September and the first days of school are just around the corner. But there is still nearly a month of summer left for families with kids to pack in the warm weather activities. 

So, today we’re turning the show over to the parents of WBUR to tell us how their kids have been making the most of summer vacation while it lasts. Also, they share how they are balancing all that fun in the sun with the practical and emotional complexities of parenting.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

In January, Massachusetts launched the Behavioral Health Help Line. It's a key part of the state’s Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform project, and aims to provide a so-called “front door” to mental health care, connecting callers with both crisis and longer term resources.

Boston Globe Reporter Felice Freyer joins The Common to discuss the first six months of the system's rollout, its successes and where improvements are still needed.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Last week, the U.S. Education Department launched a civil rights investigation into Harvard University’s legacy and donor admissions policies, which give preferential treatment to certain students who come from families of alumni or who donate to the school.

Researchers from Harvard and Brown also released a study, which finds that that students from the highest income 0.1% of American households are more than twice as likely to gain admission to highly selective or elite colleges and universities compared to children from lower-income households with similar test scores. The study also finds that legacy preferences play an important role in that disparity.

WBUR Education Reporter Max Larkin joins The Common with more on the growing conversation around legacy admission policies.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Some say the idea of a universal "song of the summer" is a thing of the past, but how about an entire mixtape? Six Boston area DJs and 17 local artists have joined forces with the City of Boston to create "Dear Summer Vol. 1" — the city's first-ever mixtape, and they want it to be your soundtrack to the summer.

DJ Chimel "ReaL P" Idiokitas is the executive producer and curator of "Dear Summer Vol. 1." He joins The Common to walk us through the mixtape and tells us what it takes to put together a project that represents the breadth of talent that makes Boston's music scene unique.

You can find out more about the mixtape here: https://www.boston.gov/arts-and-culture/dear-summer-mixtape-vol1#listen

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

We're back with another feature from one of our friends in the WBUR newsroom as Team Common works on some longer term projects.

Massachusetts had its first big heatwave of the year last week, and it likely won’t be the last. As extreme temperatures become more common, knowing how to navigate the heat's effects is important. Especially for certain groups, such as the elderly or people who work outdoors.

WBUR reporter Martha Bebinger brings us this report about a new pilot program that is testing heat health alerts in the region.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

August marks 50 years of hip-hop. It’s one of the most influential cultural movements of the last century, and one that far transcends music. It’s art, it’s fashion, it’s language, it’s community and… it's film.

The Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline is celebrating the culture with a month-long film series called “Been Here For Years: Hip Hop at 50.” It starts August 1 and runs through the month.

Billy Thegenus, programming and outreach coordinator for the Coolidge Corner Theatre joins The Common with his can't-miss picks for this upcoming series.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

When you pay your monthly utility bills, you pay for a lot more than just the energy you use. You pay to build and maintain the infrastructure that gets the energy to your house. You pay for operating expenses, like employee salaries. You pay for the state's energy efficiency program.

And, you might also be helping fund your utility’s attempts to influence climate policy.

WBUR Senior Climate and Environmental Reporter Miriam Wasser joins The Common to talk about the various loopholes that enable this reality, and what advocates are trying to do about it.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Hollywood is on strike. The writers are on strike, the actors are on strike and it’s the first time in 60 years both groups are doing so simultaneously. They want better pay, regulations on the use of AI in TV and film and a variety of other ticket items. In the meantime, many productions have come to a halt, including here in Massachusetts — where more than 30 major productions were filmed just last year.

Nerissa Williams Scott is a faculty member at Emerson College and CEO and lead creative producer at the production company That Child Got Talent Entertainment. She joins The Common to discuss the impacts of the Hollywood strikes on our local film industry.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

This week, people from all over the country are coming to Boston to participate in the 114th NAACP National Convention. The convention runs from July 26 through 31 and includes speakers such as Vice President Kamala Harris, rapper Meek Mill and Boston’s own Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Space, Mariama White-Hammond.

There will also be workshops and social events, all aimed at fostering community and advocacy in Boston and across the country. Today, NAACP Boston Branch President Tanisha Sullivan joins The Common with more on the event, and the significance it holds for Boston.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

We're back with a feature from one of our friends in the WBUR newsroom as Team Common works on some longer term projects.

In May, a new park opened in Mattapan, and, get this… it’s edible. The Edgewater Food Forest is a quarter-acre park in Mattapan full of fruit trees, berry bushes and other edible plants. Anyone in the community can harvest food there, for free.

The park is a collaborative effort between neighborhood groups, the city, and the nonprofit “Boston Food Forest Coalition.” They’ve helped build 10 of these sites so far.

WBUR Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran brings us this audio postcard from the opening celebration of the Edgewater Food Forest.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.