Mouthful

A monologue questioning the value of a classroom discussion starts a conversation about learning. Featuring conversations with Ericka Morris, a former teacher and curriculum specialist, Tamir D. Harper, a senior at Science Leaderships Academy and co-founder of UrbEd, and Brooke Sexton, Artistic Director of YesAnd! Collaborative Arts.

A monologue written from the perspective of a cigarette starts a conversation about addiction. Featuring conversations with Charmira Nelson, who wrote the monologue while struggling with a secret addiction to cigarettes when she was a junior in high school, and "John," a recovering addict and member of Narcotics Anonymous.

New voices, new perspectives, same goal: elevate the voices of youth. Season Two of Mouthful begins April 3rd.

A monologue about a young man and his family facing eviction starts a conversation about housing instability, youth homelessness, and aging out of the system. Featuring conversations with Selena Ortiz, a young woman currently in the system, and Dr. Nikia Owens, the Director of Income and Financial Stability Community Impact at the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.

A monologue about a sister saying goodbye to her severely autistic older brother starts a conversation about autism spectrum disorder. Featuring conversations with Lisa Gardner, a mechanical engineering student whose monologue was written at a time when her relationship with her brother was particularly challenging; and Dr. Kate Wallis, a pediatrician who specializes in youth with autism spectrum disorder.

A monologue about a young woman at the therapist following the death of her brother starts a conversation about grief, death of a sibling, and loss. Featuring conversations with Taliya Carter whose monologue draws upon her interest in psychology as well as from her own personal experiences of sibling death; and Darcy Walker Krause, the Executive Director of The Center for Grieving Children in Philadelphia.

A monologue about a relationship in peril because of another relationship--with a phone--starts a conversation about social media, technology, and the ways we communicate. Featuring conversations with a group of high school students from the Academy at Palumbo in South Philadelphia and tech life expert Stephanie Humphrey.

A monologue about a fast food worker starts a conversation about jobs. Featuring a conversation with Chekemma Fulmore-Townsend, President &CEO of the Philadelphia Youth Network, man on the street interviews, and worst job experiences from the production team.

A monologue about a young black man encouraging his friend to pursue higher education starts a conversation about black male engagement. Featuring a conversation with "The Tribe," four young black men whose bond helped them thrive at Philadelphia's academically rigorous J.R. Masterman School.

On April 15th, 18-year-old Dubois Stewart was on his way home from community service. A police car pulled up behind him. He was stopped and frisked. “I was terrified.” Dubois said in an interview with Mouthful for our episode on community policing. “I’d never been stopped and frisked before. I seriously thought I wouldn’t go away unharmed because of all the cases I’d recently heard of police brutality between black young males and police officers in general.” Two weeks later on April 29th, 15-year-old Jordan Edwards was shot and killed by police in Balch Springs, Texas. He was unarmed, sitting in the passenger seat of a car. According to The Guardian, black males aged 15-34 were nine times more likely than other Americans to be shot and killed by police in 2016. To date, more than 110 black people who have been killed by police in 2017. For today’s episode of Mouthful, a weekly podcast that puts young people at the center of important conversations, we’re doing something different. We’re revisiting our conversation with Dubois and his mom, Vashti, in the wake of the stop and frisk. In Vashti’s words, “We can’t normalize injustice and by telling people the story we keep the conversation going.”