Have you ever had an interest in leading and building a community? Whether it's working locally as a student activist, or internationally advocating for a diaspora, these are the aspects we’ll be exploring in season 2 of the Teens Talk podcast. In this episode, host Lameese Makkawi is joined by Zaira Rodriguez, a student at the Washington University in St. Louis, where they will discuss what community actually is and looks like. They share stories to recognize the struggles and benefits of having community and why it’s important to continue to build community. You will learn that the community doesn’t always look like what you think it does.

In this episode of the podcast Teens Talk, Board member Rhea talks with her classmate and activist Mariangela Acosta about her experience as a Deaf student in the education system, and how we can all do better to be inclusive of Deaf and disabled students.

The Teens Talk Podcast is a project from the Student Virtual Board of Youth Celebrate Diversity, elevating youth voice on the critical issues facing youth today. To learn more, donate, or to get involved, visit https://ycdiversity.org.

In this third episode of the podcast Teens Talk, the conversation continues between Board members Rediet and Etsub on the Black Lives Matter movement and how it affects teens today. The conversation is split between two episodes; this is part two of their conversation.

Nikki Archuleta (she/her) is an activist, humanitarian, educator scholar, poet, podcaster, community organizer and revolutionary! She is a firm believer in fighting to obliterate oppression across the board and fighting for the equality and equity of the historically disenfranchised. As a woman of African, Mexican, and Indigenous decent she has fallen in love with her people and though their stories are the most tragic it’s the beauty and resilience of those who came before her that have guided her footsteps towards liberation. She has worked with countless organizations such as Black Lives Matter, the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP), The Red Nation, Power through Peace as well as creating The Albuquerque Arts Collective to create a platform for local artists to share their craft all while raising money for important causes.

Dr. Apryl Alexander (she/her) is an Associate Professor at the University of Denver. She primarily teaches in the Master's of Forensic Psychology program in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology and supervises students at the Denver Forensic Institute for Research, Service and Training (Denver FIRST). She serves as Director of Denver FIRST's Outpatient Competency Restoration Program (OCRP), which provides outpatient competency education and restoration for low-risk, court-ordered adult defendants and juveniles. In 2020, she was awarded a 3-year grant from the DOJ’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to develop a gender-sensitive, culturally competent, and evidence-based trauma treatment program for juvenile justice-involved girls (the Denver FIRST Juvenile Justice Project) in the Denver metro area. Dr. Alexander serves on the board of the Colorado Juvenile Defender Center (CJDC) and the Colorado Criminal Defense Institute (CCDI). In 2020, Dr. Alexander was unanimously appointed to the Denver Citizen Oversight Board (COB) by the Denver City Council.

The Teens Talk Podcast is a project from the Student Virtual Board of Youth Celebrate Diversity, elevating youth voice on the critical issues facing youth today. To learn more, donate, or to get involved, visit https://ycdiversity.org.

In this second episode of the podcast Teens Talk, Board members Rediet and Etsub interview two leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement, one in Denver and the other in Albuquerque, about their work for racial justice. The conversation is split between two episodes; this is part one of their conversation.

Nikki Archuleta (she/her) is an activist, humanitarian, educator scholar, poet, podcaster, community organizer and revolutionary! She is a firm believer in fighting to obliterate oppression across the board and fighting for the equality and equity of the historically disenfranchised. As a woman of African, Mexican, and Indigenous decent she has fallen in love with her people and though their stories are the most tragic it’s the beauty and resilience of those who came before her that have guided her footsteps towards liberation. She has worked with countless organizations such as Black Lives Matter, the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP), The Red Nation, Power through Peace as well as creating The Albuquerque Arts Collective to create a platform for local artists to share their craft all while raising money for important causes.

Dr. Apryl Alexander (she/her) is an Associate Professor at the University of Denver. She primarily teaches in the Master's of Forensic Psychology program in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology and supervises students at the Denver Forensic Institute for Research, Service and Training (Denver FIRST). She serves as Director of Denver FIRST's Outpatient Competency Restoration Program (OCRP), which provides outpatient competency education and restoration for low-risk, court-ordered adult defendants and juveniles. In 2020, she was awarded a 3-year grant from the DOJ’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to develop a gender-sensitive, culturally competent, and evidence-based trauma treatment program for juvenile justice-involved girls (the Denver FIRST Juvenile Justice Project) in the Denver metro area. Dr. Alexander serves on the board of the Colorado Juvenile Defender Center (CJDC) and the Colorado Criminal Defense Institute (CCDI). In 2020, Dr. Alexander was unanimously appointed to the Denver Citizen Oversight Board (COB) by the Denver City Council.

The Teens Talk Podcast is a project from the Student Virtual Board of Youth Celebrate Diversity, elevating youth voice on the critical issues facing youth today. To learn more, donate, or to get involved, visit https://ycdiversity.org.

In this first episode of the new podcast Teens Talk, Board member Elizabeth M. interviews activist Marissa Molina about immigration reform and DACA.

A native of Mexico, Marissa grew up in the Western Slope of Colorado in Glenwood Springs. She attended Fort Lewis College, where she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Political Science and Economics. As a 2014 Teach for America Corps Member, Marissa taught Spanish for Native Speakers at DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School. In July 2015, Marissa was one of nine educators with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status to be honored by the White House as a Champion of Change. She now works as the Colorado State Director for FWD.us on immigration reform.

The Teens Talk Podcast is a project from the Student Virtual Board of Youth Celebrate Diversity, elevating youth voice on the critical issues facing youth today. To learn more, donate, or to get involved, visit https://ycdiversity.org.