The Idealist.org Podcasts

In this Questions With episode, we hear from Rafa Cancel of the organization La Asociación Nacional de Derecho Ambiental (ANDA).   After witnessing the activism against the US Navy's use of the island of Vieques as bomb training site, Rafa was inspired to provide the people of Puerto Rico with the legal tools to protect their environment.   His organization is the first environmental law center in Puerto Rico, connecting residents with the resources and people to legally engage businesses and government.

Rafa is also a 2008 Echoing Green fellow.  Echoing Green "invests in and supports outstanding emerging social entrepreneurs to launch new organizations that deliver bold, high-impact solutions."

In this Questions With episode, Douglas speaks with Mirna Guha, the founder of Project OBO: Our Bodies, (Our) Opinions in India. Originally working on issues related to sexual and domestic abuse, Mirna found that many problems originated in a lack of communication about gender, sexuality and identity. She explains how she is now trying to create workshops and safe spaces for young people in Kolkata to come together to discuss issues of sexual identity, abuse and gender stereotypes through conversation and art.

A continuing problem in developing countries is that small business people, like farmers and craft workers, still live in poverty and cannot expand their businesses. In this episode we speak with Adarsh Kumar, who started the group AICA which helps connect producers in India with larger markets. In addition to this work, he wanted to do more and started a new venture, Livelihoods Equity Connect (LEC). With LEC, he hopes to create a new development model that helps these producers expand their businesses while also providing practical management advice. Adarsh tells us about his project, starting a new organization and his hope for the organization.

In this Questions With episode, Douglas speaks with Heather Cronk about her work at the New Organizing Institute (NOI).  NOI is progressive training organization focused on utilizing online outreach strategies, from micro-blogging to video.  Heather talks about how she entered this career and some advice she has for nonprofits and advocacy groups to effectively use new communication technologies.

In the latest Questions With podcast, Douglas speaks with Nancy Mahon the Executive Director of the MAC AIDS Fund and Senior Vice President at MAC Cosmetics. The MAC AIDS Fund is the charitable arm of MAC Cosmetics which raises money for HIV/AIDS programs through their Viva Glam line of products. Nancy talks about her professional path from law clerk to HIV/AIDS work as well as why and how her company continues to contribute to the fight against the disease.

In this week's Questions With podcast, Douglas interviews Ben Smilowitz, founder of the Disaster Accountability Project. While helping in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Ben realized the deficits in disaster planning and overview in New Orleans and across the country. We cover the importance of emergency planning, the far reaching nature of disaster work and how you can help prepare your own community.

This episode is part of series where we'll be featuring 2008 Echoing Green fellows.  Echoing Green "invests in and supports outstanding emerging social entrepreneurs to launch new organizations that deliver bold, high-impact solutions."

In our latest podcast, Idealist's Douglas Coulter speaks with Nandini Narula, co-founder of the organization GreenMango. The mission of GreenMango is to connect entrepreneurs in India to the internet in order to promote and grow their small businesses.  Nandini talks about how she started the organization with Yasmina McCarty, internet usage in developing parts of India and how GreenMango is integrating mobile technology.

This episode is part of series where we'll be featuring 2008 Echoing Green fellows.  Echoing Green "invests in and supports outstanding emerging social entrepreneurs to launch new organizations that deliver bold, high-impact solutions."

This podcast is part of a series called "Questions With" in which we feature leaders in the social sector discussing their work and professional journeys.  Over the next few weeks, we'll be featuring 2008 Echoing Green fellows.  Echoing Green "invests in and supports outstanding emerging social entrepreneurs to launch new organizations that deliver bold, high-impact solutions."

In this episode, Douglas speaks with Anne Tamar-Mattis from the organization Advocate for Informed Choice.  AIC advocates for the legal rights of children who are born with ambiguous reproductive or sexual anatomy.  Anne talks about the issues facing intersex children and their parents and how her organization is filling the legal void for this community.

This podcast is part of a new series called "Questions With" in which we feature leaders in the social sector discussing their work and professional journeys.

In this episode Douglas Coulter interviews Suzanne Seggerman about her organization Games for Change (G4C) and their innovative work with video games.  G4C helps connect a variety of nonprofits, from the environment to economics, to video game designers to help raise awareness of critical issues in a new way.  In this interview, Suzanne talks about how she got started in G4C, her work and how anyone can create social issue games.

This podcast is the second in a new series called "Questions With" in which we feature leaders in the social sector discussing their work and professional journeys.

In this episode Douglas Coulter interviews Eric Hilton about his new nonprofit Technically Learning.  His organization believes "all students should have the opportunity to discover how fun and inspiring the science, technology, engineering and math fields can be."   Eric talks about how he got involved with creating educational materials, LEGO robots and the difficulty in starting a new nonprofit.

This podcast is the first in a new series called "Questions With" in which we feature leaders in the social sector discussing their work and professional journeys.

The death penalty has been the subject of an ongoing debate across the United States for many decades.  In recent years, some states have completed abolished the practice while others continue.

In this episode Douglas Coulter interviews Stefanie Faucher about her anti-death penalty work and her role as the Program Director at Death Penalty Focus, an organization that advocates for the abolition of capital punishment.