The Idealist.org Podcasts

Latest Episodes:

Starting a New Service Corps: Scott Beale of Atlas Corps Feb 17, 2009

Show notes

Today's guest on The New Service podcast series is Scott Beale, Founder and Executive Director of Atlas Corps, a service and exchange corps for professionals in the NGO sector. Also known as a "two-way Peace Corps," Atlas Corps brings rising professionals from NGOs in the Global South to the United States to serve for a year; U.S. professionals find opportunities to serve at NGOs in Colombia, India, and soon, elsewhere. Atlas Corps has just launched recruitment for the 2009-10 fellowship year. Scott has worked for the U.S. State Department, Governor Tom Carper of Delaware, and as the Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House and Youth Venture (a sister organization of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public). Idealist's Amy Potthast talks with Scott about the need for professional global exchanges, starting up a new service corps, and his experiences that led to developing Atlas Corps.

Sure We Can Feb 02, 2009

Show notes

This episode was produced by our guest contributors, Michael Premo and Rachel Falcone. If you have a story, click here for more information on contributing it to the Idealist.org Podcast.In 1983 New York State implemented the Returnable Container Act requiring a 5 Cent deposit on carbonated beverages sold in glass, metal and plastic containers. Commonly known as a "Bottle Bill," the act is intended to reduce litter, ease the burden on solid waste facilities and encourage recycling activity. To date, 11 US states and at least 14 countries have enacted similar legislation.In addition to its intended environmental impact, the Bottle Bill has unwittingly created a necessary and important source of income for homeless and impoverished people. In New York City, people who collect and redeem containers for a living refer to their vocation as Canning. They can be seen around the city reclaiming bottles and cans from commercial and residential waste, contributing to the amount of recyclable materials diverted from the waste stream. They stack what they find in carts they call "wagons." A popular wagon is a grocery store shopping cart, known to canners as a "$60 wagon" because of the average value of the amount of containers it can hold. This is an audio portrait of a "canner" named Eugene "The King of Can's" Gadsden and the work that he and his friends and colleagues Ana Martinez De Luco and Drew Swope are doing to improve the conditions of their community.This audio portrait takes its name from the not-for-profit organization founded in 2007 by Eugene Gadsden and Ana Martinez De Luco. For more information or to contact Sure We Can, email Drew Swope at drew.swope (at) gmail.com.For more information about the producers and other stories, visit michaelpremo.com. Photography by Michael Premo

Peace Corps in China: Country Director Bonnie Thie Jan 16, 2009

Show notes

In this episode of the The New Service Podcast, Amy speaks with Bonnie Thie, the country director of Peace Corps's China program. Bonnie served in Peace Corps Afghanistan, where she served for three years in the 1970s. She served 18 years with the Environmental Protection Agency most recently as the director of policy, communications and resource management in the Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds in Washington, D.C. and in the EPA's Seattle Air Quality Office, working with states, tribes and Environment Canada to protect and improve air quality in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. After attending law school at the University of Oregon, she practiced law in Alaska, first in private practice and then as assistant attorney general for the state of Alaska, working on oil and gas leasing, as well as a range of municipal law and use issues. Her undergraduate degree is in history from the University of Washington, which is currently the #1 producer of Peace Corps volunteers in the nation.Idealist.org's Amy Potthast — who served in China as Peace Corps Volunteer in the late 1990s — talked with Bonnie about the impact of Peace Corps experience on its Volunteers, the role of a Country Director, and the inevitable cultural confusion that comes with crossing borders. Amy talked with Bonnie in mid-December. At the time, one of Peace Corps China's founders, Ms. Zhan Yimei, was battling lung cancer from a hospital room in Chengdu, Sichuan. Last week Ms. Zhan lost her battle. Bonnie and Amy talk about Zhan Yimei in the interview; you can read more on The New Service blog about Ms. Zhan's indelible contributions to Peace Corps China. Learn more about Peace Corps China by reading Returned Volunteer Peter Hessler's account of his years in the program, River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze.

City Year: An Interview with Col. Robert Gordon, III Dec 19, 2008

Show notes

Today we're launching a new podcast series as part of the Idealist.org podcasts. Called "The New Service" podcast, the show will highlight service corps programs, people, and career paths. It will be included along with the Idealist.org Careers Podcast feed. Today's guest on The New Service is Colonel Robert L. Gordon, III, Senior Vice President of Civic Leadership at City Year. City Year is a national service program that enables people aged 17-24 make a difference in the lives of children and their communities. Corps members serve in one of 19 cities within the United States and South Africa. City Year is a national partner of AmeriCorps. It also plays a leadership role in the Voices for National Service and Service Nation. Colonel Rob Gordon oversees programs that recruit and prepare new corps members, support corps alumni, and engage kids and teens in the work of City Year. He's a graduate of West Point, Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School, the National War College, and the Army Command and General Staff College. As a White House Fellow from 1992-93, Rob helped with the establishment of AmeriCorps. Idealist's Amy Potthast talks wit Rob about how City Year develops its corps members as leaders; how the program is unique among AmeriCorps programs; and about its long-standing partnership with The Timberland Company. They also talk about Rob's own career path, involving decades of service to his country.

Idealist.org's Career Author: Meg Busse Dec 05, 2008

Show notes

This Idealist.org Careers podcast features an interview with Meg Busse, co-author of the Idealist.org Guide to Nonprofit Careers. The Guide walks job seekers through all the steps of the nonprofit job search, from describing the nonprofit sector and self-assessment to developing a stellar resume and interview skills. The book is available in two versions — for the first-time job seeker, and for the sector-switcher— for free on our website. Meg Busse is the Coordinator of High School and College Career Transitions at Idealist.org. Along with creating resources, she works with career professionals and guidance counselors to connect students with careers in the nonprofit sector.Amy Potthast interviews Meg about Chapter Four of the career guide, "Networking." They discuss the value of building relationships to begin and sustain a nonprofit career through volunteering and through informational interviews.

Faith and Service, Pt. 2: AVODAH -- The Jewish Service Corps Nov 19, 2008

Show notes

Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps offers young people a chance to affect social change while deepening their commitment to Jewish life by serving for a year at anti-poverty organizations in Chicago, New Orleans, New York, and Washington, DC. As with other service corps, Avodah's corps members earn a basic stipend. They also live in community with other corps members, and work on group building, negotiation, and conflict resolution. In partnership with the American Jewish World Service, Avodah's alumni find networking, support and training.Herself an alumna of Avodah, Amy Ravis Furey serves as New York City Program Director for AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps. After earning her Masters in Social Work from Hunter College with a concentration in community organizing and group work, she served as an organizer for the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and as the Social Justice Coordinator at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Amy is the first Avodah alum to serve on staff as a program director at one of the AVODAH sites.Idealist's Amy Potthast speaks with Amy Ravis Furey about the influence of Avodah in her career path, and her mission of lifting up youth to change the world. They talk about the role of Jewish social justice teaching, the alumni nework, and the impact Avodah has had in the world and on its corps members. For more information, join Avodah staff on a conference call tonight (11/19) at 9 pm, or on December 2. The deadline to apply for the 2009-10 year is February 6th, 2009.

Real Food and the Fort Greene, Brooklyn CSA Nov 01, 2008

Show notes

In recent years, communities across the five boroughs have become more concerned with eating "locally" and developing a sustainable food system for all New York City residents. Community Supported Agriculture--the model of pairing groups of community residents with small local farms--continues to gain in popularity all over the city as an alternative to supermarket shopping. But how exactly does CSA work? What does membership in a CSA model mean for community residents?In the latest Idealist.org Community Podcast, guest contributor Cambra Moniz-Edwards follows Fort Greene CSA Coordinator Jen Datka as she explains the ins and outs of one of Brooklyn's newest CSAs. For more information on CSAs in the five boroughs, and on developing a sustainable agriculture system in New York City, visit JustFood.org. Click here for more information on Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE) and the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project (MARP).

Faith and Service, Pt. 1: The Catholic Network of Volunteer Service Oct 16, 2008

Show notes

In this episode Amy Potthast speaks with Nikki Roehling, Associate Director of the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service or CNVS.This week, the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service will gather its program directors in Portland, OR, for a multi-day conference and retreat. CNVS is a national membership association of 200 faith-based domestic and international volunteer programs, some of which are either AmeriCorps-funded, or which offer the Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to its members upon completion of service. It publishes a directory of its programs called The Response Directory in print, and as a searchable directory on its web site, www.cnvs.org. Nikki and Idealist's Amy Potthast talk about the range of CNVS volunteer and lay mission programs, the Response Directory, international volunteering, self-reflection, and the Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award that some of its volunteers are able to earn. Tune in again next month for the public service careers podcast Faith and Service Pt. 2: Avodah, the Jewish Service Corps.

The Poverty Initiative: Redefining Christian Charity Oct 01, 2008

Show notes

"The poor will always be among you" is a biblical quote often cited by Christian leaders as a reason to not focus on poverty work. Some Christians, however, believe the quote means the exact opposite and that although 1.4 billion people live on less than $1.25 a day, poverty can end. In this latest Community episode, our summer podcasting intern Alison Killeen explores the beliefs of the Poverty Initiative at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. She speaks with co-founder and coordinator Liz Theoharis, along with the formerly homeless scholar-in-residence Willie Baptist, about the work of their organization and the importance of teaching a new generation of Christian leaders to address poverty in a new light.

Green Building One Piece at a Time: The Rebuilding Center Sep 17, 2008

Show notes

This episode features Shane Endicott, Founder and C.E.O. of Our United Villages, the organization that runs Portland's environmentally sound The Rebuilding Center. The Rebuilding Center recycles used building and remodeling materials (everything from a door knob to the kitchen sink to church pews to siding) by re-selling them to builders for up to 90 percent less than market value. The show is guest-hosted by intern Alicia "Lish" Ng, who is leaving the Portland Idealist office for graduate school at the the London School of Oriental and African Studies. Lish and Shane talk about the value of having such a innovative resource in the community, his early years, what it means to be a community leader, and how The Rebuilding Center will benefit the community as greening becomes ever more mainstream. Lish, we thank you so much for your sound editing on this year's

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected