In the Arena with NOW
In the Arena with NOW lifts up the voices of community leaders who are “in the arena” -- in classrooms, playgrounds, Congressional halls, hospitals, and neighborhood streets -- working to make sure that all children and families can live healthy, thriving lives. Each episode will delve into the experiences of local coalitions, residents, and experts who are working to create equitable systems of care and education. We’ll learn about what they are doing and why, challenges and successes faced, and advice for others seeking to build, grow, and sustain momentum for the long haul. Learn more at: https://www.networksofopportunity.org
Episodes
28 episodes
Radical Community Connection: Mia Birdsong on Interconnected Freedom and Leadership for the Future
In our fourth episode, we tune in from Vital Village Networks’ 2024 annual National Community Leadership Summit in Boston, joined by hundreds of grassroots community leaders from across the country dedicated to designing new systems grounded in...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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57:56
Inviting Others Into the Circle: The Ripple Effects of Community Power
In our third episode, we join in a healing conversation with “woman of the community,” birth specialist, and Boston Breastfeeding Coalition (BBC) leader, Dominique Bellegarde. A true servant leader and long time Vital Village Networks champion ...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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25:44
How Can We Build Together? Parent Partnerships towards Collective Community Care
In episode two, we continue our conversation with Josette Williams, long-time Vital Village Networks leader and Director of Boston Public Schools’ Countdown to Kindergarten. We delve deeper into what shared power and agency looks like in practi...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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19:05
Reimagining Parent and Family Leadership: Moving towards Shared Power and Agency
Welcome back! We are excited to kick off our third season of In the Arena with NOW, where we explore two timely questions with community leaders across the country: What does it look like to harness, activate, and build community power...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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26:04
Liberating Our Joy with Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts
We’re excited to share with you a special bonus episode as we reflect on the year and look ahead to 2024. We return again to Vital Village Networks’ annual National Community Leadership Summit, and tune in this time to our 2022 keynote conversa...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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39:29
Know Your Power: Camille Bennett on Coalition Building, Advocacy and Partnership
In our final episode of the season, we return to Vital Village Networks’ 10th annual National Community Leadership Summit and tune into the dynamic closing keynote conversation with Camille Bennett, Founder and Executive Director of Project Say...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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31:45
Writing Our Story: Kiese Laymon on Joy, Justice, and Healing
In this special episode, we tune in from Vital Village Networks’ 10th annual National Community Leadership Summit, where hundreds of grassroots community leaders gathered in Boston in October. Hear opening remarks from Founding Director, Dr. Re...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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39:48
Local Leaders Have the Solutions: Shared Power and Lifelong Learning
We continue our conversation with Inés Palmarin, a long-time Boston community builder, coalition co-founder, and Vital Village National Advisory Board member dedicated to holding and creating space for mothers to connect and create solutions to...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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20:50
Finding Hope in Each Other: Centering Trust and “Heart Work” through Collaborative Action
How can we practice collaborative relationships differently? For Inés Palmarin, long-time Boston community builder, coalition leader and Vital Village National Advisory Board member, this starts with building trust and creating intentional spac...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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17:57
Community Ownership of Change: Supporting Co-Design in Research
Tune into the next part of our conversation with Reann Gibson, a community-based researcher, community changemaker, and social justice advocate in Boston and beyond. Reann delves further into her experiences with facilitating community-based pa...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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19:31
Inclusive Leadership and Healing through Collaborative Action
How can collaborative action support joy and community healing? And what does this mean for how we define and understand leadership? In our next episode, we speak with Reann Gibson, a community-based researcher, community changemaker, and an ad...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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18:54
Powerful Pathways Part 2: Collective Imagination to Build a Just Future
In our second episode of the season, we continue the conversation with Allentza Michel, of Powerful Pathways, who reflects on the evolution of creative placemaking and community-led design work and her hopes for the future. We unpack the challe...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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18:38
Powerful Pathways through Creative Placemaking and Community-Led Design
Welcome to Season 2 of In the Arena with NOW! As organizers, advocates, and communities continue to work towards systems transformation, what does it look like to make cities more equitable and sustainable? And, what can we learn from ...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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21:16
The LIFE Project: Building on The Strengths Of Immigrant Families To Promote Quality Early Care And Education Access
Based in New York City, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), in partnership with Fifth Avenue Committee, LSA Family Health Service, BACDYS (Bangladeshi American Community Development and Youth Services), and Masa, launched the Linki...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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28:58
Austin Neighborhood Network: The Value of Collaboration & Community Driven Vision
What does it look like to engage with community stakeholders to co-design a community plan for revitalization that authentically centers the needs of the local neighborhood? In our 14th episode we feature Austin Neighborhood Network, located in...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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26:19
Essex County Council for Young Children: Centering Parent Leadership to Foster a Trauma Informed Newark
What does it look like to create a trauma-informed early care and education community? Why is centering parent leaders critical to achieving this vision? In our 13th episode, we learn about the innovative work that the Essex County Council for ...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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25:04
Brazelton Touchpoints Center: Honoring the Strengths and Expertise of Children and Caregivers
How can providers honor the children and caregivers they work with as the experts of their own lives? In our 12th episode we feature Brazelton Touchpoints Center, located in Boston, Massachusetts, to learn about shifting to mental models that h...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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30:27
Family Engagement Network: Supporting Families is the Key to Successful Workforce Development
What are the critical components of a successful workforce development program? The Family Engagement Network (FEN), located in Pima County Arizona, is leading the way in a holistic and family-centered approach to supporting caregivers and thei...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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22:19
Adelante, Adelante: El movimiento hacia la justicia del idioma y la equidad/Adelante, Adelante: The Movement Towards Language Justice and Equity
Episodio 10: Adelante, Adelante: El movimiento hacia la justicia del idioma y la equidadCon sede en el condado de Jefferson, Colorado, la coalición Adelante es una red de familias, agencias y organizaciones que toma ...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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30:12
From Data to Action: Community Stories Lead to Policy Change
How can we use data to tell community stories and create actionable change? What is the role of narrative in advancing equitable policies that improve the health and wellbeing of children and their families? In our ninth episode, we explore the...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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29:35
Residents Driving Change: The Community Solutions Grant Program
What would it look like if every community had the resources and support to be in charge of their own change and transformation? The Voices and Choices for Children coalition has been working to drive equitable processes for improving childhood...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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31:08
Community Data into Action: An African American Breastfeeding Blueprint
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) works with a diverse network of communities and partners to reduce breastfeeding disparities among African American women and to strengthen the health and wellbeing of ba...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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28:09
Building Beloved Community for Children and Families in South Carolina
Based in Berkeley County, South Carolina, the Berkeley Early Education and Care Collective (BEE Collective) and its network of partners are working to create a system of care for social and emotional development that can support the wellbeing o...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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30:11
Honoring Culture, Language, and Family: Stories from the Navajo Nation
Based in Navajo Nation, New Mexico, the McKinley County Early Childhood Coalition (MCECC) seeks to eliminate health disparities and improve the wellbeing of American Indians and Alaska Natives in their community. In our fifth episode, we learn ...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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29:49
The Power of Peer Learning and Capacity Building: Improving Access to Quality Early Care and Education in Philadelphia
What does it take to tackle intergenerational poverty and ensure that all children have the best start in life to thrive? The West Philadelphia Action for Early Learning & Partners (AFEL) have been working to bring together critical partner...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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30:32