Public Hearing

Josh talks with Deb Hall, recently appointed Executive Director of the YWCA of Central Mass, about pride, race, being queer, and intersectionality. We explore the concept of urgency, what is needed in this moment, and how we might look to the future.

Listen to Public Hearing wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester’s NPR affiliate station. And, while we celebrate women all year round, our guests for the month of March are all women who live, influence, and/or impact the City of Worcester, MA. Learn more about our show at PublicHearing.co

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Happy Pride! This month, we’re centering queer voices in our community and the challenges, joys, opportunities, and hopes we face in our cities and our world. This week, Al Green, the Ministry Director for the LGBT Asylum Task Force, talks with Josh about the hurdles in seeking asylum, accessing community-based and social services, and the intersectional challenges that being queer add to finding resources and support in Worcester and the United States.

Listen to Public Hearing wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester’s NPR affiliate station. And, while we celebrate women all year round, our guests for the month of March are all women who live, influence, and/or impact the City of Worcester, MA. Learn more about our show at PublicHearing.co

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This week on Public Hearing, Josh dives into topics surrounding youth justice, comprehensive sex ed, and achieving equitable outcomes for youth with Dr. Laurie Ross from Clark University.

Listen to Public Hearing wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester’s NPR affiliate station. And, while we celebrate women all year round, our guests for the month of March are all women who live, influence, and/or impact the City of Worcester, MA. Learn more about our show at PublicHearing.co

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How might we design sustainable innovation ecosystems centered around inclusion & equity? This week’s episode of Public Hearing dives into the complexity of economics and empathy. Josh and our guest, Randal Meraki, talk about innovation and possible pathways for realizing a more equitable and inclusive future. Randal is the CEO and Co-Owner of The WorcShop, a 54,000 square foot makerspace & business incubator focused on manufacturing and industrial arts. 

Listen to Public Hearing wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester’s NPR affiliate station. And, while we celebrate women all year round, our guests for the month of March are all women who live, influence, and/or impact the City of Worcester, MA. Learn more about our show at PublicHearing.co

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This week’s guest on Public Hearing, Ellie Gilmore, and Josh ask the question, “How might we make zoning sexy and easy to understand?”, and talk about the negative impact that development projects can have on cities when the local community is not involved in important conversations about the decision making process. The local community is a crucial resource that must be utilized in every step of the process to create equitable and valuable change for all residents.

Listen to Public Hearing wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester’s NPR affiliate station. And, while we celebrate women all year round, our guests for the month of March are all women who live, influence, and/or impact the City of Worcester, MA. Learn more about our show at PublicHearing.co

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Today, we’re talking with Nicole Coleman; an artist, stylist, activist, community organizer and born and raised Worcesterite and asking the question: “Is public art a mechanism for equitable community building or a tool for gentrification?"

Listen to Public Hearing wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester’s NPR affiliate station. And, while we celebrate women all year round, our guests for the month of March are all women who live, influence, and/or impact the City of Worcester, MA. Learn more about our show at PublicHearing.co

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Today, we’re talking with the Commissioner of Health and Human Services for the City of Worcester, Dr. Mattie Castiel and asking the question: “Are people going to keep doing the work that needs to be done after everyone's vaccinated?"

Listen to Public Hearing wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester’s NPR affiliate station. And, while we celebrate women all year round, our guests for the month of March are all women who live, influence, and/or impact the City of Worcester, MA. Learn more about our show at PublicHearing.co

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Jane Week in Worcester is right around the corner; an awareness and recognition week for the urban theorist Jane Jacobs and her concepts for building vibrant, livable communities. On this Public Hearing episode, Josh talks with Joyce Mandell, author of Jane Jacobs in the Woo; a blog discussing Worcester development projects and asking “What would Jane say?” We talk about the ballpark, Harding Green, and Hillside Beach and what Jane might think of these projects in the city. 

“Joyce Mandell has worn many hats at different times of her life – mom, community organizer, sociologist, community development specialist, urban studies professor, and just general feisty rabble-rouser.  She is excited to add “channeling the spirit of Jane Jacobs” to the list.  She has lived in Worcester, Massachusetts for over twenty-five years and first moved to the East Side when she served as the Economic Development Director of Oak Hill Community Development Corporation from 1995 – 1998.  She believes in the potential of Worcester, the power of praxis and the truth to be found both in stories and stillness.”

Read the blog Jane Jacobs in the Woo and follow Jane Week on Facebook.

Listen to Public Hearing wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester’s NPR affiliate station. And, while we celebrate women all year round, our guests for the month of March are all women who live, influence, and/or impact the City of Worcester, MA. Learn more about our show at PublicHearing.co

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Grace Sliwoski was born and raised in Worcester, went away for college, and is now raising her family back here in the city. Grace is the Director of Programs for the Regional Environment Council (REC) and sits on the board of Central Mass Grown. The REC is a grassroots environmental and food justice organization. Central Mass Grown is a nonprofit comprised of farmers, buy-local advocates, and community leaders dedicated to raising consumer awareness and increasing the profitability of regional farms.

Grace and Josh talk about food access and food justice (obviously) and how communities can connect through gardens and urban agriculture.

Listen to Public Hearing wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester’s NPR affiliate station. And, while we celebrate women all year round, our guests for the month of March are all women who live, influence, and/or impact the City of Worcester, MA. Learn more about our show at PublicHearing.co

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In this episode, Josh and Oomiya share personal stories of identity and explore ways to support community building, LGBTQ+ youth, and being our authentic selves.

Listen to Public Hearing wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5FM, Worcester’s NPR affiliate station. And, while we celebrate women all year round, our guests for the month of March are all women who live, influence, and/or impact the City of Worcester, MA. Learn more about our show at PublicHearing.co

Share our show with a friend!