Force Multiplier

For many students, entering college is a rite of passage that resembles hope and excitement. But for many others - especially students of underrepresented communities - this experience is often one riddled with anxiety and worries. Young people have to face big challenges: figuring out how to meet the financial obligations that come with their education, and learning to navigate new spaces often without help or representation.
 
In this final episode of Season Two, we meet two guests that have defied all odds in their educational journey and in turn, have become action leaders in their communities - Aimee Allison and Cheyenne Chandler. Aimee is a writer, democratic organizer, founder and president of “She The People,” an organization dedicated to increasing voter engagement of women of color. After beginning her career in the military, she explains how she made a difficult decision that led her to support some of the biggest political campaigns of the last few years. Then, hear from Cheyenne Chandler, a recent graduate from the University of Kentucky who didn’t crack under immense personal and financial pressures during her studies. Instead, she shares how she was able to use her experiences as a catalyst to fuel her passions, and how she leveraged her university’s resources to help her achieve her goals.

Today’s administrators, educators and staff have a long list of job requirements when it comes to educating our youth, but how do we ensure that students first have access to quality education?

In this episode, we sit with Eli Capilouto, President of the University of Kentucky and Gordon Matchett, CEO of Take a Hike Foundation, as they explain how they are tackling a variety of issues that plague education access in their institutions. Both share how focusing on the needs of educators and creating safe spaces that are inclusive of all students is the key to ensuring a bright - and safe - future for everyone.

In a semi post-pandemic world, there’s no doubt that global health is still very much a problem - especially when it comes to inequity and access. Leveling the playing field in places where there are very little resources to go around, or in places that aren’t even aware they desperately need help, can feel overwhelming and near impossible. Especially in the mental health space. Our guests today prove that sometimes giving your time, compassion and skill set towards a cause are priceless resources just as vital as financial contributions.

In this episode, hear from Juan Acosta – a mental health advocate and regional manager at CalHOPE Warm Line at Mental Health Association of San Francisco who began his work at the young age of 13, and Dr. Karry Jose Felix, Chief Surgeon at Doctors Without Borders. Both guests talk about their journey within their organizations, and how they’ve brought their lived experiences to help their communities to create a bigger, lasting impact for health access and change.

Despite feeling the impacts of a global pandemic, many people still view health as a personal issue. But what would happen if we began to look at health from a worldwide lens, one where health is not a luxury, but a fundamental human right? 
 
In this episode, hear from Kim Goldsmith-N’Diaye, Director of Development at Doctors Without Borders and Amanda Ryan-Smith, Chief Development Officer for the Trevor Project. Both guests operate from the philosophy that all people – regardless of location or economic background – deserve quality healthcare. With a scarcity of healthcare access around the globe and a rise in mental health issues amongst younger people, both guests are a testament that a sort of ‘collective caring’ and awareness is the first step towards solving this massive and complicated issue.  

"When it comes to taking action to solve climate change, steps like recycling, using less plastic, or saying goodbye to plastic straws – our collective intent usually comes with the hope that we will leave our planet a little better than its current state. But what happens when the answers aren't a fit for all people?" In the first part of our climate action conversation, we spoke with two organizations that are influencing change in their respective industries. In this second part, hear from youth activist Daphne Frias, who explains how climate policies often exclude people with disabilities, and Jo Dodds, president of Australia’s Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action who came close to losing her home in a devastating fire in 2018. They explain how their work is customized to fit the needs of their communities, and how grassroots efforts contribute to a bigger conversation and real change when it comes to matters of preserving the planet.