For the People

This week, we're introducing the CT Violence Intervention Program - CTVIP. This nonprofit practices trauma-informed care and unconditional care with every youth they come in contact with, providing a one-stop shop for at-risk youth and generally at-risk victims of violence throughout the New Haven region.

Then we're checking in with State Senator Tony Hwang to discuss some of the most important outcomes from the 2023 General Assembly session, as well as a couple of issues still simmering that are likely to come up again in 2024.

And we'll close replaying a segment featuring a unique nonprofit called Histoury - this organization hosts fun and educational tours helping folks in Fairfield County show off or learn about styles of architecture, community development, and the events and people that shaped these places.

If you are a small or medium size business, a start-up or entrepreneur who is ready to rock and roll, we've got a representative of the CT Small Business Development Center to let you in on everything the SBDC can do for you.

Then we'll help parents, friends and loved ones of adolescents and teens facing possible mental health challenges access an important new resource from the CT Council of Family Service Agencies - free youth mental health screening and fast-track referrals for support to anyone who may need it across the state.

And we'll close as Black Philanthropy Month arrives this August by bringing in the founder of Waterbury's Black Giving Circle, which is ramping up recruiting and is seeking a whole new group of younger new members who want to to cultivate charitable giving within the Black community.

We're inviting you back out to the Reservoir Community Farm to attend next weekend's Green Village Initiative (GVI) First Urban Farming Extravaganza connecting farmers and gardeners to engage in beginner and intermediate hands-on workshops with the goal of growing knowledge and interconnection, rooted in our shared goal to feed our loved ones and communities.

Next — are you aware that right now, Connecticut lacks about 89,000 units of housing that are affordable and available to its lowest income renters, and the toll an escalating eviction crisis is taking on our economy, workforce, public health, education systems and quality of life? To get a better scope on the damage, we're bringing in a key research fellow at CT Voices for Children to unpack their latest report on the eviction crisis and how we'll need to address it.

And we're closing introducing the CEO of the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center network to talk about how they are delivering a wide range of physical, mental, dental and wellness services to neighborhoods who need it the most. We'll also celebrate their newest project - the Dixwell Q-House.

This morning we're going to bookending our show promoting programs that will be directly or indirectly addressing two key recent Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action and student load debt. 

We're opening by briefing educators, nonprofit representatives and community members about the upcoming Sacred Heart University symposium on Creating Antiracist Solutions, that will be addressing the recent SCOTUS decision on affirmative action.

Then we'll help celebrate 190 years of supporting and helping local young people address and overcome challenges that may have life-altering implications as we visit with the Children's Center of Hamden.

And we'll wrap with a chat focusing on anyone saddled with student loan debt who just saw a planned student loan debt forgiveness program struck down by SCOTUS. We'll also provide some highly valuable advice and assistance courtesy of AAA Northeast Bank's Director of Student Lending.

Check out the second of our two-part discussion with the Connecticut Food System Alliance about their recent collaborations and report to help inform all of New England as they pursue the goal of producing and consuming 30% of New England’s food needs in the region by 2030. 

Then, we'll focus on communities across Connecticut receiving AARP Community Challenge grants. This year, five Connecticut projects were chosen from over 3,000 applicants, so stay tuned nd learn about each of these community building initiatives that will all be completed by the end of this year.

And we'll close chatting with the founder of Visionary Physical Therapy about the unique issues and needs facing first responders, and how he and several Sacred Heart University PT students will be providing free treatments to first responders at an upcoming event in Fairfield.

We're going to do a lot of talking about food and the environment this week starting with the first of a two-part discussion with the Connecticut Food System Alliance. We'll begin unpacking a recent report they helped produce to inform consumers, state governments, farmers, and the food industry in pursuit of producing and consuming 30% of New England’s food in the region by 2030. 

Then we'll tap our partners at the USDA for a deep dive on summer food safety. Barbecues, parties and picnics have great potential to spread foodborne illness, so we'll walk you through everything you need to know to keep your family and guests safe - from the market, all the way to packing up your leftovers.

And we'll close with the CT League of Conservation Voters recapping some of the wins and losses coming out of the 2023 state legislative session. While 2023 reflected a number of advances, you'll learn how lawmakers fumbled when it came to continuing Connecticut's pattern of progress on addressing climate change and food waste recycling. 

A lot of people don't think much about libraries ...until they can't get reliable, factual answers they need asking their mobile device or smart speaker. So, we're catching up with the outgoing president of the CT Library Assoc. talking about these vital localized or specialized resource centers and the professionals who staff and stock them.

Then we'll conclude our June Pride Month focus chatting with the CT Healthy Living Collective whose CT LGBTQ+ Moveable Senior Center Program has expanded to 24 senior centers across Connecticut now offering events specifically designed for LGBTQ+ community members.

And we'll kick off the first weekend of summer with a quick briefing from the CT Dept. of Transportation. We'll cover a few basic summer travel and safe operating reminders, remind you about expanded emergency roadside assistance service, and a new program monitoring speeding and issuing warnings if you're speeding through state road work zones.

For victims of interpersonal violence, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, the Center for Empowerment & Education provides support services while empowering individuals to find their voice and choose their path toward healing as they rebuild their lives. Tune in and hear all about it.

Then we're going to check-in with our partners at AARP-CT to learn about a number of successful initiatives they supported going into the 2023 state Legislative Session. These are programs of importance to many - whether you're old enough for AARP membership or you love and care for someone who is.

And if you live in the lower Naugatuck Valley, and you'd like to know more about - or talk about - transportation challenges and proposed solutions, we'll preview an upcoming info session coming up in Shelton that you might just want to be part of...

We're continuing our Pride Month focus showcasing a unique collaboration between Wilton Pride and the Norwalk River Valley Trail and the upcoming Push N' Pull Pride Month celebration. Tune in and find out how to be part of this first of its kind events at one of Fairfield County's newest recreational destinations.

Then it's time for one of Connecticut's premier activities - the global cultural and community celebration that is the International Festival of Arts & Ideas opening this weekend and continuing through June 25 with dozens of ticketed - but mostly free concerts, exhibits, talks, and way too much to even pack into this segment.

June is also Pollinator Month, so we're welcoming back the National Wildlife Federation to talk about the critical importance of sustaining and growing our regional population of pollinators utilizing a host of native plants that are easy to get, plant, and grow right in your own yard.

We're wrapping up our 2-part series focusing on United Way of Western CT and its partnership with Nuvance Health on an innovative "Food Farmacy" - a community-based site designed to increase access to and consumption of healthful foods for those individuals across western and southwestern Connecticut diagnosed with obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and/or hypertension.

Then we'll be putting some Pride Month focus on a new and unique collaboration between Westport Pride and the Westport Museum for History & Culture - an Oral History Project aiming to fulfill the museum's mission to "make history whole" by bringing to light the hidden narratives of marginalized groups, with a specific focus on the LGBTQ+ community.

And we'll close with the Education Diversity Coordinator from the CT Dept of Education - discussing a multi-faceted and well-funded commitment to fortify our state's teaching force, while expanding the diversity of educators for the benefit of all the children and youths who will learn from them.