Watch: https://youtu.be/Mstuoz4pBUc  The Power of Listening in Political Conversations to Understand the Needs and Human Rights of the Community and Its Citizens. The core question of this episode is this: What happens when active listening is absent from political conversations?  
You most likely know the answer to that question. When active listening is absent from political conversations, several negative consequences may arise, impacting both individual interactions and broader community dynamics.  Things like polarization, distrust, lack of collaboration, decline of community engagement, and mimimizing marginalized voices.
You might be thinking: Why does it even matter? The truth is active listening builds trust. And trust is the foundation of meaningful community conversations and engagement. Without it, efforts to bring people together, solve problems, or drive change often fall flat. Here's an even more profound question: What if we were to consider what it would look like to build trust in community-police relations?
 
In this episode we take a look at the All Start Project (ASP) founded in 1981 as a 501(c)3 national nonprofit that uses a performance-based approach to help inner-city youths and their families create success in their lives. Their Operation Conversation approach reflects a deeper question: What could happen if you bring two seemingly disparate communities together (e.g., cops and kids) through the power of conversation?
Join us as we delve into Operation Conversation: Cops & Kids (OCCK), an innovative police–community relations model program run by ASP in partnership with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the Newark Police Division (NPD). You'll get a glimpse into how Cops & Kids uses the power of performance to create a new kind of relationship.
 
 
2025: Community Engagement and the Grassroots of Change Our theme for 2025 is Community Engagement and the Grassroots of Change. Throughout the year we’ll explore the stories, strategies, and successes of community-driven movements making a difference. Episodes will focus on both theory and practical examples, as well as case studies and guests. The end game is to provide our audience with insights into real-life positive community-engagement efforts.