Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation

During this fourth episode of Why Change? you will meet one of our co-hosts, Madeleine McGirk. Madeleine is an actor and teaching artist and leads a global network supporting participatory artists. She has an interest in politics, social change through the arts, and inspiring, powerful women leaders.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Please download the episode transcript here.

Check out some of the things mentioned during this podcast, including:

ABOUT Madeleine McGirk-  Madeleine McGirk is the Managing Director of the International Teaching Artists Collaborative (ITAC), which works to connect and promote teaching artists and their practice around the world. Madeleine is based in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she supports all of the Collaborative's activities. Her role includes overseeing monthly Think Tanks, network and Hub development, project management and the ground-breaking ITAC conferences held biennially (hosted most recently in 2020 by Korean Arts and Culture Education Service, and in 2018 by Carnegie Hall & Lincoln Center NYC ). She coordinates international partnership projects, speaks at global arts education conferences and organizes regular development opportunities for the network.

Madeleine is a trained actor, and has worked as a freelance teaching artist for some of Scotland's leading youth theatres. She is the former Executive Director of the Scottish European Educational Trust (SEET), a national educational organisation which works to encourage international understanding and language learning through innovative practices. During her time at SEET, Madeleine was invited to speak as part of an education delegation at the European Commission, European Parliament Information Office and Scottish Parliament. Madeleine is passionate about her work in the arts and education sector, and is committed to furthering international connectivity in our field and beyond.

You can find Madeleine on IG, Facebook, and Twitter @ITACCOLLAB and at www.itac-collaborative.com.

This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the webpage and follow us on IG @Campaign4GenC

During this third episode of Why Change? you will meet one of our co-hosts, Ashraf Hasham. Ashraf is from Seattle and brings a youth-focused and creative viewpoint to the conversation. He discusses the connections between his family coming from Pakistan to the United States, leadership coming from his artistic skills, and and landing jobs with youth-led organizations and the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.

In this episode you’ll learn:

1) Why the youth voice is needed in arts organizations and city agencies,

2) How Ashraf continues to keep his creativity present day to day, and

3) What is radical inclusivity?

Check out some of the things mentioned during this podcast, including:

Teen Tix: http://www.teentix.org

The Vera Project

Seattle’s Office of Arts and Culture: https://www.seattle.gov/arts

ABOUT Ashraf Hasham:

Ashraf Hasham is the Youth Arts Manager for the City of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture, overseeing the City’s youth investments in arts education, creative youth development, and career-connected learning. He comes to this role from The Vera Project, a homegrown, nationally-renowned, all-ages music venue & DIY arts space, where he served as Executive Director. Prior to that, he spent a short time with Chicago’s Urban Gateways, building capacity for their youth engagement & advocacy programs w/ Street-Level Youth Media. Before that, he got to work with an organization that changed his life as a young person in Seattle: TeenTix, a revolutionary arts access & youth empowerment organization, where he held multiple roles over the years, most recently Director of Programs & Partnerships. An unapologetic optimist, Ashraf is a proud millennial-of-color and South Asian immigrant. He believes in radical inclusivity and anti-racist, strengths-based, community-led solutions that center the most impacted. He leads with empathy and positivity, collaboratively and transparently, centering love and joy. Recognizing things change fast and often, Ashraf strives to remain nimble and humble, always growing and adapting to meet the moment.

You can find Ashraf on Instagram @ashrafhasham and on Linkedin.

This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and Edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the website and follow us on IG @Campaign4GenC

During this second episode of Why Change?, you’ll meet one of our co-hosts, Rachael Jacobs. Rachael is a university lecturer, dancer, aerialist, and political and social activist whose work is grounded in creativity and cultural consciousness.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Check out some of the things mentioned during this podcast, including:

ABOUT RACHEL JACOBS

Rachael Jacobs is a lecturer in Creative Arts Education at Western Sydney University, a community artist, writer and activist. She is a former secondary teacher (Dance, Drama and Music) and primary Arts specialist. Rachael has facilitated arts projects in community settings all over Australia, mostly in refugee communities, in prisons and in women’s refuges. In 2016 contributed to the arts education component of the OECD report on the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 and she is currently assisting in the analysis for UNESCO’s International Commission on Futures of Learning. As a community activist she uses the arts to make statements about public education, climate justice and building anti-racist futures. She is a freelance writer, aerial artist, South Asian dancer and choreographer. She was a founding member of the community activism group, Teachers for Refugees and runs her own intercultural dance company.

You can find Rachael online through her website and on Facebook.

This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the website and follow us on social media @Campaign4GenC

During this first episode of Why Change?, you’ll meet one of our co-hosts, Karla Estela Rivera. Karla is a writer, performer, activist, and arts advocate who uses storytelling to uplift folks in underserved communities in Chicago.

In this episode, you will learn:

Check out some of the things mentioned during this podcast, including:

ABOUT KARLA ESTELA RIVERA

Karla Estela Rivera is a writer, performer, activist, and arts advocate that has leveraged her gift of storytelling to uplift and create opportunities for, with, and in underserved communities. She is the Executive Director of the historic Free Street Theater and a company member of 2nd Story in Chicago. In addition to her artistic work, Karla has served in non-profit organizations for over a decade, beginning as a teaching artist and youth worker, to systems-level leadership in public affairs. Most recently she served as the co-chair of the Illinois Fine Arts Indicator work group which developed the nation’s first weighted accountability measure for the arts as part of the Illinois Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan. Karla continues to perform in venues and zoom rooms across the country, and actively teaches storytelling and consults on advocacy initiatives. She is a native of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and holds a BA from Columbia College Chicago’s Department of Film & Video, with graduate studies at New York University.

You can find Karla Rivera on Instagram and Twitter @kestelarivera and on Linkedin @karlaerivera.

This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit its webpage and follow us on social media at @Campaign4GenC.

Welcome to Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation! We bring listeners around the globe to learn how arts, culture, and creativity — especially as applied by young people — can change the world, one community at a time. This podcast shares timely news and dives deep into the work of young creatives who catalyze social change and those who are committed to cultivating their creativity. Listeners are invited to join hosts Jeff M. Poulin, Karla Estela Rivera, Ashraf Hasham, Rachael Jacobs, and Madeleine McGirk each week to learn and laugh while envisioning new futures through the question, “why change?”

You can find a new episode of Why Change? every Wednesday at 7am EST.

This trailer of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the episode’s webpage and follow us on social media at @Campaign4GenC.