Please Speak Freely

Episode 42: Dorothy Jungels of Everett Stage Company School

When I met Dorothy Jungels, I knew immediately that I wanted to spend more time with her. As the co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Everett Company Stage School, Dorothy is part of an amazing “mom and pop” nonprofit community arts organization, along with many members of her family and extended family. This past year while my family and I were living in Providence, RI, my daughter Rosie had the good luck to take a Story Ballet class with Dorothy’s granddaughter Grace, I had the privilege to take an Improv class with Dorothy herself, and my wife Elia, as Executive Director of New Urban Arts, collaborated closely with Dorothy through the Providence Youth Arts Collaborative. Because of these experiences, I got to know Dorothy and was eager to talk with her for the podcast. I wanted to hear the story of this 28 year old grass roots organization and learn about Dorothy’s perspective on the world and the work. We talk about seeing beauty where others might not and how art can create life. As I discuss in the intro, this is my last podcast episode before I start my new chapter as President and CEO of LA’s BEST After School Enrichment Program! I am hoping to find the time to keep the podcast going. Thank you for listening. Enjoy!

Episode 41: Dr. Nancy Rappaport, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist!

For a long time, I have been concerned about how young children are given drugs like Ritalin and Adderal. So when I saw Nancy Rappaport‘s recent Washington Post article, “We Are Overmedicating America’s Poorest Kids,” it caught my eye. In this episode, I talk to Dr. Rappaport about many issues including the oversimplication of the headline that caught my eye. Mental health challenges in children are complex. In this article, and her book, The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students, Dr. Rappaport explains many of the complexities and provides some great advice about understanding young people, preventing challenging behavior before it occurs, and using natural methods such as exercise, yoga, and self-regulation skills instead of or in addition to medication. Enjoy!

Episode 40: Carla Sanger of LA’s BEST Afterschool Enrichment Program

One of the great things about doing this podcast is that I get to meet awesome new people. The other great thing is that I get to sit down with some of my favorite people and talk to them for an hour or so, and this is one of those episodes. Carla Sanger, the President and CEO of LA’s BEST is definitely one of my favorite people, and also a very important mentor to me and many others. I’ve been wanting to interview her since Please Speak Freely started, and I finally got the chance! We talked about what it means to build an organization from just a few sites to 194 sites, how to deal with funders who think they know best, and why it’s so important to her to keep afterschool balanced and focused on children’s vitality and creativity. This episode is sponsored by Developmental Studies Center, a nonprofit educational publisher dedicate to children’s academic, ethical and social development. DSC is the creator of some of the best curricula available for out-of-school time programs like KidzLit, KidzMath and KidzScience, as well as many products for schools and outstanding professional development. If you’re interested in sponsoring Please Speak Freely, click here!

Episode 39: A Memorial to theGreat Richard Murphy

This is a very special episode of Please Speak Freely, a memorial to the great Richard Murphy. Murphy was a friend and a mentor to me and countless others, and he passed away on Valentine’s Day, 2013. He was a true lion in the field of youth development. Among many other accomplishments, he founded Rheedlen Centers for Children and Families which became the Harlem Children’s Zone, created the Beacon Programs when he was Commissioner of Youth Services under Mayor David Dinkins, cofounded the Neighborhood Family Services Coalition, helped to create Food and Finance High School, and founded iMapVentures. I had hoped to interview Richard for Please Speak Freely, but I never got the chance. For this episode, I recorded a memorial event held on February 14, 2014 at Food and Finance High School and edited a few clips together so you could hear what people had to say about Murphy. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to record the actual memorial service held in 2013 where luminaries such as Mayor Dinkins and Ambassador Patrick Gaspard shared funny and warm memories of Murphy. Hopefully this will give you some idea of the incredible esteem people hold Murphy in. Mostly it’s my chance to say, “Murphy, we love you.” Here is a list of the people whose voices you will hear on this podcast: Rev. Alfonso Wyatt, Vice President of the Fund for the City of New York Gail Brewer, Manhattan Borough President Jessica Mates, Chief of Staff for Manhattan Borough President Aldrin Bonilla, Deputy Manhattan Borough President Pierina de la Cruz Leydis de la Cruz Raul Radcliffe Roger Turgeon, Principal of Food and Finance High School Jim Marley, Assistant Executive Director of  Good Shepherd Services Carla Sanger, President & CEO of LA’s BEST Afterschool Enrichment Program Robert Newman, Chair of iMapVentures and Executive Vice President and COO of AmeriDream Katrice Walker, Singer Here are some links to remembrances of Richard Murphy: Richard L. Murphy, Who Aided Disadvantaged Youths, Dies at 68, New York Times Obituary 2/15/13 In the End, He Stole Nothing and Gave Plenty, New York Time 2/19/13 Mourning the Loss of Richard Murphy, NY Nonprofit Press 2/15/13 Richard Murphy, A Powerful Example of Servant Leadership 4/10/13

Episode 38: Jaime Casap, Google’s Global Education Evangelist

Thanks to support from the National AfterSchool Association (NAA), I got a chance to interview Jaime Casap at the 2014 NAA National Convention where he was the keynote speaker. Jaime is the Global Education Evangelist at Google, a company you may have heard of. In his role, he is responsible for working with schools and organizations to bring technology into the education environment. We had a lively conversation that covered Jaime’s experience growing up in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood in NYC, my terror at the thought of having my progress as a learner evaluated on a daily basis, and whether technology firms like Google are looking to change the world or simply tap into educational market. Check out the NAA website to see what other great speakers were at the convention, and join them next year in Washington, DC.  Enjoy!