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Argentina: Un 'Teatro Ciego' que no te dejará indiferente Jun 30, 2011

Show notes

En una calle arbolada de Buenos Aires se encuentra un descolorido edificio con un extenso mural de graffiti sobre la figura del incomparable Carlos Gardel. En su interior, un teatro que siempre permanece a oscuras. Es el llamado ‘Teatro Ciego,’ el primer y único teatro donde ambos, artistas videntes e no videntes, actúan totalmente sin luz.

Nuestro último podcast nos trae a Ceci Gil Mariño y su experiencia con la representación de La Isla Desierta en completa oscuridad. Descubriremos por qué es rociada con pefume de jazmín, cómo es para los actores no tener que hacer uso de la expresión facial y cómo este teatro representa una apuesta innovadora al promover el empleo para personas con discapacidad visual.

Una gran idea que merece ser difundida. ¡Comprúebalo!

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Ceci Gil Mariño co-productora con Celeste Hamilton Dennis quieren agradecer a Martín Celis, Craig Dennis, Terry Dennis y Jason Kirtland por prestarnos sus voces. Janet Bollero, Rachel McRoberts, Deborah Brody, Emily Burnett y Lindsay Rihala por su impagable asistencia con la traducción. Pía Sicardi por la originalidad de su música. Julia Smith y Hannah Kane por el proceso de edición. Douglas Coulter por sus increíbles habilidades con la producción y lo más importante, agradecer al los componentes de Teatro Ciego, por permitirnos ‘encender’ una luz en su mundo de oscuridad.

Argentina's Blind Theatre Won't Leave You in the Dark Jun 29, 2011

Show notes

On a tree-lined street in Buenos Aires is a faded building with a large graffiti mural of tango great Carlos Gardel on its walls. Inside is a theatre that is always kept dark. This is Teatro Ciego, the world's first and only theatre where both blind and seeing artists perform exclusively without light.

Our latest podcast features Celeste Hamilton Dennis as she experiences the play La Isla Desierta in total darkness. We hear why she gets sprayed with jasmine perfume, what it's like for the actors to not use facial expressions - and how this theatre is innovative in providing employment for the disabled.

It's an idea worth spreading. Come hear for yourself.

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Celeste Hamilton Dennis and co-producer Ceci Gil Mariño would like to thank Martín Celis, Craig Dennis, Terry Dennis and Jason Kirtland for lending us their voices; Janet Bollero, Rachel McRoberts, Deborah Brody, Emily Burnett and Lindsay Rihala for their invaluable translation assistance; Pía Sicardi for her original music; Julia Smith and Hannah Kane for their editing prowess; Douglas Coulter for his mad production skills; and most importantly, the cast of Teatro Ciego for letting us shine a light on their world.

Work on Purpose: Lara Galinsky on Careers with Heart, Head, and Hustle Apr 23, 2011

Show notes

Lara Galinsky, Senior Vice President of Echoing Green is launching an inspiring career guide for social-impact work called Work on Purpose.

Each chapter of Work on Purpose asks key questions for career seekers; illustrates the impact of these questions in the lives of Echoing Green community members; and offers a place for notes at the end for you to jot reflections from your own life.

In this episode of the Idealist Careers Podcast, Idealist's Amy Potthast chats with Lara Galinsky about the central message of Work on Purpose: finding work that uses your "Heart + Head = Hustle."

Lara shares the stories of the five people who illustrate this message:

Cheryl Dorsey, President of Echoing Green, who graduated from medical school and Kennedy School of Government, and chose social-justice over medicine.
Mark Hannis, founder of the Genocide Intervention Network and the child of Holocaust survivors, who discovered as a college student that genocide still occurs, and that he could mobilize action to end it.
Mardie Oakes, founder of Hallmark Community Solutions, combined her background in architecture, community housing, and finance to develop housing for people with special needs.
Socheata Poeuv, creator of the film project Khmer Legacies, which documents interviews between Khmer Rouge survivors and their adult children.
Andrew Youn, Founder of the One Acre Fund, who started out in a corporate consulting job but later used his business skills to develop a market system for farmers in a region of Kenya to prevent annual famines.

Learn more about Work on Purpose.

The American Way to Change: An Interview with Shirley Sagawa Apr 15, 2011

Show notes

This podcast features a conversation with Shirley Sagawa author of The American Way to Change: How National Service and Volunteers and Transforming America and the “founding mother of the modern service movement.” During the first Clinton administration, Sagawa drafted the legislation that created AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National Service.Today, Shirley is a fellow at the Center for American Progress, and co-founder of the sagawa/jospin consulting firm which brings new resources and strategic thinking to solve problems affecting children, families, neighborhoods, and our nation.In his 1995 book, How a Bill Becomes a Law, Steve Waldman compared national service — full-time stipended volunteering like AmeriCorps and VISTA — to a Swiss Army Knife, “performing numerous useful functions in one affordable package,” including addressing social needs, bridging diversity, and building participants’ self-confidence.In today’s show, Shirley revisits the Swiss Army Knife analogy with some timely new insights that she also shares in her new book The American Way to Change. To find more good things to do, including 12,000+ volunteer opporunties, go to Idealist.org.This show was hosted and produced by Idealist's Amy Potthast with assistance from Tim Johnson, podcast intern.

Emerging Corps: Blue Engine's Nick Ehrmann Mar 04, 2010

Show notes

In 2010, a new national service corps is getting off the ground. Blue Engine, based in New York City, aims to recruit a corps of about a dozen fellows for the 2010-2011 school year to facilitate daily, differentiated, small-group instruction for high school freshmen.

Our guest is Nick Ehrmann—Blue Engine's engine and a Teach For America alum— who says that we know how to get high-needs kids into college, or getting them "college eligible" — nonprofits and schools have been targeting and tackling hurdles like high school completion, college admissions, and financial assistance.

But, while the high school drop-out problem is far from solved, groups are paying far less attention to college completion rates for high-needs kids, or "college readiness."

Blue Engine aims to close the gap between college eligibility and college readiness.

After graduating from Northwestern University in 2000, Ehrmann began his career in education as a Teach for America corps member in Washington D.C. In 2002, he joined forces with local philanthropists to launch the nonprofit “I Have a Dream” Project 312, a youth development program for Nick’s fourth-grade students. In the fall of 2003, he began doctoral work in sociology at Princeton University as a William G. Bowen fellow.

Over the past three years, Nick spent months shadowing his former students in high school classrooms, living with their families, and conducting extensive interviews in the local community, where he has witnessed firsthand the negative effects of academic underperformance on the transition from high school to college. His dissertation—Yellow Brick Road—is scheduled for defense in the spring of 2010. Ehrmann currently lives in New York City.

Idealist’s Amy Potthast talks with Nick about the Blue Engine fellowship, its application deadlines (March 10 and April 28, 2010); the gap between college eligibility and true college readiness; and why it’s crucial to expect more out of high schoolers in order to prepare them for high school and college success, and beyond.

Connie Siskowski's Encore Career: Supporting Young Caregivers Nov 30, 2009

Show notes

In this episode we feature one of the winners of the 2009 Purpose Prize. The Purpose Prize awards up to $100,000 to social innovators in their encore careers who are creating new ways to solve tough social problems. The Prize is an initiative of Civic Ventures' Encore Careers campaign which aims to engage millions of experienced adults in work that makes a difference in their communities and the world. In this interview we hear from Connie Siskowski who started The Caregiving Youth Project, which provides support groups, classes and resources for youth who are the primary caregivers for ill or disabled family members. If you'd like more information on encore careers or mid-career transitions, go to idealist.org/midcareer

Judith Broder's Encore Career: Psychological Support for Returning Soldiers Nov 13, 2009

Show notes

In this episode we feature one of the winners of the 2009 Purpose Prize. The Purpose Prize awards up to $100,000 to social innovators in their encore careers who are creating new ways to solve tough social problems. The Prize is an initiative of Civic Ventures' Encore Careers campaign which aims to engage millions of experienced adults in work that makes a difference in their communities and the world. In this interview we hear from Judith Broder who, in her late 60's, created The Soliders Project which provides free psychological support to returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan. If you'd like more information on encore careers or mid-career transitions, go to idealist.org/midcareer

Questions with Rafa Cancel of La Asociación Nacional de Derecho Ambiental (ANDA) Nov 09, 2009

Show notes

In this Questions With episode, we hear from Rafa Cancel of the organization La Asociación Nacional de Derecho Ambiental (ANDA). After witnessing the activism against the US Navy's use of the island of Vieques as bomb training site, Rafa was inspired to provide the people of Puerto Rico with the legal tools to protect their environment. His organization is the first environmental law center in Puerto Rico, connecting residents with the resources and people to legally engage businesses and government.Rafa is also a 2008 Echoing Green fellow. Echoing Green "invests in and supports outstanding emerging social entrepreneurs to launch new organizations that deliver bold, high-impact solutions."

New Jersey Nonprofit Leader: Heather Calverase, Teach For America Oct 30, 2009

Show notes

Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit sector. Listen to more shows in this series. Today's guest is Heather Calverase, Executive Director of Teach For America's Newark, New Jersey region where she is responsible for growing sustainable base of financial, community, and district awareness and support including cultivating and stewarding donations, building strong ties with local school districts, and recruiting corps members. Prior to her position with Teach For America, Heather worked in the business sector, including nearly a decade with Kaplan, best known for its test preparation books and classes. Amy Potthast chats with Heather about what is appealing about what Heather brings to the nonprofit sector from her business sector experience, as well as her background on educational issues.

South Carolina Nonprofit Leader: Debbie Bower, Senior Resources Oct 27, 2009

Show notes

Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit sector. Listen to more shows in this series. Today's Nonprofit Career Month podcast guest is Debbie Bower, Executive Director of Senior Resources Inc., a South Carolina nonprofit that provides seniors services, resources, transportation help, and Meals on Wheels so that they can live healthy and independent lives. Debbie started her career with a Bachelor's degree in recreational therapy and soon found herself working as an activity director at for-profit and nonprofit assisted living facilities throughout the Midwest. When she relocated to South Carolina, she was drawn to the mission and programs of Senior Resources because the organization allowed her to continue to working with seniors, on issues that matter to their lives. She started there as a volunteer administrator and program director and over the course of many years has worked her way up to the Executive Director position. Amy Potthast and Debbie talk about the skill sets required to lead an organization; the inspiring nature of nonprofit work and the passion it takes to sustain a career in the sector; what it means to make a difference in the lives of other people through your daily work; and Amy's grandfather who contributes his own poems to other seniors through Senior Resources programs.

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