Power of Good

Like all cities, Boston is a composite of many cities, many histories, and many realities that play out across neighborhood, race, ethnicity, and class. Yet Boston stands out in its extremes. While Boston thrives, its innovation and tech economies sore, housing development booms, there is perhaps no other US city with as stark a difference between those thriving and those surviving. Boston’s wealth gap between white residents and residents of color is one of the largest in the country. In this episode of Power of Good, I interview those who are telling this story of a divided Boston – Boston residents, Kafi Dixon and Carl Chandler, and Tim McCarthy, a Harvard Lecturer. The three of them met in The Clemente Course (www.clementecourse.org), a rigorous community-based humanities class taught in 34 sites across the U.S. The Clemente mission is to foster critical thinking through deep engagement with history, literature, philosophy and art history. Kafi and Carl were students in the Clemente course, Tim was one of the course professors, as he has been for over 20 years. While in the course, they also met James Rutenbeck, a documentary filmmaker, with plans to capture and share the transformative learning of the Clemente class experience. James quickly gravitated towards Kafi and Carl – and as the film project progressed, it changed direction. Dramatically. It became not only about the course - but also about the lives of Kafi and Carl and their experiences in a racially and economically divided Boston. Kafi, Carl, and Tim joined me to share their perspective on the transformative nature of the Clemente Course, their experience making the film, and their guarded hopes for what Boston might become in the future.

According to research by the Making Caring Common Project at Harvard School of Education, 96 percent of parents feel that developing moral character in their kids is more important than personal achievement. In this episode we sat down with psychologist and lecturer Rick Weissbourd, faculty director of the project, to discover how his team is taking this research to help parents raise kids who care about others while also contributing to the common good.

Historically, a clubhouse is a place for kids to come together to escape from the outside world and the same holds true for the Clubhouse Network in Roxbury. This dynamic space is where teens of Boston are able to gather and hone in on their passions. In this episode we speak with Program Manager Kahmal London on the importance of pursuing your passion while also developing creative and communication skills.

Kids involved in sports develop skills in teamwork, collaboration, leadership and confidence. That’s why it’s important for all kids to have the opportunity to participate - especially girls - whose visibility and representation on sport teams trails boys. We speak with Bekah Salwasser, executive director of the Red Sox Foundation, who she understands the importance of attracting and supporting girls and women in sports.

For this episode, we had the opportunity to participate in the HubWeek, Boston’s annual ideas festival for art, science, and technology. In front of a live audience, we interviewed Don Lane, chief marketing officer of Saucony Don Lane, “Sober Curious” author and consultant Ruby Warrington, and Erin Baumgarten, founder and CEO of Family Dinner, about their unique approaches to social innovation.

In this land of plenty, it’s hard to believe that we still struggle with hunger. We spoke with Sasha Purpura, executive director of Food for Free, Sarah MacDonald of Life Science Cares and JoHanna Jobin of Biogen to learn what happens when seemingly separate community pillars team up to combat hunger.

Not enough kids are comfortable with writing, and WriteBoston is doing something about it. We speak with Sarah Poulter, co-director of WriteBoston, which coaches educators to help students improve their writing, not just for writing papers in school, but for writing cover letters, emails, articles and more in their future careers, too.

Childhood obesity won’t be solved with diets. At least, that’s the perspective of Karen Voci, president of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation. Instead, she points to lifestyle changes - community gardens, mobile markets full of fresh fruits and vegetables, nutritional education, healthier options in the school cafeteria and simply learning to cook - as the keys to unlocking a healthier, happier population.

Interview with Jonathan Gay, Executive Director, and Dana Harris, Program Manager, of Playworks New England. Founded in 1996, Playworks helps schools and districts re-imagine recess and school-wide culture to promote social-emotional learning, safety, fun, and full inclusion. Today Playworks partners with 250 schools in New England, and 3,000 schools around the country. Playworks begins with the premise that play is essential to human development, and that Kids who play are resilient, empathetic, and active. They learn to make friends, solve problems, and become more self-confident. To promote positive play, Playwork onsite coaches organize activities, teach social-emotional skills, and encourage broad participation before, during, and after school. Playworks also builds the skills of school staff through on-site consulting and modeling, as well as through onsite and online professional development. A randomized study completed by Stanford University and Mathematica Policy Research found that, compared to students at similar schools, Playworks students were more physically active and teachers reported that students had greater feelings of school safety and less bullying behavior. In this interview, Jonathan and Dana discuss the need for schools to prioritize play and recess, how play and social-emotional learning translates into school and life success, and what working at Playworks has meant to them both personally.

Interview with Yanel de Angel, architect at Perkins+Will, and founder of ResilientSEE. Formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, ResilientSEE-PR is an “alliance committed to designing and rebuilding a resilient, sustainable Puerto Rico.” Specifically, ResilientSEE: • Organizes and facilitates design and strategic planning sessions for communities of different scales, bringing together local and global design professionals, policymakers, funders, and experts in climate change. • Supports pilot programs to protect Puerto Rico from future extreme weather events. This work includes not only a focus on Environmental Resilience (balancing natural systems and manmade environments), but also Social Resilience (population health, environmental justice, and social equity), and Economic Resilience (business continuity and economic stability) In this interview, Yanel shares her personal commitment to her native land, the recovery challenges facing Puerto Rico, and the importance of a participatory, capacity building process.

Interview with Kathleen Tullie, Executive Director of Build Our Kids’ Success, an initiative of Reebok known as “BOKS.” Founded in 2009, BOKS seeks to reverse a growing physical inactivity epidemic in the United States and globally. Specifically, BOKS supports families, schools, and communities to improve children’s mental and physical heath through movement and play. BOKS offers partner schools and organizations a free, non-competitive, play-based curriculum that both promotes physical activity and provides children and families with healthy nutrition knowledge and practices. Currently, over 4,100 schools are enrolled in BOKS globally. An evaluation of BOKS completed by the Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital found that students participating in the program: improved their B.M.I.; were less likely to qualify as obese; and were more likely to report stronger social connections to their friends and school, greater happiness, and satisfaction with life. In this interview, Kathleen describes the scope of the physical inactivity problem, the ways BOKS, Reebok and their partners are addressing this problem, and other key strategies needed to raise awareness and prompt action.

Interview with Jodi Rosenbaum, Chief Executive Officer, and Damiyah (prefer no last name) alumni of More Than Words. Founded in 2004, More Than Words is a nonprofit social enterprise bookstore that employs young adults, ages 16-24, who are in the foster care system, court-involved, homeless, or out of school. From real work experience and a progression through job roles and responsibilities, More Than Words provides young adults with high expectations and a culture of support, empowering them to address personal barriers to success, develop concrete education and career pathways, and become contributing members of society who, “live, love and own their futures.” This year, More Than Words will employ and support 400 young adults. Of these, two-thirds are or have been involved with the Department of Children and Families; 40% with the court system; and over 20% experience homelessness. In this interview Jodi and Damiyah discuss the More Than Words model, the profile and experience of young adults in the program, and the challenges all young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds face today.

Interview with Ann Walsh, Co- Founder and Chief of Family Engagement at 1647. Launched in 2014, 1647 prepares educators to engage families in equal partnerships that are essential to student success. The 1647 team provides professional development and ongoing coaching to pre-service and in-service school leaders and teachers in a wide range of family engagement practices. Educators work on everything from re-imagining family engagement as an academic strategy, communication best practices, to relationship-building through home visits. To date, 1647 has worked with over 25 schools and nearly 500 educators in districts including Salem, Lawrence, Boston, Milton, Somerville, and Cambridge. Ann shares common challenges to school-family engagement, what family engagement can and should look like, and 1647’s approach to fostering strong, connected school communities.

Interview with Melissa MacDonnell, Founder and President of the Liberty Mutual Foundation. Launched in 2003, the Foundation supports communities where Liberty Mutual employees live and work, through grant-making, advocacy, and employee volunteerism and service. In terms of grant-making, the Foundation has three priority areas: Security for men, women and children experiencing homelessness; Accessibility for individuals of all abilities; and Educational opportunities for children and youth living in poverty. Over the past 15 years, the Foundation has awarded over $194 million, including direct grants to over 1,200 nonprofits and thousands of additional health and human service organizations through the company’s employee matching grants program. Melissa discusses the Foundation’s origins, its multi-faceted response to the growing problem of youth homelessness, and the Liberty Mutual company’s overall commitment to its host communities and to improving the lives of vulnerable populations.

Interview with Cynthia Dantas, Executive Director, and Eliza Kenney, Program Coordinator, of Sibling Connections. Founded in 2005, Sibling Connections seeks to promote “enduring family relationships and community connections for sisters and brothers separated by the foster care system in Massachusetts.” Program services for siblings include: Camp To Belong, a week-long summer camp; Sibling Sundays, a series of year round, monthly one-day reunions; and Weekend Retreats. With the steady rise in the number of children in foster care in Massachusetts over the past six years and limited foster care placements, significant numbers of siblings in care are separated. Research suggests that maintaining these connections is key to promoting positive outlooks and reducing conflict among siblings. In this interview, Cynthia and Eliza discuss the benefits of reuniting siblings, the need for more foster care options, the Sibling Connections model, and goals for program expansion.

Interview with Omo Moses, Founder of MathTalk, and Johari Moses, Omo’s six year-old son. Founded in 2012, MathTalk seeks to promote adult-child interactions to support early math and language development in children, ages 2 to 8. Through public art installations and mobile, geolocation technology, MathTalk will encourage and deepen math-based adult-child interactions in natural environments and during every day experiences. For example, a parent and child might explore shapes and patterns at the playground or bus stop, or while riding the subway train. All interactions and activities will be designed to be playful and developmentally appropriate. Research suggests that these types of interactions can help close the gap in cognitive development and achievement between children from economically disadvantaged and affluent communities. Omo and Johari discuss how the idea of MathTalk emerged, what role math has played in their own lives, why math is important for others, and the plans and hopes for MathTalk in the future.

Interview with Gregg Croteau, Chief Executive Officer, and Keena Phal, Street Worker, of UTEC. Founded in 1999, UTEC helps formerly incarcerated and gang involved young adults (ages 17-25) from the communities of Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill overcome past challenges and pursue education and career opportunities. Through UTEC’s social enterprises — Mattress Recycling, Woodworking, and Food Services — these young adults gain the work and life skills critical for long-tern success. And UTEC’s recently launched 2Gen program provides licensed early childcare to children of participants. The long-term recidivism rate of UTEC’s young adults averages less than 15%, compared with a statewide average of more than 50%. And about 80% of UTEC participants are still employed two years after leaving the program. In this interview, Gregg and Keena discuss UTEC’s unique full service model, the power and importance of their relationships with the young adults they serve, how they measure success, and what keeps them motivated and committed to UTEC and its mission over time.

Interview with Tony Benoit, President of the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (also referred to as BFIT or “B-Fit”). Located in Boston, BFIT is an affordable 2-year, career-focused college serving over 500, highly diverse students from the Greater Boston region. Through personalized support, hands-on learning, and industry-informed curricula, BFIT prepares graduates for jobs in technology, engineering, health, electrical work, construction management, robotics & automation, and automotive service. Over 90% of BFIT graduates go directly on to high-demand careers or advanced higher education. President Benoit shares BFIT’s unique, expansive mission to prepare students, not only for job success, but also for ongoing learning opportunities, problem-solving, and citizenship. Further, he outlines BFIT’s comprehensive approach to student success, and how the institution is well positioned to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in the emerging technology and machine-based economy.

Interview with Will Austin, founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Boston Schools Fund (BSF). Launched in 2015, the BSF seeks to increase the number of quality classrooms available to Boston families by investing and providing technical assistance to promote the growth of high-performing, high demand traditional public, charter public, and private schools in the city. To date, BSF supports 24 schools in this effort. The BSF also runs Boston Schools Finder, the only citywide online school directory, with the goal of providing equal access to information and data to all families – including low income and non-English language speaking households. Mr. Austin discuss how the BSF selects and supports high performing schools, the process for developing the online school directory, and the unique challenges of advancing education reform in Boston.

Interview with Maria Mossaides, Child Advocate for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In this role, Maria ensures Massachusetts state agencies provide children under state care with quality services and that children receiving these services are protected from harm. Her office collects and analyzes data and makes policy and practice recommendations to legislators, agency leaders and staff to improve service quality. Her office also hears and seeks to address concerns about children receiving state services, and acts as a resource for families who are receiving, or are eligible to receive, these services. Maria discusses the scope of her role, how growing up in the Bronx, New York shaped her personal and professional life, the toll of the opioid epidemic on Massachusetts’ state agencies, and the need for improved quality assurance systems and prevention services.

Interview with Mark Culliton, CEO and Michelle Caldeira Senior Vice President of College Bound Dorchester, and the founders of Boston Uncornered, an initiative that pays formerly gang involved youth to complete high school equivalency programs and pursue college degrees. Boston Uncornered is based on a theory of change that paying former gang members up $32,000 per years for an education stipend and other support services minimizes their criminal and violent activity. In this way, the initiative is highly cost-effective as compared to the estimated $100,000 per year the Commonwealth might otherwise pay for incarceration, courtroom time, probation, and on other subsidies. Boston Uncornered’s theory of change also views formerly gang involved youth as “un tapped talent” – youth with intelligence and charisma that have the potential to become positive role models within their communities. By earning a degree and showing their neighborhood peers that there is another, better way to earn an honest living, these youth can become core influencers who encourage others to leave the gang and street life behind, go back to school, and earn a living wage. Boston Uncornered currently enrolls more than 40 youth in the program, with the goal of recruiting 600 youth from six of Boston’s 14 hotspots, where the most violence and criminal activity occurs. Early evaluation results include a 78 percent rate of college persistence among participants, and an 85 percent lower rate of recidivism among program youth in comparison to similar, gang-involved youth.

Interview with Dave Hoffman, senior director for community engagement for the Boston Celtics. With an increase in national awareness and activism related to racial profiling and police harassment, Dave was asked by the Celtics’ leadership to develop a proactive and thoughtful organizational response in the form of a community outreach initiative. Dave began by meeting with members of the 2016-17 Celtics team, such as Avery Bradley, Al Horford, Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart, Amir Johnson and Jaylen Brown. Inspired by these conversations, Dave and Celtics staff developed and launched an anti-discrimination and bias-prevention program called The Playbook Initiative. The first step of this initiative was to enlist a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse group of youth as program designers. With this critical input, a “social playbook” was produced – a resource that helps facilitate authentic dialogue on race, religion, gender, disability and sexual orientation and equips youth, teachers, counselors and others with tools to safely intervene in challenging social situations.

Interview with Lindsey Kitteridge, co-founder and executive director of Shooting Touch, an international sport-for-development organization that uses the power of basketball to deliver global health education, intervention and empowerment to at-risk youth, women and their families. Founded in 2007, Shooting Touch is a lean program with two program directors, two post-collegiate athletic fellows, and 21 coaches, operating two core programs. In Boston, they run G3 (Getting Girls in the Game) that provides over 100 girls, ages 9-17, with female-friendly basketball programs, as well as off-court health education, mentorship and academic tutoring. In Rwanda, they run the Basketball Health Corps (BHC) that serves over 2,500 youth, ages 7-21, in Rwanda’s Eastern Province. Through its health education and interventions, Shooting Touch is combating environmental diseases, such as malaria, providing screening for HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis A and B, promoting adolescent reproductive health, and changing culture norms in Rwanda to foster greater acceptance and participation of females in sports.

Interview with Shawn Brown, Executive Director of Becoming A Man – Boston. Launched in Chicago in 2001 and brought to Boston in 2017, Becoming A Man (B.A.M.) is a school-based social emotional support program that helps at-risk young men in middle and high school navigate difficult circumstances, challenges and emotions in their lives that often derail future school and life success and limit their opportunities. The core of B.A.M.’s model is the creation of one hour clinically-based sessions known as ‘circles,’ where between 12-15 young men meet once per week over two years, and work through a curriculum that integrates cognitive behavioral therapy, youth development and mentoring components. BAM circles help the young men develop a future orientation, and the skills needed to resolve conflicts, express themselves positively, practice integrity in their daily interactions, and set positive goals for their futures. Now in its 16th year, BAM serves over 4,000 youth in more than 60 schools in Chicago. Rigorous evaluation of B.A.M. has found significant results, such as reduced violent crime and improved graduation rates among participants. In its first year in Boston, BAM is serving over 150 students in four public high schools.

Interview with Robert Lewis Jr., founder and president of The BASE. Launched in 2013 and headquartered in Roxbury MA, the BASE is a nonprofit that provides urban, predominantly black and Latino student athletes in Massachusetts and Chicago with year-round, high-level baseball and softball training, academic tutoring, post-secondary application and financial aid assistance, and access to college fairs and academic scholarships. In just four years, the BASE has served over 8,000 boys and girls on more than 600 teams, and helped over 130 students attend college.

Interview with Eric Schwarz, founder of the College for Social Innovation. Launched in 2015, the College for Social innovation brings together colleges and social sector organizations to create fully credited, ‘life-changing’ fellowships for undergraduate students. Each fellowship is designed to provide students with mentor-rich, real-world learning internships that address critical, current social issues, while at the same time building students’ problem-solving, self-reflection, and leadership skills. Further, the fellowships helps student grow their professional networks and serve as a much-needed talent pipeline for the social sector. To date, 57 students have completed the fellowship.

Interview with Mary Watson Avery, Director of the Connected Beginnings Training Institute at Wheelock College. Founded in 2007, Connected Beginnings develops and coordinates training efforts to enhance the social and emotional well-being of young children within their families, their communities, and their early care and education settings. Connected Beginnings is grounded in research that points to positive, supportive, enriching and nurturing relationships with adults as critical to young children’s social and emotional well-being, mental health, evolving brain architecture and capacity to learn. Early childhood educators, parents, caregivers, mental health clinicians, pediatricians, and all who participate in Connected Beginning training walk away with a greater understanding of this research and with key skills and strategies for supporting children’s healthy development.

Interview with Paul Epstein, a social worker at Brookline High School, a large, diverse urban-suburban high school of 1,800 students near Boston, Massachusetts. Over his 18 years at Brookline High School, Paul’s role has extended way beyond in-school counseling and academic support. His ‘whatever it takes’ approach means everything from helping evicted and homeless families find housing, starting a landscaping business to offer his students jobs, finding teenage moms childcare, bringing students to psychiatric inpatient placements, to being accessible by phone at all times of the night and over weekends. In addition to his social work role, Paul, along with his twin brother Theo Epstein of Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs fame, launched the Foundation To Be Named Later, with the mission of identifying and funding organizations working with at-risk youth in Boston and Chicago. Paul was also the driving force behind the Brookline Teen Center which opened in 2013 – the town’s first and only community space dedicated exclusively to adolescents and their social and developmental needs.

Interview with Michael Muscadine, Mar Velez and Indigo Mateo from Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, (CURYJ, pronounced “courage”). CURYJ interrupts cycles of violence and poverty by motivating and empowering young people who are impacted by the criminal justice system to make positive change in their lives and become leaders in their community. Youth participating in CURYJ develop leadership, research and community organizing skills, engage in community art and beautification projects, and receive job and life coaching. CURYJ has also led several juvenile justice reform initiatives in Oakland and across California. In 2012 they led one of the only successful efforts in the country to halt gang injunctions– a policing policy that imposes curfews and restrictions on residents in certain neighborhoods.

Interview with Marilyn Jones, a formerly incarcerated black woman and drug addict who ultimately became the valedictorian of her junior college class, completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and is now pursuing her doctorate in education. Marilyn founded her own nonprofit, Because Black Is Still Beautiful, to counter negative stereotypes and deficit model perspectives of the black community – perspectives she encountered all through her life and as a student in higher education. Based in San Francisco, Because Black Is Still Beautiful supports women released from prison. While black women represent only 5% of the general female population in San Francisco, they make up a striking 60% of the female county jail population. Women in the program receive counseling, educational tutoring, and, most importantly, a “sisterhood”, a network of support as they move on with their lives. Marilyn shares her story of overcoming more than 20 years of crack addiction and incarceration to excel in college and return to help other women in her community.

Interview with Emmy-nominated web producer Andrew Ott, founder and Executive Director of CodeSquad, a non-profit that trains underrepresented adults from Greater Boston to become web developers and begin new careers. Launched in 2016, CodeSquad offers intensive training in web development skills such as HTML, JavaScript and Node.JS, as well as in soft skills like effective communication and entrepreneurship. After a bootcamp-style training, CodeSquad works to place each graduate in a software internship. CodeSquad collaborates with organizations including Heading Home, the Timothy Smith Network, La Alianza Hispana and Lena Park Community Development Corporation to introduce their clients to careers in software. CodeSquad’s next bootcamp is scheduled to begin in February 2018.

Interview with Marsha Therese Danzig founder of Yoga For Amputees a social enterprise with a mission to provide health, wellness, freedom of movement, psychological healing and spiritual renewal to amputees through yoga education, training, and research. Marsha is a below knee amputee herself, and the first amputee yoga teacher in the U.S. In addition to teaching both regular clients and amputee clients, she trains other yogi instructors on how to work with clients with disabilities. She is also actively engaged in creating a global network of yoga teachers, therapists, and professionals working with amputees in first-world to third-world countries, with the goal of ensuring that all amputees can thrive from the moment of limb loss through the rest of their lives.

Interview with Michael Plansky, Founder and President of You’re With Us, a nonprofit that creates inclusion opportunities for young adults with disabilities. You’re With Us helps these young adults join college groups, teams, and clubs. This includes: coordinating recruitment and placement of youth into groups; serving as a liaison between families, schools, and college partners; training college student mentors; developing Positive Experience plans for each young adult; facilitating job/career opportunities; and offering physical and mental health support services as needed.

Interview with Kylee McGrane, a graduate of the Mount and the co-founder of A Moment of Magic, a nonprofit organization that enlists college students to volunteer at children’s hospitals and social service agencies to provide creative play and companionship to young, often seriously ill patients. Activities include: princess visits, superhero visits, personality and athlete visits, direct family support, and inter-family connection. A Moment of Magic is the largest organization of its kind with 12 chapters across United States and over 400 volunteers.

Interview with current Mount undergraduates and student athletes Andrew Curiel and Neeko Zeno, founders of Be You Stay True, a NYC based youth basketball program that balances basketball skill development with positive youth development. Be You Stay True offers a counter model to many other youth basketball programs, such as AAU basketball and travel teams, that too often place high pressure on kids, foster negative or self-centered behaviors, and ultimately take the fun out of the game.

Interview with Rachel Doyle, founder and executive director of Glamour Gals, a nonprofit that organizes student-led chapters in high schools and colleges across the country to visit senior homes in their communities. Founded in 2000, Glamour Gals recruits teen volunteers to provide ongoing companionship and complimentary beauty makeovers to women in senior homes. Glamour Gals uses makeup as a tool to provide seniors with personal attention and caring touch, as well as the opportunity to share their stories with the younger generation. At the same time, Glamour Gals seeks to promote leadership skills in their teen volunteers, including a deeper connection to community, compassion for others, and awareness of issues such as elder isolation. Today, Glamour Gals has chapters in 100 college and universities across the United States.

Interview with Pat Norling, Founder of the Jennifer A Lynch Committee Against Domestic Violence. Founded in 2006 following the tragic murder of Pat’s daughter, Jennifer Lynch, by her husband, the Committee raises awareness around the issue of domestic violence, connects victims with appropriate services, and supports prevention programs in Brookline Massachusetts and Greater Boston. Pat has presented at high schools, churches, temples, and colleges, and has received several awards for her advocacy efforts, including recognition from the Brookline Youth Awards and the Boston Celtics Heroes Among Us initiative. Her main goal is to help others through domestic violence education and awareness. As she states: “You should be able to come to someone, anyone in the Brookline community (and greater Boston community) for help.”

Interview with Liz Powers, Co-Founder and Chief Happiness Spreader, for ArtLifting, a social enterprise that uses “business for good.” Founded in 2013, ArtLifting provides artists living with homelessness or disabilities with the opportunity to showcase their artwork and earn income through the sale of their original paintings, prints, and products. In the process, ArtLifting helps its artists gain the validation and self-confidence they need to make other important social, health or career changes in their lives. Artlifting also supports art programs at social service agencies, shelters, and disability centers. Since 2013, Airlifting has expended from 4 to 115 artists living and working in 19 states across the United States.

Interview with Theresa Lynn, Executive Director of Back on My Feet’s Boston Chapter. Launched in 2007, Back on My Feet is a unique, running-based model that helps individuals move from homeless to independence. Back on My Feet recruits members at homeless and residential facilities in Boston and around the country to run three days a week in the early morning. Members who stay committed for a month then receive educational support, job training, employment referrals and housing resources. In addition to Boston, Back on My Feet has chapters in 11 other major US cities, has served over 6,000 homeless members, and recruited over 100,000 volunteers and supporters. Members have run a collective 500,000 miles and secured over 4,000 jobs and homes. And 1,500 members have completed their GED, pursued further education or enrolled in vocational training.

Power Of Good Introduction by Power Of Good

Interview with Lisa Goldblatt Grace, co-founder and director of My Life My Choice. Founded in 2002, My Life My Choice is a survivor-led program that seeks to end commercial sexual exploitation of children by empowering youth and their allies to fight back. My Life My Choice provides youth exploited by the commercial sex industry with one-to-one mentoring by adult female survivors, leadership development, and intensive case-management to foster education and career planning. They also support youth by strengthening life skills, promoting health and wellness, and offering substance abuse treatment and prevention. To date, My Life My Choice has mentored over 400 girls and transgender youth in Greater Boston; provided prevention groups to more than 2,000 girls; and trained over 11,000 service providers in Massachusetts and nationally in youth sexual exploitation intervention and prevention.

Interview with Sarah Rosenkranz and Sam Greenberg, co-founders of Y2Y, an overnight shelter for homeless youth in Harvard Square, Cambridge, founded in 2012. Y2Y is a student-run or ‘youth-to-youth’ model, where volunteer college students – not human service professionals – staff and manage the program, run services and provide a safe environment for homeless youth. Once at the shelter, these youth can access a range of mental health, housing, education and job development services from partner agencies to help them create pathways out of homelessness. At the same time, Y2Y provides opportunities for both homeless youth and college student volunteers to become advocates for youth-driven solutions to homelessness and other social challenges. To date, Y2Y has provided shelter and support services to 193 homeless youth, and recruits 236 student volunteers per year.

Interview with Michelle Sanchez, principal, and Emily Bautista, teacher, at the Epiphany School, an independent, tuition-free middle school for children from economically-disadvantaged families in Boston. Founded in 1997, Epiphany serves 90 students and their families in 5th through 8th grade. This includes 20% of students involved with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. All epiphany students benefit from 12-hour school days over an 11-month school year, small class sizes, individualized attention and tutoring, and comprehensive social supports. Once they graduate, Epiphany students continue to receive support and guidance throughout high school and post-secondary placement, and into their career and adulthood, as part of the school’s commitment to: “never give up on a child.”

Interview with Steve Gross, founder and Chief Playmaker, Life Is Good (LIG) Playmakers, a nonprofit with the mission to spread the power of optimism to help kids heal. LIG Playmakers supports a range of professionals (including social workers, counselors, teachers, early childcare and youth workers, child-protection workers, child-life specialists, public health providers, and physicians) who work with children impacted by trauma. Playmakers staff offer training and resources to help these professionals, “tap into the power of optimism and build healing, life-changing relationships with children in their care.” To date, Playmakers has provided training and ongoing support to over 5,000 professionals across Massachusetts, the US, and in Haiti.

Interview with Josh Trautwein, founder and executive director of Fresh Truck, a nonprofit launched in Boston in 2013. Fresh Truck’s mission is to: radically impact community health by celebrating healthy food culture and getting fresh food to people that need it the most. To date, Fresh Truck has delivered and sold over $150,000 in healthy food to Boston residents, to neighborhoods such as East Boston, Roxbury, Charlestown, Dorchester and the South End.