NPR is once again inviting students across the country to tell their stories through audio as part of its annual Student Podcast Challenge. Now in its eighth year, the competition has introduced students from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. to the world of public radio and podcasting.LPM’s Ayisha Jaffer spoke with Steve Drummond and Janet Woojeong Lee, two of the people behind NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge about what to expect this year.The deadline for the Student Podcast Challenge is May 31.

Loneliness is often treated as a personal problem, but researchers are finding where we live plays a major role in how connected we feel.Through an effort called “Universal Belonging,” researchers at the University of Louisville and Simmons College of Kentucky are examining how place, policy and community influence connection across the city.LPM’s Ayisha Jaffer spoke with Lauren Anderson, a program manager at U of L’s Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute and Jecorey Arthur, a researcher and professor at Simmons College of Kentucky.

Play Cousins Collective is a nonprofit organization rooted in the concept that it takes a village to raise a child. But how does that philosophy survive in a culture that puts so much value on individual rights and responsibilities?Play Cousins co-founder and Executive Director Kristen Williams talked with us about the variety of approaches her organization uses to support families.

At The Food Literacy Project, a team of young people created a documentary about the link between food deserts and transportation

The Winter Olympics are kicking off, and one Hoosier is heading back to the world stage in Italy. Southern Indiana native Nick Goepper has qualified for his fourth career Winter Olympics.Goepper already holds three Olympic medals from slopestyle competition and secured his place on Team USA earlier this month by winning the freeski halfpipe World Cup in Calgary.LPM’s Ayisha Jaffer spoke with Goepper about how growing up skiing in Indiana shaped his career, what pulled him out of retirement, and why he made the rare switch to freeski halfpipe.

It’s National Mentoring Month, and in Louisville, Adelante Hispanic Achievers has worked to support Hispanic and Latino families for more than 20 years. Their focus is on one of the fastest-growing student populations in Jefferson County.The organization partners with students and parents to support academic growth, career readiness and long-term success.LPM’s Ayisha Jaffer spoke with Adelante Hispanic Achievers Executive Director Juliana Rodriguez about the organization’s mission and how mentoring is shaping outcomes for students in our community.

A History and Science forum in Louisville will bring together leaders from both backgrounds to explore how they intersect. It’s part of a series hosted by the University of Louisville Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute. Natasha DeJarnett is an assistant professor of environmental medicine at U of L. She helped organize the event, and joined us to talk about the series.

AMPED is a Louisville non-profit that uses music and technology to empower young people. In November, they opened a new Tech and Learning Center in the city’s West End. Dave Christopher, Senior is AMPED’s president and founder. He joins us to discuss how the new building, at 17th Street and West Market, will help the organization carry out its mission to serve the community.

Louisville continues to face significant challenges around homelessness, with increasing demand for services across the city. One of the organizations responding is Volunteers of America Mid-States. It’s developing a new Community Care Campus through a public-private partnership with Louisville Metro Government, with the goal of helping address some of the factors that keep people cycling in and out of homelessness.LPM’s Ayisha Jaffer sat down with VOA President and CEO Jennifer Hancock to talk about the campus and its potential role in Louisville’s homelessness response.

The Russell Community Land Trust leases land to residents for them to own affordable homes in their community