An introduction to the Reimagining Youth Work podcast.

In our inaugural episode, we sit down to talk with Dominique Morgan of Black and Pink to discuss how systems can impact young people, and their families, why resilience is not enough and why young people should be the authors of their own stories.

Dominique Morgan (They/Them/Theirs) is an award-winning artist, activist, and TEDx speaker. As the Executive Director of Black and Pink, the largest prison abolitionist organization in the United States, They work daily to dismantle the systems that perpetuate violence on LGBTQ/GNC people and individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Partnering their lived experience of incarceration as a youth (which included 18 months in solitary confinement), with a decade of change-making artistry, advocacy, and background in public health, they continue to work in spaces of sex education, radical self-care, and youth development with intentions of dismantling the prison industrial complex and it impacts our community. Dominique is an NAACP Freedom Fighter Award recipient, 2020 Urban League Young Professional of the Year and a 2020 Ten Outstanding Young Omahan Award recipient. In addition to completing their capstone project for studies in the Georgetown University - System Involved LGBTQ Youth Scholar Program, Dominique is a 2019- 2020 National Juvenile Justice Network Youth Leadership Fellow, 2020 Martin Luther King “Living The Dream” Award Recipient and 2020 JM Kaplan Innovation Prize Recipient. His first book “An Introduction to Sexuality Education: A Handbook for Youth System Facing Professionals” will be released in October 2020. Find out more about Dominique Morgan at www.dominiquemorgan.com. Check out his TEDxTalk on Resilience as well.

Follow Dominique Morgan on all social media platforms

FB: https://www.facebook.com/dm56892/

Twitter and Instagram: @dm56892

In this episode, we explore utilizing Hip-Hop music as a tool for creating safe spaces for young people, with the Manager of Education & Diversity Outreach for the Woody Guthrie Center & Bob Dylan Center, Dr. Stevie Johnson.

Looking particularly at the transition from K-12 to Higher Education, we talk about what is needed to get young folks ready for college and through college, the need for bridge programs, and more.

This episode also features a special discussion about utilizing Hip-Hop to teach Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man that is geared toward English Educators.

Stevie “Dr. View” Johnson is a DJ, producer, educator and community organizer from Longview, TX. He currently serves as Manager of Education & Diversity Outreach for the Woody Guthrie Center & Bob Dylan Center. With close to ten years of college student development experience, Dr. View received his PhD in Higher Education Administration from the University of Oklahoma, in May of 2019. His written Hip-Hop & album dissertation, entitled Curriculum of the Mind: A BlackCrit, Narrative Inquiry Hip-Hop Album on Anti-Blackness & Freedom for Black Male Collegians at historically white institutions, received the 2019 Bobby Wright Dissertation of the Year Award for the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Dr. View is also the CEO of The Space Program (TSP), an independent record label hub and hip hop collective, as well as CEO of (IN)VISIBLE records. Dr. View is also the Executive Director of Fire in Little Africa, which is a multimedia Hip-Hop project commemorating Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District known as Black Wall Street. Dr. View is married to his wife Ariel, and is a father to his three year old son, Amir Sky. His newest drop, (In) Visible Man is available at all streaming outlets: https://smarturl.it/drview1

Follow Dr. View on Social Media.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/djvi3w

Twitter and Instagram: @drview1

This episode features a dynamic discussion about the parallels between caring for plants and caring for young people. Dr. Montgomery urges us all to consider the importance of context as we are providing support for our young people.

At the time that we spoke, we were mourning the violent death of Ahmaud Arbery at the hands of white vigilantes. This episode is released as we all mourn the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police. Dr. Montgomery's call to change the material conditions we do our work in is urgent.

Beronda L. Montgomery, PhD, is a writer, researcher, and scholar who pursues a common theme of understanding how individuals perceive, respond to, and are impacted by the environments in which they exist. Her primary laboratory-based research is focused on the responses of photosynthetic organisms (i.e., plants and cyanobacteria) to external light cues. Additionally, Beronda pursues this theme in the context of effective mentoring and leadership of individuals, and the role of innovative leaders in supporting success.

You can find Dr. Montgomery's mentoring research and "Lessons from Plants here: http://www.berondamontgomery.com/mentoring-philosophy-thoughts/

https://publications.publicphilosophyjournal.org/record/?issue=6-18-22&kid=6-15-173284

Follow Dr. Beronda Montgomery on Social Media

Twitter @BerondaM

Instagram @beronda_m

This episode is a dynamic discussion with Marcus Strother, the first CEO of MENTOR CA. We discuss his current work caring for "our babies", his personal coming of age story and the work he will be leading as CEO of MENTOR CA. We also had a n important discussion about how health and wellness should be centered in all the youth work we are doing, as we support young people in the process of healing.

Marcus L. Strother is a father, husband, educator and a youth and community advocate. A 22- year veteran in the education field, spending 17 years in Illinois before relocating to Sacramento, California a little over five years ago, Marcus spent 8 years as a classroom teacher, and 9 years as a high school administrator. Marcus is the Chief Executive Officer of the newly formed MENTOR CA.

You can find out more about Marcus' work here: https://www.lifedatamatters.com/

Connect to the emerging MENTOR CA: https://www.mentoring.org/mentor-california/

Follow Marcus on Social Media

Twitter: @MarcusLStrother

Instagram: @marcuslstrother

This powerful episode explores the intensity and power of youth organizing with Pomona based organizer and executive director, Jesus Sanchez. We discuss the liberatory work of his organization, Gente Organizada and what it took for them to accomplish their own #defundthepolice campaign in Pomona last year. Critical for our time, listen to this episode to understand the importance of training and resourcing young people as they fight for change.

Jesus Sanchez is an educator, organizer and community activist. He is founder of the Pomona based organization, Gente Organizada, a community-led social action non-profit organization based in Pomona whose mission is to bring together generations to access, build, and wield their collective power to achieve educational, economic, and social justice in our communities.

Jesus has worked closely with lawmakers, education officials, higher education leaders and teachers unions to implement critical programs, policies, and reforms to improve conditions for students, parents, and educators. Jesus has extensive knowledge in grassroots organizing, leadership and strategy development, college and career readiness, and youth development.

Find out more about the work of Gente Organizada: https://www.genteorganizada.org/

Learn about their #defundthepolice win last year: https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/09/12/pomona-unified-reallocates-2-million-to-programs-for-high-need-students/

And how their recent work: https://www.publicadvocates.org/righttoresources/ is fueling new movements: https://www.aclusocal.org/en/press-releases/massive-neglect-black-and-brown-students-alleged-san-bernardino-precedent-setting

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genteforgente/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genteorganizada/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnGqGF4FLxl3xKT2zAhNz1Q

This episode is a compelling discussion with Dr. Elizabeth Santiago about why it's important for young people to own their narratives. Through the telling of her own story, Dr. Santiago helps us to understand why it can be harmful to tokenize young people, why students of color require support navigating higher education spaces, and how her own story influences her game-changing work at MENTOR.

Dr. Elizabeth Santiago is the Chief Program Officer for MENTOR. In this role, she is responsible for and actively involved in the management of programs and services for a wide range of stakeholders. She works with a team to implement a continuous quality improvement process throughout the program and service areas, focusing on systems and process improvement. Prior to MENTOR, Elizabeth gained extensive experience in program management and development, instructional design, curriculum development, training and professional development with organizations such as Jobs for the Future, Simmons College, Babson College, Houghton Mifflin, and World Education. She has specific experience in working with vulnerable or marginalized youth and the systems and people that serve them. She has taught high school equivalency courses within school districts, community-based organizations and through unions, and managed the GED/high school equivalency program at the Harriet Tubman House in Boston, MA. She has also built a professional development service for teachers and principals designing education programs for first generation college goers. Elizabeth earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College and a Master’s degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, Technology, Innovation and Education Program. She recently earned her PhD in education studies at Lesley University.

Follow Elizabeth on Social Media

Twitter: @esantiagoMENTOR

Check out MENTOR The National Mentoring Partnership: https://www.mentoring.org/

This episode is a discussion of music, love and building bridges between generations. Dr. Weiston-Serdan talks about her own journey as a musician, her work building music programming for the Youth Mentoring Action Network and, most importantly, how she is able to engage Black and Brown youth in healthy and meaningful ways. Three of Gayle's former students and lifelong proteges, Michael Uzowuru, Danny Mills and Morgen Campbell join the podcast to share how Gayle has impacted them and their careers as musicians.

A graduate of the University of Southern California’s prestigious Thornton School of Music, Gayle has a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Jazz Studies with minors in Music Education and Electro Acoustic Media. Equally musician and educator, Gayle's sound spans generations and includes a powerful combination of jazz, funk, soul, blues and hip-hop.

She received her Master’s of Music from the University of Southern California and an undergraduate degree in music from the University of LaVerne after studying at the Dick Grove School of Music. Gayle is a well-respected featured artist and educator. In addition to leading her own jazz duo, trio, and quartet, she has performed with the musical likes of Rosemary Bailey, Joanne Grauer, Joyce Collins, Dr. Reed Gratz, John B. Williams, Jennifer Leitham, Paul T. Smith, Stacy Rowles, Betty O’Hara and the Jazzbirds, Jack DeJohnette, Gilad Atzmon, Yarone Levy, Dion Neuble, Pamella Bowen, Seiler Piano Company, Hammond Organ Company, the world renowned Les Brown Orchestra, and The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.

Gayle is a proud Hammond artist and plays frequently in the Southern California area. Her areas of musical interest include; jazz organ, jazz piano, the history of jazz and hip-hop, the art of improvisation and music therapy. She is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society and has received numerous awards from the National Association of Jazz Educators.

 Follow Gayle on Social Media

Twitter: @drgayleserdan

Instagram: @drgayleserdan

Check out her website and music at: www.drgayleserdan.com