanza, intended to bring communities together, and workshop topics ranged from everything from "Personal Finance for Young People," to "How to Be a Brazen Burlesque Dancer."

For this Idealist Community Podcast, Julia Smith attended Learn-a-Palooza, and brought her voice recorder along with her, interviewing both workshop leaders and participants.  Julia shares her experiences and insight, and lets us listen in on some of the workshops.  Join us for an episode of community-building, information-gathering, knowledge-sharing, and a lot of plain old fun!



Click here for the complete transcript.

Click here for more information on Learn-a-Palooza

In this latest episode, we feature the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors (or BAADS), a sailing group that is making the world a little bit enjoyable and easier for the disabled to live in. How? By pairing two people with complementary disabilities to make one sailor, or by using inventive technology to enable the more daring to sail alone.

We talk with three BAADS members—Greg Williams, Cristina Rubke and Ed Gallagher—to explore what being part of this association means for them. We also find out how they're pushing the boundaries of technology--as well as their own.

Click here to listen (0:16:32).
For a complete transcript, click here.

Special thanks to our former intern, Dana Fox Farrington, for all of her hard work on this episode.

Interested in this topic and want to get involved? Check out this list of almost 4,000 organizations around the world that work with the disabled in a variety of ways, from dancing to discrimination.

 

What's in a name?  When it comes to 'Ubuntu', a whole lot.  Ubuntu means "humanity to others" in some African cultures, but it's also the name of an computer operating system that is bringing people together, as well as a larger movement to change the way people interact with technology.

In this episode, we speak with members of an Ubuntu 'LoCo' (for Local Community) group in Washington, DC. While their mission is to promote Ubuntu Linux and open source software, their story likewise illustrates how a simple piece of software can build community.  We also explore the history of Ubuntu, what it does, how open source is changing technological development-- and why some people want to stop it.

Click here to Download (15:45)

And in honor of open source, you can download the Ogg Vorbis format of this podcast. To learn more about Ogg Vorbis and install the player, click here.

Related Links:
Ubuntu Linux DC Local Community"
Open Source software - help for non-Geeks
Ubuntu Loco Team Page
Ubuntu Home Page

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In this latest Idealist Community episode we highlight two projects, Tuxedo Travels and CouchSurfing.com, that are making the world a little bit friendlier to live in.

Heath Buck and Doug Campbell barely knew one another when they decided to set out on what they dubbed a "crazy adventure of the charitable kind."  For six months, the duo traveled from Hong Kong to London raising money for local causes they encountered along the way. The catch? They wore tuxedos the whole time.

Heath and Doug talk about the amusing ups and downs of their journey, as well as provide keen insight as to how tuxedos are viewed in the rest of the world. We also hear how CouchSurfing, a global website that connects travelers to people's couches, helped them carry out their adventure. 

Click here to download the episode. (0:15:03)

Related Links:
Tuxedo Travels
CouchSurfing

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In this Idealist Community episode, we explore what it means for a neighborhood to have an absence of banks—and what it takes for a few people to start one from scratch.

This story tells the tale of Charlie Wilcox and Kelly Dillon, two entrepreneurs who noticed a need in a Bronx community and decided to do something about it. From starting with just an idea to establishing both a nonprofit, Ariva, and a community focused bank named CheckSpring, Charlie and Kelly talk about the challenges and rewards of a journey that took more than five years.

Click here to listen. (0:13:58)

Related Links:
CheckSpring
Ariva

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With the new year just around the corner, we thought we'd find out what people hope for the world and their communities in 2008. And who better to ask than future world leaders?

In this episode, we hear wishes and dreams for the upcoming year from kids ages 3 to 13. We were inspired, moved and tickled by their honest ideas to make the world a better place—let's just say that robots are in the plan.

The featured kids are students from I.S. 162 in the Bronx, Our World Neighborhood Charter School in Queens and San Francisco's De Marillac Academy, as well as friends and family of Idealist staff members. Special thanks to the everyone who conducted the interviews.

Click here to download the episode.

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There are a lot of tools on the internet meant to help bring people and communities together across the world for good. But do any of these tools make a real impact? Can they be used to build trust between people despite the anonymity of the Internet?

In this episode, we look at one such tool, Pledgebank, a project of the UK-based organization mySociety. The idea behind this website is that someone pledges to take an action as long as a certain amount of others do too. We explore this tool's simple premise and how it has brought the city of Bhubaneswar, India together with people from around the globe and with Western literary heroines like Pippi Longstocking.

Click to hear this episode.

Featured in this episode:
mySociety.org
Pledgebank
Bakul Foundation

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When you hear about interns, you most likely think about someone being trapped in a boxy cubicle sending emails, fetching coffee for an angry manager or well connected kids kicking back their feet on the desk for a summer. However, we found some interns whose experiences went way beyond any of these preconceptions.  

In this episode we talk with three interns: Antasia at the Red Hook Initiative; Carolyn at Green Guerillas; and Santi at the Global Workers Justice Alliance. 

If you're inspired to or need an internship, search our site for internships.  You should also check out our exciting new internship openings for next year (including a podcasting intern!)

Click here to download the episode now.

Last month we posted an Idealist Community Podcast about Val Moran, the Australian grandmother aiming to walk 1000 miles in 1000 hours. Val, who lost a daughter to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) years ago, planned to raise money and awareness for the bereavement support organization SIDS and Kids through her walk. We got an email from Val's son Gary this morning, who wrote: "You might have read on the 1000 Mile Walk website that Val has been diagnosed with a double stress fracture of a hip. Although she was directed by the doctor not to walk any further she has committed to completing the journey in a wheelchair. This is progressing well with 526 miles now complete." Val's community in Australia has rallied around her - family members, radio DJs, even the Mayor of Queanbeyan have been taking turns pushing the wheelchair. What a journey! Click here to listen to our interview with Val, and here to track her progress on the 1000 Mile Walk blog.

In this two part episode we hear from two people who are connecting people, issues and organizations through the act of walking. More than just a leisurely stroll, they are raising awareness and money for important issues by walking an astonishing one thousand miles.

On the other side of the world, we catch up with Val Moran who is walking 1000 miles for the Australian organization SIDS and Kids. She is undertaking a walk that would challenge anyone, but at 65 she is charging forward with humor and practice. In this episode, Val describes the distant relative who inspired her walk as well as her own personal story that motivated her.

1000 Mile Walk

SIDS and Kids
Walkers Part 1, Iain

In this two part episode we hear from two people who are connecting people, issues and organizations through the act of walking.   More than just a leisurely stroll, they are raising awareness and money for important issues by walking an astonishing one thousand miles.

The idea to walk 1,000 miles came to Iain Purdie after listening to the early 1990's hit, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," by the Scottish band The Proclaimers. But what started out as an arduous romantic gesture turned into something more.

In this episode we talk to Iain as he treks through Europe to raise money for the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, a Vietnam-based nonprofit that works with street children in Hanoi.  Proving community knows no borders, the former web programmer talks about the adventures and connections he's made while promoting a nonprofit on the other side of the world.

I Would Walk 1000 Miles

Blue Dragon Children's Foundation

1. The Chicago Startup Meeting

Welcome to the first Idealist podcast. This podcast is all about shining a spotlight on the people, organizations and groups on Idealist.org making connections in their community. In January, we sent an email to thousands of people who use Idealist around the world about our coordinated campaign of Idealist Start-up Meetings. The idea was to connect people who wanted to make change in their community but weren't sure how to start. This one simple email led to led to 400 meetings in 80 countries over the following months.

In this episode we highlight the Chicago Idealist Network by interviewing the hosts (Dave and Katie) and some attendees (Ryan, Jeff and Jackie).   They discuss how this group that grew from 9 to 150 members is now making connections within their community.

The Chicago Idealists Network on Idealist.org
Read more about this project at Imagine.

You can click "Direct Download" below to listen to this episode now.

Welcome to the Idealist.org Podcasts!

This podcast is a project of the organization, Idealist.org, an online community of people turning their good intentions into action.  Our podcast comes in two flavors.  The first is the Community Podcast, which features stories about innovative ideas and people who are building better communities around the globe. The second is the Careers Podcast which features interviews with professionals and leaders in the Public Service Careers sector.

For more information on check out idealist.org/podcast.