Generation Hope

Join us as we talk with Ella Ritts about her journey with art, science, expression, and self. Ella is a Program Content Coordinator for the Griffith Observatory, in Los Angeles, California who explores life and art everyday.

—

"it was always a comfort for me. Like in the toughest moments of my life, art was always there. It was a way for me to express like, you know, anger, sadness, frustration, angst, confusion, and, you know, all like, and be able to self-soothe. That was like the one tool that I had. And very recently I've come to terms with the fact that I'm a very highly sensitive person, like it takes more time and energy for me to process the world. So this like quiet time for creativity has always been like how I ground myself. And it was really important in my formative years." - Ella Ritts

"If there's something that makes you happy, whether it's art or something else, like be earnest about that, be honest with yourself about what truly makes you happy, because that's what life is all about is seeking things that make you happy." - Ella Ritts

—

Generation Hope is a podcast from connect.faith; which is a new worshiping community of the Presbyterian Church (USA) unbound by location coming together at the intersection of creativity, spirituality and justice.

Learn more about connect.faith at our website - https://connect.faith

Donate to support our mission.

Join us as we talk with Danielle Mareka, fashion model, producer, and community organizer based out of New York City.

—

"I put myself out there and I kind of got used to... (not) internalizing a lot of this stuff when I didn't have a full scope of where I sat in the industry, my experience level. And also just like, sometimes it's just right timing, right, right place, right time and a little bit of luck as well. So I had to learn a lot of those things and go through a lot of nos, but I'm so grateful for how everything's played out and how I've been able to kind of mature without jumping into something because, you know, I wanted someone to give me a chance" - Danielle Mareka

—

Generation Hope is a podcast from connect.faith; which is a new worshiping community of the Presbyterian Church (USA) unbound by location coming together at the intersection of creativity, spirituality and justice. Learn more about connect.faith at our website - https://connect.faith

Donate to support our mission.

This week on Gen Hope, Cali spoke with Gianna Durante, who is pursuing her master’s degree in Stage Management at Columbia University. Gianna shares her insights on finding her passion and seeing it through as a young person.

—

“And there's no one way to do anything. And everyone comes to the table with their own strengths and energy and spirit and personality. And don't let anyone take that away from you and don't let anyone make you feel like the skills that you have aren't good enough because they can always be developed and they can always be worked on and you can always learn new things too, but you bring your own spirit to everything.” -Gianna Durante

—

Generation Hope is a podcast from connect.faith; which is a new worshiping community of the Presbyterian Church (USA) unbound by location coming together at the intersection of creativity, spirituality and justice.

Learn more about connect.faith at our website - https://connect.faith

Donate to support our mission.

This season of Generation Hope, Cali is talking to young adults who are pursuing careers that don't have linear paths to entry. We'll be talking to musicians, visual artists, and others about the unique challenges and rewards young creatives can face as they turn their passion into a career.

Matt Francisco graduated college at the very beginning of the COVID Pandemic and moved to Los Angeles to begin his career as a creative working in photography, videography, and audio

engineering/production. Matt Francisco is a photographer, director and all-around creative professional currently based in Los Angeles, CA. He's worked with clients such as Vans, Saucony and Lucky Brand and his work has been published in Forbes, The New York Times and Adweek. Social Media: @mattfrancis.co (Instagram) @mattfrancis_co (Twitter) http://mattfrancis.co/ (Website)

—

"People tend to get boxed in (by choosing a "lane") because once you get to a certain skill level if you don't push yourself to try new things and then let your art be informed by those other things, then you're not going to grow." -Matt Francisco

—

Generation Hope is a podcast from connect.faith; which is a new worshiping community of the Presbyterian Church (USA) unbound by location coming together at the intersection of creativity, spirituality and justice.

Learn more about connect.faith at our website - https://connect.faith

Donate to support our mission.

Tune in below for an inspiring podcast episode! Momo Lindsay joins us on today’s episode of Generation Hope. Momo sits down with Cali Bronkema to take us through her journey from being homeschooled to her PhD program, and through all the difficult experiences in her life that led her to embrace who she is today. Even through all of life’s obstacles, Momo stays faithful and true to herself.

—

"I think advocating for yourself is really important. You have to determine what that looks like for yourself and your journey." -Momo Lindsay

—

Generation Hope is a podcast from connect.faith; which is a new worshiping community of the Presbyterian Church (USA) unbound by location coming together at the intersection of creativity, spirituality and justice.

Learn more about connect.faith at our website - https://connect.faith

Donate to support our mission.

We have a great Generation Hope episode to begin the week! Casey Carbone sits down with Cali to discuss his work as a pastor, his experience as an adopted individual, and how his identity is interrelated with music — it’s how he understands himself in relation to the world.

—

"I think that for us as a church it's important that we aren't afraid to admit mistakes or short-sightedness, because it's hurting real people" - Casey Carbone

"I find music is a great way to introduce people to some topics that are really important... it opens the door to conversations you wouldn't have otherwise." - Casey Carbone

—

Generation Hope is a podcast from connect.faith; which is a new worshiping community of the Presbyterian Church (USA) unbound by location coming together at the intersection of creativity, spirituality and justice.

Learn more about connect.faith at our website - https://connect.faith

Donate to support our mission.

Today, Cali talks with theatre artist, Sam Rosenblatt. Sam holds a BS from NYU Steinhardt in Educational Theatre and an MFA from NYU Tisch in Musical Theatre Writing. A wearer of many hats, Sam also enjoys stage-managing, props design, graphic design, and sock-puppet-making. She is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild and Maestra.

—

“Being able to accept that maybe today is not your day is such an important thing. It gives you so much more ownership over your own emotions if you let go of the control a little bit.” -Sam Rosenblatt

—

Generation Hope is a podcast from connect.faith; which is a new worshiping community of the Presbyterian Church (USA) unbound by location coming together at the intersection of creativity, spirituality and justice.

Learn more about connect.faith at our website - https://connect.faith

Find Sam on the Internet:

• Sam’s Latest Draft Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-draft-podcast/id1523004670
• Sam’s Album “Little Love Notes from Collard and Rosenblatt” - https://music.apple.com/us/album/little-love-notes-from-collard-rosenblatt/1557528366
• Sam’s Professional Website: https://www.theatricallysam.com
• Sam’s Instagram: theatricallysam
• Sam and Elspeth Website: https://www.collardandrosenblatt.com
• The Duo’s Instagram: collard.rosenblatt.collabs

Donate to support our mission.

We hope you enjoy the second half of Cali's conversation with Zora Holness. In this episode Zora talks about lack of access and representation in media and the commodification of Black culture.

Zora is a 2019 graduate of the University of Maryland, who is a passionate and active member of her community, working alongside various organizations to educate and provide resources to help uplift her neighbors. Outside of her activism, Zora is a huge tv lover with a particular interest in diversity and inclusion on-screen and behind the scenes. She loves to engage in tv discussions so follow her on twitter to chat or just for some good recommendations!

__

"(Hamilton) if you’re erasing the characters names, is an all American story of perseverance, trying to accomplish your goals, working with people, war, etc. You can put yourself into some of those characters shoes, even if you can’t put yourself in Thomas Jefferson’s shoes, you can put yourself in the Black Thomas Jefferson’s shoes, in Daveed Diggs’ shoes." - Zora Holness

"Politics is important, and the decisions our politicians make are important. But real change happens at the local level, it happens at a community level. People need to start taking care of each other. Once people start taking care of each other they are able to empathize with each other and learn about each other." - Zora Holness

—

Generation Hope is a podcast from connect.faith; which is a new worshiping community of the Presbyterian Church (USA) unbound by location coming together at the intersection of creativity, spirituality and justice.

Learn more about connect.faith at our website - https://connect.faith

Donate to support our mission.

We hope you enjoy this conversation with Cali Bronkema and Zora Holness.

Zora is a 2019 graduate of the University of Maryland, who is a passionate and active member of her community, working alongside various organizations to educate and provide resources to help uplift her neighbors. Outside of her activism, Zora is a huge tv lover with a particular interest in diversity and inclusion on-screen and behind the scenes. She loves to engage in tv discussions so follow her on twitter to chat or just for some good recommendations!

—

"White people make money off of these things that black people are facing consequences for—things that are inherent to our culture and our nature" Zora Holness

—

Generation Hope is a podcast from connect.faith; which is a new worshiping community of the Presbyterian Church (USA) unbound by location coming together at the intersection of creativity, spirituality and justice.

Learn more about connect.faith at our website - https://connect.faith

Donate to support our mission.

Paige is the Director of Next Generation Ministries at Providence Presbyterian Church in Fairfax, Virginia, and she has a Masters of Arts in Youth Ministry from Memphis Theological Seminary and the Center for Youth Ministry Training, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree from Florida Southern College in Religion and Youth Ministry. We’re so excited to hear about Paige’s journey, and we’re sure her story will bring you a feeling of hope!

—

“I hope that everyone can be accepted for who they are… I don’t want tolerance, I want acceptance. I hope for acceptance for all people in all areas of their life.” - Paige Bach

—

Generation Hope is a podcast from connect.faith; which is a new worshiping community of the Presbyterian Church (USA) unbound by location coming together at the intersection of creativity, spirituality and justice.

Learn more about connect.faith at our website - https://connect.faith

Donate to support our mission.