The Idealist.org Podcasts

Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps offers young people a chance to affect social change while deepening their commitment to Jewish life by serving for a year at anti-poverty organizations in Chicago, New Orleans, New York, and Washington, DC.

As with other service corps, Avodah's corps members earn a basic stipend. They also live in community with other corps members, and work on group building, negotiation, and conflict resolution. In partnership with the American Jewish World Service, Avodah's alumni find networking, support and training.

Herself an alumna of Avodah, Amy Ravis Furey serves as New York City Program Director for AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps. After earning her Masters in Social Work from Hunter College with a concentration in community organizing and group work, she served as an organizer for the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and as the Social Justice Coordinator at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Amy is the first Avodah alum to serve on staff as a program director at one of the AVODAH sites.

Idealist's Amy Potthast speaks with Amy Ravis Furey about the influence of Avodah in her career path, and her mission of lifting up youth to change the world. They talk about the role of Jewish social justice teaching, the alumni nework, and the impact Avodah has had in the world and on its corps members.
 
For more information, join Avodah staff on a conference call tonight (11/19) at 9 pm, or on December 2. The deadline to apply for the 2009-10 year is February 6th, 2009.

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).

In this episode Amy Potthast speaks with Nikki Roehling, Associate Director of the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service or CNVS.

This week, the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service will gather its program directors in Portland, OR, for a multi-day conference and retreat. CNVS is a national membership association of 200 faith-based domestic and international volunteer programs, some of which are either AmeriCorps-funded, or which offer the Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to its members upon completion of service. It publishes a directory of its programs called The Response Directory in print, and as a searchable directory on its web site, www.cnvs.org.

Nikki and Idealist's Amy Potthast talk about the range of CNVS volunteer and lay mission programs, the Response Directory, international volunteering, self-reflection, and the Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award that some of its volunteers are able to earn.



Tune in again next month for the public service careers podcast Faith and Service Pt. 2: Avodah, the Jewish Service Corps.

"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.

This episode features Shane Endicott, Founder and C.E.O. of Our United Villages, the organization that runs Portland's environmentally sound The Rebuilding Center. The Rebuilding Center recycles used building and remodeling materials (everything from a door knob to the kitchen sink to church pews to siding) by re-selling them to builders for up to 90 percent less than market value.

The show is guest-hosted by intern Alicia "Lish" Ng, who is leaving the Portland Idealist office for graduate school at the the London School of Oriental and African Studies.  Lish and Shane talk about the value of having such a innovative resource in the community, his early years, what it means to be a community leader, and how The Rebuilding Center will benefit the community as greening becomes ever more mainstream.

Lish, we thank you so much for your sound editing on this year's

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.

Today's guest is Bob Grimm, Director of Research and Policy Development & Senior Counselor to the CEO at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) in Washington, DC. He speaks with Idealist.org's Amy Potthast about the study design and outcomes, and about some of the people who have served in AmeriCorps.



Solid evidence now exists to show that participating in a term of service program (like AmeriCorps, Teach For America, and Peace Corps) really is an effective launching-off point for a public service career.  Idealist has long held this belief, and has been formalizing its support of these programs since 2007.

Earlier this year the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) published an eight-year longitudinal study of people who participated in AmeriCorps programs in 1999-2000, as well as of people who considered participating but chose not to during the same year. It turns out that two-thirds of AmeriCorps alumni (including AmeriCorps*NCCC alumni) from that year are currently engaged in nonprofit or government careers -- outnumbering the group who didn't participate in AmeriCorps.

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

The latest Idealist.org Careers Podcast features Eileen Conoboy, Director of the Office of University Programs at Peace Corps. She speaks with Idealist’s Amy Potthast about Peace Corps and its two graduate school partnership programs, Masters International and Fellows USA. Eileen was a VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) and a Peace Corps Volunteer (Mali, 1995-97) and has served as a Peace Corps Regional Recruiter. She has a Masters degree in International Peace Studies from Trinity College in Ireland.

Peace Corps Volunteers can earn their Masters degree as part of Peace Corps service through the Masters International program. Former Volunteers receive scholarships through the Fellows USA program. Finally, Peace Corps has two pilot programs that serve undergraduate populations on specific campuses. To learn more about Peace Corps’s graduate school partnerships, go to www.peacecorps.gov and click on “Grad School” or come to an Idealist.org Graduate Degree Fair for the Public Good, www.idealist.org/gradfairs.

Download the Episode Here (0:40:50) [19MB]

The Peace Corps is a federal US agency that sends thousands of Volunteers abroad each year to over 70 developing countries to perform tasks that the host countries deem critical in fields like public health, education, environmental protection, information technology and more. The Office of University Programs oversees mutually beneficial partnerships between Peace Corps and both graduate and undergraduate institutions. 

Find more grad school resources at www.idealist.org/gradschools

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.

 

Today’s podcast features Amity Tripp, director of AmeriCorps Alums, a project of Hands On Network. AmeriCorps Alums connects and mobilizes the 400,000 alumni of AmeriCorps programs — national, community service opportunities for people to serve in organizations, agencies, and schools throughout the United States. Amity is the founder of the local Washington, DC, chapter of AmeriCorps Alums, and has been on the staff of Points of Light Foundation (now merged with Hands On Network), and with the DC Commission on Voluntary Action and Service.

Amity talks with Idealist’s Amy Potthast about the role of AmeriCorps members, the long-term benefits of serving in AmeriCorps and achievements of alumni, and the work of AmeriCorps Alums nationally and locally.

Click here to download. (00:21:00)

To learn more about AmeriCorps Alums, go to www.americorpsalums.org. You can also read a longitudinal study released this week about the impact of AmeriCorps alumni.

More Links
AmeriCorps
The Center for Progressive Leadership
The U.S. Public Service Academy

 

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 the latest Careers podcast we interview David Schachter, Assistant Dean for Career Services and Experiential Learning at The Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at NYU. David manages Wagner’s career-related support of students and alumni. Originally trained as an actor, David has had more than fifteen years of non-profit staff and volunteer management experience. He has offered training, consulting, and facilitation nationally in the areas of leadership, staff development, supervision, team building, training of the trainer, and career planning.

    In addition, he developed programs and training components that appear in several chapters of The Idealist Guide to Nonprofit Careers. David received the 2006 NACE/Chevron Outstanding Achievement Award for Innovative Programs in Career Services for his partnership with Action Without Borders/Idealist.org on the creation of the Institute on Public Service Careers, a series of two-day professional development trainings designed to educate college career services professionals and year-of-service program staff from across the country on how to increase the visibility and accessibility of public service careers to their students, volunteers, and alumni. David received his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from NYU Wagner and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

    Idealist.org's Amy Potthast talks with David about the job search process; the diverse, ill-defined paths to public service careers; the NYU Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service at Wagner; David’s own path, and much, much more.

Click here to download (0:31:51)

Related links:
Wagner
The Fellowship For Emerging Leaders In Public Service
The Idealist.org Career Guide

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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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This Idealist.org Public Service Careers interview is with Caitlyn Baggott and Emily Kintzer of the Bus Project and its political boot camp, PolitiCorps. The Bus Project has worked since 2001 to mobilize thousands of volunteers and activists around OR, to register new voters, engage new leaders, and inspire grassroots civic action. Its program PolitiCorps is a 10-week intensive bootcamp that brings 24 young people from around the United States for skills training, public policy intensives, and leadership practice. Caitlynn Baggot is a co-founder of the Bus Project and today runs Politicorps. She also designed the Bus. Emily Kintzer was a 2006 PolitiCorps fellow and is now on staff with the Bus Project as PolitiCorps's Recruitment Director. Applications for PolitiCorps are due March 3 and June 6.

Idealist.org's Amy Potthast talks with Caitlyn and Emily about the Bus Project, PolitiCorps, and careers in political campaigning.

Click here to download.

Related Links: PolitiCorps

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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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The Idealist Public Service Careers podcast features an interview with Lara Galinsky, Vice President of Strategy at Echoing Green. This year Echoing Green is celebrating its 20th anniversary of funding social change through identifying, investing and fostering visionary leaders and their new organizations. Through a two-year program, Echoing Green helps its network of fellows develop new solutions to society’s most difficult problems. In its 20 years, Echoing Green has invested $25 million in start up grants to 450 social entrepreneurs and their organizations. To learn more, visit www.echoinggreen.org. Idealist.org's Amy Potthast and Lara talk about risk-taking in social entrepreneurship, how to measure social returns on an investment, common characteristics of the visionaries funded by Echoing Green, and the book Be Bold that she co-authored with Cheryl E. Dorsey on creating a career "with impact." Thanks to Eden Essick for research assistance.

Click here to download this episode.

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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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