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...

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.

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...