EMERGE CT is a social enterprise working to assist formerly incarcerated people in integrating back into their families and communities. In this episode, Jessica Yu (Yale MAR '21) will be talking to Rich Watkins, the Personal Development Coordinator at EMERGE. They discuss the importance of reflection and community building at EMERGE, as well as the unique programming EMERGE offers for crew members.

Elm City Internationals is a college preparatory program based in New Haven that uses soccer as a way to engage low-income youth in academics. In this episode, Dylan Campbell talks to Lauren Mednick, Founder and Executive Director of ECI. They tell us about ECI's origins, its unique structure and curriculum, and the role of soccer in its students' lives.

Love146 is an international human rights organization working to end child trafficking and exploitation through survivor care and prevention. In this episode, Hannah Kiburz will be taking to Shirley, an HR manager at Love 146. They will discuss the origin story of the organization, how it has grown over the years, and how you can get involved as well!

IRIS, or Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, is a leading resettlement agency in the nation and a household name in Connecticut. In this episode, Savannah Crichton has a conversation with Chris George, the executive director of IRIS. They take a deep dive into the history of IRIS, the hardships refugees face, and what work IRIS does to make our communities stronger.

Dyuthi Tharakan Matthews, a student organizer for Y2Y New Haven, talks to co-founder of Y2Y Harvard Square, Sam Greenberg, about the origins of the first student-run youth homeless shelter in the nation, discussing the unique challenges that youth experiencing homelessness face, when compared to adults experiencing homelessness. In the past few months, the pandemic has exacerbated the problem of youth homelessness in New Haven and nationwide. Sam and Dyuthi discuss the challenges and solutions that Y2Y New Haven has been considering during this time. During the 2019-2020 academic year, Sam Greenberg was a Dwight Hall Changemaker-in-Residence. Y2Y New Haven is also a member group at Dwight Hall at Yale.

Current Executive Director of Dwight Hall, Peter Crumlish, shares his perspective on Dwight Hall’s changing role in New Haven’s social justice and public service landscape amidst the issues that are shaping modern day life.

We discuss the origins of Dwight Hall and its transformations throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. We interview former Executive Director of Dwight Hall David Warren, who served during crucial points in social justice history including May Day, the Vietnam War peace movements, and the Black Panther movement.

We’re Elm City Speaks, a podcast that explores stories of social justice and public service leaders in our community. We’re here to learn about the people, movements, and causes that shape New Haven, one of the most prominent activist hubs in the country. In each episode, we’ll be talking to leaders and organizers of different non-profits in New Haven, about different aspects of their work, ranging from their origins, their growth, to their relationship with New Haven.

Through this podcast, we hope to learn alongside Yale students and New Haven residents about the unique projects happening around us, and how we can get involved and help out. Episodes focusing on different nonprofits are released every two weeks, featuring community leaders and student voices.