Commons Good: Stewardship and Starting Points

In this episode we’re talking with Maya Bhola, All-America John Parr Youth Award winner out of the city of Miramar, Florida. This award recognizes extraordinary civic engagement and leadership on the part of a young person in their community. Maya is the Founder of “Let’s Picture It”. An inclusive mental health group that allows community members to openly discuss emotions and life challenges. As part of the group discussions they create illustrations that reflect their feelings and help share their stories. Maya sees the need to create places where we can come together and understands that the choices we make today -- around ocean clean-up, new builds, and green spaces -- will become the starting point for future generations. Explore More:City of Miramar Named National Winner of the All-America City Awards 2021 (https://www.miramarfl.gov/1922/Miramar-Wins-All-America-City-Award)Miramar, Florida Named 2021 All-America City Award Winner (https://communitynewspapers.com/featured/miramar-fl-named-2021-all-america-city-award-winner/)National Civic League All-America Finalists Presentations (https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/america-city-award/participant-presentations/)The All-America City Award (https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/america-city-award/)

In this episode we’re talking with Justice Horn, All-America John Parr Youth Award winner out of Kansas City, Missouri. This award recognizes extraordinary civic engagement and leadership on the part of a young person in their community. Justice was recognized for his racial justice advocacy, law enforcement reform, tenant/houseless equity, and environmental sustainability.Justice serves as LGBTQ Commission Chair for Kansas City, Missouri and has begun a campaign to become a Jackson County Legislator. If successful, he would to be the first openly gay person of color elected to local office in Kansas City, Missouri. Justice believes in the need for representation and the value of community voice to identify their most pressing issues and solutions.Explore More:Youth, Social Media, Cultural Entertainment and Civic Action Fair Winners: https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/youth-social-media-cultural-entertainment-and-civic-action-fair-winners/Kansa City named 2021 All-America City award winner: Recognized for work to build equity and increase resident engagement: https://www.kcmo.gov/Home/Components/News/News/1630/625 Rising Kansas City Leaders with Justice Horn: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/197-rising-kansas-city-leaders-with-justice-horn/id1229279588?i=1000531999547We Before Me - Justice Horn (Campaign website): https://justicehorn.com/The All-America City Award: https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/america-city-award/

In this episode we’re joining forces with the Build Healthy Places Network -- whose work sits at the intersection of community development, finance, public health, and healthcare. They intentionally position partnerships between these sectors to leverage community-centered investments to reduce poverty, improve health, and advance racial equity. We’re grateful to be talking with Debra Oto-Kent and Barbara Masters about what this work looks like up close in community. How is the work evolving during this legacy moment? What does it look like to build a sense of belonging and civic muscle through authentic community engagement? And what are the opportunities and momentum they see in communities for moving from recovery to renewal?Barbara Masters is Principal at Masters Policy Consulting and brings more than 30 years of experience in health policy, philanthropy and government. Barbara serves as the Initiative Director for the California Accountable Communities of Health. Prior to leading CACHI, Barbara led the efforts within The California Endowment to develop policy change strategies and effective methods for measuring progress. She previously served as vice president of the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (CAPH) and directed intergovernmental relations for the Los Angeles County Department of Health. She began her career in health policy as a legislative assistant for Senator Alan Cranston (D-CA). Barbara serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for ChangeLab Solutions.Debra Oto-Kent, MPH, is the Founder and Executive Director of the Health Education Council, a nonprofit organization committed to promoting health and preventing chronic disease in underserved communities. The Health Education Council has worked at the forefront of cross-sector collaboration to create innovative, model programs promoting community well-being. In 2016, the organization received an Innovation Award from the California Department of Public Health and was named a Nonprofit of the Year in both 2016 and 2021 for its work in engaging residents to reduce health disparities in the Sacramento region. Debra serves on the Board of Directors for the West Sacramento Housing Development Corporation and has been recognized for her contributions through such awards as the Al Geiger Memorial Award for Community Service, Exceptional Women of Color (EWOC) Excellence Award by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, and the Unsung Hero Award, Senator Richard Pan. Explore More:Build Healthy Places Networkhttps://buildhealthyplaces.org/Healthy Neighborhood Investments: A Policy Scan & Strategy Maphttps://buildhealthyplaces.org/tools-resources/healthy-neighborhood-investments-policy-scan/Thriving Together: Belonging and Civic Musclehttps://thriving.us/vital-conditions/belonging-civic-muscle/Health Education Councilhttps://healthedcouncil.org/California Accountable Communities for Health Initiativehttps://cachi.org/Assessing Meaningful Community Engagement: A Conceptual Model to Advance Health Equity through Transformed Systems for Healthhttps://nam.edu/assessing-meaningful-community-engagement-a-conceptual-model-to-advance-health-equity-through-transformed-systems-for-health/

In this episode we’re talking with Khuram Hussain, Ph.D about what it looks like for colleges as anchor institutions to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion for greater well-being across their campuses and in their communities. Hear how the art of dialogue, the inclusion of under-heard voices, and a focus on systems change is creating better outcomes for students, staff, and community. Listen in to hear more about what it looks like to expand belonging and inclusion so all have the opportunity to reach their full potential. In June 2020, Khuram began serving as the Colleges’ diversity strategist-- overseeing the Offices of Intercultural Affairs, Academic Opportunity Programs and International Student Enrollment and Success. An Associate Professor of Education, he previously served as Hobart Dean. Khuram earned his Ph.D. from Syracuse University and has taught classes that explore social movements for racial justice in schools and the pedagogy of democratic, multicultural classrooms. For 20 years, Khuram has served as a dialogue facilitator, trainer and consultant to schools, universities, government offices, nonprofits and community organizations on issues of diversity and equity. His work has been recognized by the NAACP, the US Armed Forces, and community and campus organizations nationwide. He is the co-founder of Tools for Social Change (TFSC), a dialogue-driven initiative that advances equity and inclusion in the Finger Lakes. Let’s jump in to hear more about Tools for Social Change and the campus-community work he’s helping to lead.Explore More:Hobart and William Smith Colleges Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusionhttps://www2.hws.edu/about/dei/Building for Belonging, Hobart and William Smith CollegesBuilding for Belonging, Hobart and William Smith Collegeshttps://www2.hws.edu/about/dei/Hobart and William Smith Colleges Strategic Diversity Plan (December 2016, update in progress)https://www.hws.edu/about/pdfs/strategic-diversity-plan.pdfThe Office of Diversity and Inclusion, short film by Maggie Bonomohttps://youtu.be/oiPRfjAuX5YThriving Campuses: A Campus Guide for Well-Being, Equity and Thriving Together, Community Commonshttp://communitycommons.org/entities/d1afd683-2da3-4fad-88ab-f01311469b7dCampus Well Being Resource Library, Community Commonshttp://communitycommons.org/entities/d0be0f7c-f9b5-4f45-b78e-cd1ef8f85f78

In this episode we’re talking with Katya Fels Smyth about what it means to see and create change from a fuller frame. We too often see people as what is broken and our attempts to “fix” the human beings, allow problems to just get deeper. There is another way of thinking about how we orient ourselves, our public systems and our society that could give us all a fair shot. Listen in to hear more about our opportunities for creating more equitable health and wellbeing. Katya grew up in New Jersey and went to high school in Massachusetts, where she volunteered at one of the state’s first shelters for homeless families. While getting a degree in biology from Harvard, Katya continued working with people who are homeless, eventually becoming co-director of one of Cambridge, MA’s first emergency shelters.A hit-and-run of one of the shelter’s guests, uninvestigated by police, combined with the advice and vision of other shelter guests, led her to found Cambridge-based On The Rise, Inc. in 1995. On The Rise was widely recognized for its Full Frame Approach to working with women facing homelessness, trauma and crisis. In 2007, Katya left to work on what would become the Full Frame Initiative. She has an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from the Episcopal Divinity School, and a deep belief in the power of people to do good by and for each other. Learn More: When Social Services Undermine Wellbeing, David Bornstein, New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/16/opinion/when-social-services-undermine-well-being.htmlForbes-- Katya Fels Smythhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/katyafelssmyth/?sh=45ffcb52306fWellbeing Blueprint Leader Voiceshttps://drive.google.com/file/d/10pIiJJALaFJK7l-lH_OCdN9tEUzCUGyH/viewBeing safe and feeling safe aren’t the same thing-- and the difference will matter to kids when the school opens. - Sandy Hook, Washington Posthttps://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/07/08/being-safe-feeling-safe-arent-same-thing-difference-will-matter-kids-when-schools-open/

“The City of Miami Gardens was incorporated in 2003 out of a quest for self-determination that unfolded as a six-year citizen advocacy campaign to form a new municipality in north Miami-Dade County where residents had grown increasingly concerned about declining quality of life.” As the city continued to develop, Live Healthy Miami Gardens was seeded in 2014 as a Collective Impact Initiative to drive citywide changes that would measurably improve the health of people who live, work and play in the City of Miami Gardens.Listen in as Thamara, Tracey-Ann and Tamara share how a community advocacy campaign laid the foundation for building structures and supports to sustain meaningful community led decision making. Miami Gardens has created a culture where the community starts with its assets, grows the capacity of residents to lead, and has developed a practice of stewardship.

The Commons Good podcast team is sitting down with the All-America City (AAC) 2020 finalists to learn more about the work and the individuals helping to steward it forward. In this episode of the All-America City mini-series we have the opportunity to connect with Portsmouth, Ohio Councilman and Shawnee State professor, Sean Dunne. Portsmouth is situated in southeastern Ohio at the confluence of the Ohio and Scioto Rivers—once the center of the nation’s opioid epidemic—this community is working together to write a new narrative and create a renewed future for all. Listen in as Sean shares how starting with what they had in common helped to create a dog park, spark youth leadership, secure funding to innovate with housing, and earn them three Guinness World Records—creating the momentum for generational change.

People’s foundation for physical and mental well-being starts with access to fresh air, clean water, and nutritious food. Meeting these basic needs allows us to be healthier today by avoiding hunger, exhaustion, disease, and injury. It also means we are more likely to thrive tomorrow by supporting our ability to withstand adversity.The mid-20TH century was a turning point in the American food system, ushering in a precipitous decline in farm populations. With the shift toward highly consolidated, vertically integrated, and industrially efficient agriculture came a rise in obesity, a loss of agricultural biodiversity, and a rise in nitrate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions due to concentrated methods of farming and animal rearing. Listen in as Ricardo Salvador, Union of Concerned Scientists and Paula Daniels, Center for Good Food Purchasing overview the building blocks of our food system. - What are the legacies of the food system we've inherited?- What is the current state of our food system?- What are the pivotal moves we can make in our food system for thriving together? Learn More: ThrivingTogether.US: https://thriving.us/building-blocks/food/Center for Good Food Purchasing https://goodfoodpurchasing.orgUnion of Concerned Scientists: https://www.ucsusa.org

In this episode we’re talking with Michael Greer about the arts and it’s essential role in our social and civic fabric. We might also consider it’s role in our economy. The arts industry employs more than 5 million people and drives 900 billion in economic activity across our nation. The choices we make in the next six months about how we support and find our intersectionality with the arts will impact the next 60 years. Michael Greer is the President & CEO of ArtsFund Seattle. He is a former professional dancer and experienced executive, Michael’s leadership experience spans both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. He previously held roles as the executive director of Oregon Ballet Theatre and Portland Ballet in Maine. Michael started his arts career as a dancer with Ballet West in Salt Lake City, where he danced for six years.National Civic Review: Civic Engagement and Inclusion Through Art https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/ncr-article/civic-engagement-and-inclusion-through-art/ (Access Code: TT21)Arts Fund Seattle https://www.artsfund.org/

Mason City, Iowa sits in the top third of the state, almost directly at the center off I-35. A town of just over 28,000 and the boyhood home of playwright and author Meredith Wilson, creator of the Music Man. This city has continued to invest in the arts as an essential ingredient in their civic life.The pandemic and calls for racial justice created a hard stop and opportunities—opportunities to get creative about how to support the unique needs of small businesses and grow the number of minority owned businesses as the community seeks to maintain momentum; opportunities to dialogue about what it looks like to be a place where all are welcome; and opportunities to reimagine what is needed when people are free to choose where to call home because they can work from anywhere. Listen in as the City Manager, Aaron Burnett shares how they’re thinking about 2021 and beyond.The All-America City awards celebrates and recognizes neighborhoods, villages, towns, cities, counties, tribes and regions that engage residents in innovative, inclusive and effective efforts to tackle critical challenges. Mason City, Iowa is all All-America City 2020 finalist.