Village Talks 36 – Bringing Hidden Youth Struggles to Light with Yolanda Ratliff
https://youtu.be/hvoN-wN4pDo Program Director Yolanda Ratliff is shining a light on a reality many people miss: the South suburbs of Chicago are facing the same youth challenges as the city’s South and West sides – they’re just quieter. In this Village Talks conversation, Yolanda shares how Chicago Wall of Fame, a nonprofit public charity founded in […]
Village Talks Ep. 34 — Kelvin Riddle of Military Mentors on “Beyond The Uniform”
https://youtu.be/_QuPBSRL14I Beyond the Uniform: How Mentorship is Transforming Military Communities Featuring Dr. Kelvin Riddle, Military Mentors There are some conversations that introduce you to a new idea. And then there are conversations that make you realize…we’ve been overlooking something that’s been right in front of us the whole time. That’s what this conversation with Dr. […]
Village Talks Ep. 33 — Marcus Strother with MENTOR California on”Building a Mentoring Ecosystem That Actually Works”
https://youtu.be/s1DAHwvZ5a4 Building a Mentoring Ecosystem That Actually Works Featuring Marcus Strother, Executive Director of MENTOR California There’s something powerful about hearing someone say, “I’m just a kid from Kankakee.” Not because it sounds humble.But because it reminds you that the people leading national movements… often started in the same places as the young people they’re trying […]
Village Talks Ep. 32 — Velez Childress on”From ‘Grandma’ to Movement Builder”
https://youtu.be/mz6vLMhlk4I From “Grandma” to Movement Builder: How Velez Childress Is Reimagining Mentorship There’s a moment in every mentoring journey where young people stop showing up just because they have to… …and start showing up because they want to. For Velez Childress, that moment looked like a group of high school students walking into a room […]
Village Talks Ep. 30 — Julianne Lang on “Rural Roots. Real Leadership.”
https://youtu.be/WOnjEklJoRY 🌱 Rural Roots. Real Leadership. What Julianne Lang is Building—and Why It Matters Big things are happening in places most people overlook. Not in major cities.Not in headline districts. But in a rural community in South Carolina—where leadership isn’t just taught… it’s lived. On this episode of #VillageTalks, I had the opportunity to sit […]
Village Talks Ep. 28 — Tony and Juliana with Youth Mentoring Connection on “Healing Through Connection”
https://youtu.be/lL1Vgv4OBaE #VillageTalks: Tony LoRe & Juliana Wells — Healing Through Connection in South Central LA Sometimes the most powerful work in youth development is not found in curriculum. It is found in connection. That was the heartbeat of this powerful #VillageTalks conversation with Tony LoRe and Juliana Wells of Youth Mentoring Connection. From the very beginning, […]
Village Talks Ep. 27 — Amanda Schneider with Right Moves on “Building Belonging, Access, and Opportunity”
https://youtu.be/8BdhhIHfMso #VillageTalks: Amanda Schneider — Building Belonging, Access, and Opportunity with Right Moves for Youth Sometimes the most powerful work in youth development doesn’t begin after school. It begins during the school day, right where young people already are. That was one of the most powerful takeaways from this #VillageTalks conversation with Amanda Schneider, Director of […]
Village Talks Ep. 26 — Toni Nelson with SAGE on “Protecting Black Girlhood”
https://youtu.be/ElDsZy39GMo # Protecting Black Girlhood: How Toni Nelson and SAGE Are Building a Village in Southeast Raleigh When Toni Nelson talks about her girls, her whole energy shifts. Her voice gets firm. Her pace slows down. Every word is intentional. You can feel that, for Tony, the room where SAGE meets each week is sacred […]
Village Talks Ep. 25 — Mark Hudson with 100 Black Men on “Growing Boys into Whole People”
https://youtu.be/DQVaJZJUGQs Mark Hudson on Growing Boys into Whole People with 100 Black Men When Mark Hudson talks about young people, he doesn’t start with careers, college, or test scores. He starts with this: “The important part for our young people, especially in this highly politicized, highly socialized, highly digital society, is that they become complete […]
Village Talks Ep. 24 — Scott Frauenheim with LEAP Innovations on “Youth Focused Innovation”
https://youtu.be/N2suenq53uk Scott Frauenheim — Youth Focused Innovation Some conversations don’t just inform you… they reframe how you see the work. That’s what happened in this #VillageTalks session with Scott Frauenheim, CEO of Leap Innovations. Because when we talk about innovation in education, most people immediately think about tools. Platforms. Technology. But Scott challenged that from […]