What Gives?

WGP took a big break in 2023 because of heavy, personal grief. So we're starting this season off getting personal about loss and life.

Approximately six million children in the U.S. will experience loss by the time they turn 18. But with the right support, grief can lead to resilience and connection. @experiencecamps sits down with us to teach us about how to talk about grief, support people grieving, how not to grief-shame, and the small things we can do for each other. Welcome back to WGP!

You can find the Experience Camps here:

https://experiencecamps.org/

IG: @experiencecamps

Twitter: @ExperienceCamps

TikTok: @experiencecamps

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/experiencecamps

Our last episode for the year is so fitting for looking forward to 2023 and beyond because this episode's guest is an organization that is actively imagining and fighting for new futures. A future where we are all safe and liberated.

The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL)is a space for Black organizations across the country to debate and discuss the current political conditions, develop shared assessments of what political interventions are necessary in order to achieve key policy, cultural and political wins, convene organizational leadership in order to debate and co-create a shared movement wide strategy.

To a new future.

You can find M4BL here:

https://m4bl.org/

IG: @mvmnt4blklives

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mvmt4bl

Twitter: @Mvmnt4BlkLives

14.8 million children and counting, StriveTogether is improving the education and economic mobility of communities throughout the country. This week, we're lucky enough to sit down with Parv Santhosh-Kumar, VP of Equitable Outcomes, to learn just how they do it.

This episode is jam-packed with lessons on equitable outcomes, systems change thinking, and holistic transformation of communities. Together, we can all help build a world where a child's potential isn't dictated by their race, ethnicity, zip code, or circumstance.

You can find StriveTogether here:

https://www.strivetogether.org/

IG: @strivetogether

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StriveTogether

Twitter: @StriveTogether

In this episode, we talk Queer API power! Bisma Farzansyed and Yuan Wang from Bay Area's Lavender Phoenix share with us the strength in community, the importance of uplifting our histories, and how to live with one foot in the future.

Lavender Phoenix builds transgender, non-binary, and queer API power. They empower and train grassroots leaders to build transformative, intersectional movements through leadership training, community safety training, healing work, movement building and more. And this week, we get a snippet of that wisdom. Tune in!

You can find LavNix here:

https://lavenderphoenix.org/

IG: @lavphoenix

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lavphoenix

Twitter: @lav_phoenix

Political literacy is essential to impact, equity, and justice. Ellisa Brown, founder of Civic Essentials, teaches us the basics of political literacy and how we can begin to make an actual difference in our local politics. We talk about how the government was designed, access to political knowledge, and why it's important now more than ever to build an informed citizenry to create impact for those that need it most.

You can find Civic Essentials here:

https://www.civicessentials.org/

IG: @civicessentials

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/civicessentials

Twitter: @CivicEssentials

As we begin to realize and acknowledge that racial inequity undergirds all issues in society today, I invited our friends at the the Foundation of Inter-Ethnic Restoration (FIER) to teach us about racial literacy. In this episode, Robbie Atkinson, founder, teaches us the four types of racism, defines for us what racial trauma and racial gaslighting is, gives us the building blocks of racial literacy and we share some stories about overcoming racial trauma together.

You can find FIER here:

https://fieratlanta.org/

IG: @fieratlanta

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fieratlanta/

Take action: https://linktr.ee/fieratlanta

In this episode, Jasmine Lopez, founder of The Firehouse Dream talks to us about dreaming of a better future for our communities. TFD, recipient of the Sony Create Action Grant Award, provides a safe space in Maywood, IL for young adults to discover and nurture their creativity - providing mentorship, studio space, supplies, programs, etc. We also talk about gentrification, the "brain drain" of neighborhoods, YA/BIPOC mental health, our own dreams and so much more. Tune in!

You can find the The Firehouse Dreams here:

https://www.thefirehousedream.org/

IG: @thefirehousedream

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefirehousedream

Take action: https://www.thefirehousedream.org/volunteer

Give: https://www.thefirehousedream.org/give

Pride started as a riot and the fight continues. We are celebrating Pride this month by welcoming Carey Candrian from the Lesbian Health Fund and the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association.

In this episode, we learn about groundbreaking research that is demystifying misconceptions and providing insights into the distinctive (often unmet) health and wellness needs of the LGBTQIA2+ community. It's a fight not only for the right to marry but for every individual to be able to live a full life of health, wellness, and true love - and LHF & GLMA are providing the research to get us there.

Welcome back to WGP & happy PRIDE!

You can find the Lesbian Health Fund here:

https://www.lesbianhealthfund.org/

IG: @lesbianhealthfund

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LHFResearch

Twitter: @LesbianHealthFd

Take action: https://www.lesbianhealthfund.org/take-action

Continuing our celebration of Asian voices, stories, and organizations for APAHM - we welcome John Xu of East Side Stories to the podcast!

In this episode, we share our upbringing in the Midwest, our personal experiences, and the importance of our stories as Asian Americans. It's time y'all hear our stories! Happy APAHM!

You can find East Side Stories here:

Website: https://www.eastsidestories.org/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EastSideStories

IG: @EastSideStoriesNYC

John's IG: @iamjohnxu

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EastSideStoriesNYC/

Email: [email protected]