PolicyWise

Hosts: Demitria Wack and Michael Wiafe.

Guest: Josh Chan and Ashley Mills.

Production and Marketing: Jarrett Ramones, Tim Haydock and Abby Pugh.

Today we will be talking about an ongoing public health crisis. Over 26 percent of all Americans over the age of 18 meet the criteria for having a mental illness. By 2029, mental illness is predicted to become the leading cause of disease worldwide. Strikingly, one million people commit suicide every year and 10 to 20 million attempt it. And these attempts disproportionately affect youth, older adults, veterans and LGBTQ people. Among young people, Native Indigenous youth have the highest rate of suicide of any ethnic or cultural group in the US. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth from 10 to 24 years of age.

With us today we have Josh Chan and Ashley Mills.

Josh is a first-year student at UC Santa Barbara who has been a Mental Health advocate since high school. He became passionate about the cause after supporting his close friends who dealt with depression and anxiety. As a Marin County Youth Commissioner, he organized the County's first Mental Health Summit at the College of Marin and partnered with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to raise awareness for the cause, including speaking at the annual NAMI walk. In his high school, he started a Mental Health Awareness Club, successfully advocated for the continued funding of on-campus therapists, and hosted a student led panel about healthy ways to deal with stress.

Ashley is a senior researcher at the California Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission and a leading voice on Suicide Prevention, who also was instrumental in creating the California Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention.

Resources and Links:
Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Committee

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Hosts: Demitria Wack and Michael Wiafe.

Guest: Mehek Kandru and Elli Arzbaecher.

Production and Marketing: Jarrett Ramones, Tim Haydock and Abby Pugh.

About a year ago, Michael reached out to Demi with an idea.

Working together on the California Forward Youth Council, Michael realized that we could use our experience and love for policy to provide a very necessary platform for policy communication to and from youth. Soon after we were extremely fortunate to pick up the support from Youth Leadership Institute who has turned this dream into a reality.

Since then, we have been able to speak to incredible guests from a wide range of backgrounds and prospectives. We’ve  decided that we should be doing all that we can to get this information in front of policy makers and young folks.

We are excited to bring on two new members of the policy wise team

Welcome Mehek and Ellie!

We'd Love to Hear from You! Clink the link below to fill out a quick survey and let us know what you think!
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Hosts: Demitria Wack and Michael Wiafe.

Guest: Adwoa Wiafe.

Production and Marketing: Jarrett Ramones, Tim Haydock and Abby Pugh.

With a hurricane of policies and attempts to curb the impact of this virus, nobody has been more on the front line from day 1 other than our healthcare workers. The impact of Covid has been racialized. With low-income, people of color and those deemed “essential workers” being most affected. To put into context, black and brown people are about 3x more likely to be hospitalized and 2x more likely to die from the virus. However most doctors do not look like the communities in which they are serving during the pandemic. Nationally, Less than 5% of physicians are black and just under 6% of physicians are latinx.

Adwoa is graduating in a few months from the Loma Linda University School of Medicine and is starting her time as a resident physician specializing in family medicine at the Loma Linda University Medical Center and children's hospital joining the less than 3% of black woman doctors in the country. Which is one of 14 Level 1 trauma centers in California and only one in the Inland Empire serving as the only children's hospital for over 1.3 Million of California’s youth. She has a Masters in BioMedical Sciences also from Loma Linda University and received her Bachelors of Science in BioChemistry from UC Riverside. She also has the unique privilege of serving as Michael's oldest sister.

We'd Love to Hear from You! Clink the link below to fill out a quick survey and let us know what you think!
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Healing Tree Podcast
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/0ulnUnlVz5ec3Qa5sPeUw3?si=-HQnvcTQT-26khTmOt3ZCQ
Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/healing-tree/id1516317606

A Medical History In Color Podcast
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/1AhclpoBUffYQphN6Tl91d?si=_3YaZhwQSdqIUQBNn5nhIQ
Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-center-for-christian-bioethics/id1499019596

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Hosts: Demitria Wack and Michael Wiafe.

Guest: Morgan Wack.

Production and Marketing: Jarrett Ramones, Tim Haydock and Abby Pugh.

With us today to talk about broader issues with social media regulation and the impact of misinformation surrounding the insurrection is Morgan Wack. Morgan is a doctoral student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington. He studies the proliferation of new technologies, violence, and barriers to growth in developing countries. Currently, he works for the Center for an Informed Public, which specializes in understanding information dynamics. His research is mainly focused on discerning how communication technologies can serve to augment efforts aimed at mitigating the deleterious impacts of violence in sub-Saharan Africa. He holds an MSc in Global Politics from the London School of Economics, has served as a Princeton in Africa Fellow, and has worked for a variety of developmental organizations, NGOs, and government agencies. He also has the distinct privilege of being Demi's older brother.

We'd Love to Hear from You! Clink the link below to fill out a quick survey and let us know what you think!
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Hosts: Demitria Wack and Michael Wiafe.

Guest: Kindra F. Montgomery-Block.

Production and Marketing: Jarrett Ramones, Tim Haydock and Abby Pugh.

Kindra F. Montgomery-Block executive leader, movement builder, and unapologetically African-American activator who is the driving force behind philanthropy and coalitions that are part of the national Black empowerment conversation. She was also named one of Northern California’s Exceptional Women of Color by HUB Magazine. And is the recipient of other community intelligence, innovative, and impact awards, including honors from Women of Color in Maternal Health, NAACP, American Association of Public Administrators, Young Emerging Leaders, and the Greater Sacramento Urban League.

Resources and Links:
Black Child Legacy Campaign
Healing the Hood
Build.Black Podcast

We'd Love to Hear from You! Clink the link below to fill out a quick survey and let us know what you think!
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QLVPBCT

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Hosts: Demitria Wack and Michael Wiafe.

Guests: Ashley Swearengin and  Dr. Tania Pacheco-Warner.

Production and Marketing: Jarrett Ramones, Tim Haydock and Abby Pugh.

Fresno has historically been the largest city in the Central Valley of California, and recently ranked 5th biggest city in all of California.

Fresno is also one of the fastest growing regions in the United States with 20 percent population growth since 2000. However, this population growth has not been met with proportional economic growth, and perhaps created even more divergence in economic and social advantages. The Urban Institute’s 2018 research on economic mobility in California's largest cities revealed that Fresno ranks 59th out of 59 for economic and racial disparity.

In recent years, progress has been made to combat these issues. Earning well deserved recognition for growth in industries, real estate, health care services and community engagement. However, still today, a large portion of Fresno’s population battles cycles of chronic economic distress.

We'd Love to Hear from You! Clink the link below to fill out a quick survey and let us know what you think!
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QLVPBCT

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Hosts: Demitria Wack and Michael Wiafe.

Guests: Blake Zante.

Production and Marketing: Jarrett Ramones, Tim Haydock and Abby Pugh.

Both Democrats and Republicans have undergone ideological shifts over the last decade leading to varying perceptions of progress and often also great fractures between and within the two parties. As the winners of the 2020 elections take their seats, and we move on to a new era of political leaders, we have the opportunity to speak with a young member of the Republican party to talk about the future of the Republican party in California.  We are SOOO pleased to have Blake Zante with us today

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Hosts: Demitria Wack and Michael Wiafe.

Guests: Mehek Kandru and Tony Thurmond.

Production and Marketing: Jarrett Ramones, Tim Haydock and Abby Pugh.

Tony Thurmond is the 28th California State Superintendent of Public. Superintendent

Thurmond is an educator, social worker, and public-school parent, who has served the people

of California for more than ten years in elected office. Previously, Superintendent Thurmond

served on the Richmond City Council, West Contra Costa Unified School Board, and in the

California State Assembly, representing District 15. Superintendent Thurmond attended public

school and then Temple University, where he became student body president. He went on to

earn dual master's degrees in Law and Social Policy and Social Work (MSW) from Bryn Mawr

College and began a career dedicated to service.

Mehek Kandru is a senior at Dougherty Valley High School with a strong passion for advocacy and policy reform. Alongside the work she does at California Forward, she is also a

California Legislative Ambassador for the American Cancer Society and the Outreach Editor of

her school’s newspaper. When she is not working on those things, she spends her time

volunteering at the San Ramon Regional Medical Center or watching movies with her dad. In

college, she hopes to continue working on understanding social systems and the factors that

have formed them.

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Hosts: Demitria Wack and Michael Wiafe.

Guests: Prince Ogidikpe and Sunne Wright McPeak.

Production and Marketing: Jarrett Ramones, Tim Haydock and Abby Pugh.

Sunne is the President and CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund that
works to close the digital divide in California. CETF is a national leader in this effort initiating
programs like California Telehealth Network, digital literacy, smart housing policy and
more. Sunne is also the former Secretary of California Business, Transportation and Housing
Agency, overseeing the state’s largest agency which includes nearly 20 departments and offices
ranging as broadly as CalTrans, DMV and Highway Patrol, to Housing and Community
development, real estate, and so many others. Sunne also is the former President and CEO of
the Bay Area Council, spent more than 15 years as a member of the Board of Supervisors,
President of the California Association of Counties and was named by SF league of woman
voters as “A Woman Who Could Be President” on top of being awarded 2 honorary doctorates.

Prince Ogidikpe is a graduate of California State University San Bernardino, earning a
bachelor’s degree in Biological Psychology and a minor in Communication studies. Prince
moved to the United States from Nigeria in 2010. During his time at Cal State San Bernardino,
he was a very involved student leader. He was elected to serve as Student Body President for
the Associated Students Incorporated, having previously served as Executive Vice President.
Prince was also a member of many student organizations including the award-winning Model
United Nations Program. He was awarded one of the 30 under 30 award for California’s 47th
assembly district and now works as a field representative in California 47th Assembly District
office for member Eloise-Gomez Reyes, the Assembly majority leader.

Join California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) at http://www.internetforallnow.org

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Hosts: Demitria Wack and Michael Wiafe.

Guests: Ellinor Arzbaecher, Daisy Castellón, Jade Magaña, and Michael Waife.

Production and Marketing: Jarrett Ramones, Tim Haydock and Abby Pugh.

Spoke word intro by: Kali Ausselet she/they (stage name K-RA!)) a self proclaimed “artivist” who uses rap, spoken word, paint, and other mediums to express herself and her view of the world. As a student of spiritual practices K-RA! is very immersed in the philosophy of life, interconnectedness, and emotion. 

Ellinor Arzbeacher is a member of the Young Leaders Advisory Council for the 2020 California Economic Summit . She is a first-year student at the University of California Berkeley, Rausser College of Natural Resources. 

Daisy Castellón provides strategic communications, media relations, and social media counsel to Lucas Public Affairs(LPA) clients in industries such as health care, higher education, and technology. Her background in reaching diverse communities through her dual-language capabilities contributes to clients’ success. Prior to working at LPA, Daisy worked at a public affairs firm that focused on outreach to multicultural and bilingual populations and interned in the California State Assembly. Daisy is also part of the Sacramento Latino Giving Circle, a network of leaders who are paying it forward by funding Latino-led grassroots organization

Jade Magaña served as an intern with CA FWD through the Ron Loveridge Summer Fellowship Program. She also served as an intern for Inland Counties Legal Services. She is studying public policy and preparing to attend law school. Jade’s focus includes civil rights and education law.

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