Part 4/8 from our mini-season: ARPA Funding in Worcester

Public Hearing is back with part 4 of our ARPA funding in Worcester mini-series. During this episode, we continue our discussion with our guest, Eric Batista, who will be taking over the role of interim City Manager this June, by addressing some of the common questions and concerns from the community about how the money will be spent and how the funding will be used to create and promote equity in Worcester. Another topic addressed in this episode is how we can make information that comes from the city more accessible in order for the public to be more involved in the decision-making process.

Learn more about how Worcester plans to spend ARPA dollars on the City website.

Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Want to be the first to listen to new episodes? Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

Part 3/8 from our mini-season: ARPA Funding in Worcester

We are back with another episode of Public Hearing’s ARPA Funding in Worcester mini-series, with our guest, Jennifer Gaskin, president of the Worcester Caribbean American Carnival Association, which organizes the incredible Worcester Caribbean Festival to showcase some of the arts and culture in our community. This week we are discussing how ARPA dollars can be used to promote Arts & Culture and the local creativity and innovation that Worcester is known for as well as what we as community members might consider advocating for as these funds are distributed. 

Learn more about how Worcester plans to spend ARPA dollars on the City website.

Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Want to be the first to listen to new episodes? Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

In this episode of Public Hearing, we continue our conversation about ARPA funding in Worcester with our guest, Nelly Medina, a local mother, educator, activist, organizer, to talk about priority populations and how ARPA dollars can be used to support people disproportionately impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic, especially low-end communities and communities of color. We must listen to the impacted members of the community and hold the city accountable in order to promote equity justice and the pursuit of joy-filled futures for all. 

Learn more about how Worcester plans to spend ARPA dollars on the City website.

Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Want to be the first to listen to new episodes? Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

Part 1/8 from our mini-season: ARPA Funding in Worcester

Public Hearing is back this week with another mini-series. During the series, we will be talking with several voices in the community about the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and how the approximately $146 million that Worcester has received from the federal government will be distributed throughout different funding areas in the city: Affordable Housing, Social Services, Mental Health, Business Assistance, and Arts & Culture. In our first episode with Gina Plata-Nino we will be giving an introduction to ARPA and answering some of the questions that have been raised in the community; what is ARPA? How can the money be spent? How can we hold the city accountable for using these funds? In next week’s episode, we will be focusing on how funding can be distributed to priority populations in Worcester to promote equity within the City.

Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Want to be the first to listen to new episodes? Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

In the wake of responses, Facebook comments, and community discussions to an article published in the Worcester Business Journal entitled “Infiltrating Worcester’s Inner Circle,” we put a call out to the community to talk with folks engaged in Worcester about their thoughts, feelings, and reactions to this article, which upset a lot of people, and broader themes of inclusion, exclusion, and influence in Worcester.

Our guests are Giselle Rivera-Flores (IG @notjustawriter), Jennifer Gaskin (IG @jenny_noire), Nicole Bell (IG @nikkilift), and Valerie Zolezzi-Wydnham (IG @valerie.zolezzi.wyndham). Hear perspectives from people who have been long-involved in Worcester who challenge the position that “you just have to keep showing up” to be included in decision-making circles and question whether these circles should even exist at all.

Hosted by Joshua Croke, Public Hearing is a show about Worcester and the pursuit of equitable, just, and joyful communities. Listen wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5 FM, Worcester’s only NPR affiliate station, on Wednesdays at 6 PM. PublicHearing.co

In our final episode of our Latino Advisory Commission mini-season, Josh talks with Gina Plata-Nino, a staff attorney at the Central West Justice Center of Community Legal Aid, and a leader in both the Worcester Together effort and the Latino Empowerment and Organizing Network (LEON). Josh and Gina continue discussing our topic and the importance of Latinx representation and community involvement in furthering issues of equity. We talk about youth voice being essential for creating equity within the city and how crucial it is for groups, like the commission, to be held accountable to ensure that progress is being made and equity is being promoted. 

Learn more about Worcester Together and how to get involved in the community on their website! 

Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Want to be the first to listen to new episodes? Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

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Part 2/3 from our mini-season: Establishing the Latino Advisory Commission in Worcester.

This week’s guest is Luis Padraja, President of Quinsigamond Community College and a member of the Latino Empowerment Organizing Network (LEON). In this Public Hearing conversation, Josh and Luis talk about how the creation of a Latino Advisory Commission in our city will allow for more Latinx folk to be represented with a seat at decision-making tables to further advocacy and support for the unique and intersecting needs of Worcester’s Latinx communities

Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Part 1 of 3 of our mini-season: Establishing the Latino Advisory Commission in Worcester.

We are back with another mini-series! In this three-part series, we will be discussing the formation of a Latino Advisory Commission in Worcester to better understand the history, the motivation, and hopes for the future. In this episode, we sit down with our first guest Hilda Ramirez who is a member of the Latino Empowerment and Organizing Network (also known as LEON) to talk about the history that has led to the advocacy for a Latino Advisory Commission in Worcester and some of the ongoing efforts of the Latino community working towards creating more equitable spaces and how this work can continue in the future.

Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Want to be the first to listen to new episodes? Tune in Wednesdays at 6pm on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester's only NPR affiliate station. Not in the Worcester area? No worries, you can listen live at WICN.org

Public Hearing is back with our third and final episode of our Civic Engagement in Worcester mini-series featuring our guests Doug Arbetter and Danaah McCallum. In this episode, we wrap up our conversation with Doug and Danaah and talk about how important it is to vote in local elections and how to get involved in your local government including creating a petition and reaching out to your Councilors. We also talk about the process of running for an elected position in the city of Worcester.   

One of the first ways that you can get involved in your local politics is by registering to vote! You can register to be a Worcester voter here. Not sure if you are registered yet? You can check your registration status here.  

 Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.

Public Hearing is back with the second episode of our Civic Engagement in Worcester mini-series. In this episode, we continue our conversation with Doug Arbetter and Danaah McCallum discussing Worcester Politics. We also talk about the recent changes for how the school committee is elected and address some of the confusion that many community members have expressed since the city’s ruling in November, as well as, the importance of teaching youth about their local government and how they can make a difference in their communities. 

One of the first ways that you can get involved in your local politics is by registering to vote! You can register to be a Worcester voter here. Not sure if you are registered yet? You can check your registration status here.  

 Public Hearing is a podcast from Action! by Design about our home city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the people we should be listening to—residents, artists, activists, community leaders, storytellers, and those most impacted by issues facing our city. Our mission is to cultivate community through equity, inclusion, and design, and that work starts at home.