Sharing Conversation, Sparking Change

Margaret Mead once wrote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

And how do those changes begin? They start with conversations.

As we celebrate International Podcast Day today (Sept. 30), we can’t help but think that Mead would love the conversations with thoughtful and committed people shared on LISC Greater Kansas City’s Community Wise podcast. 

Hosted by LISC KC Development Officer Holly Long, the video podcast engages area thought leaders working in the areas of community development, social enterprise, and social justice.

International Podcast Day celebrates the growth of this powerful and increasingly popular medium. Nearly half of the U.S. population (ages 12 and up) listen to a podcast at least once a month, up from 120 million in 2023. By 2027, the number of podcast listeners worldwide is expected to exceed 651 million. 

For LISC KC, podcasting offers a way to connect with concerned citizens and supporters who want to understand the issues we’re working on every day.

“Our podcast allows us to spotlight community leaders,” said Long. “And while news coverage tends to reduce complex issues to soundbites, a podcast provides a way to host wide-ranging conversations that can deepen viewers’ understanding of key issues and highlight avenues for positive change.”

In May, the podcast highlighted Mental Health Month, with a look at the five social determinants of health and mental health. Long interviewed Dr. Denise Dowd, a physician in the Division of Emergency Care at Children’s Mercy Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Together, they looked at nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes – including the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, as well as wider forces and systems shaping daily life, such as economic policies, social norms, racism, and housing. They also explored measures that might affect these determinants and help boost health community-wide.

Dr. Dowd shared her personal experiences that dramatically demonstrated to her how poverty affects health. Before attending medical school, she worked as a nurse in a hospital in 1977 in downtown Detroit. “That was my first exposure to people who were very sick at a very young age,” she said. “They had active tuberculosis, drug addiction, all kinds of cardiovascular problems, hypertension, kidney failure. These were all people of color in their 30s and 40s. That was my first exposure to the impact of poverty and the impact of not having enough just to get by.”

For the Women's History Month episode, in March, Long welcomed two dynamic women: Theresa Garza, Alderman, Regional Manager, Government Affairs of Spire, and Thalia Cherry, Founder and CEO of Cherry Co. The women discussed the impact they are making in their respective fields, breaking down systemic obstacles, and helping to build more equitable, inclusive, and resilient communities. 

Earlier, the June 2023 episode explored the importance of homeownership and highlighted the plight of millennials striving to become homebuyers. Millennials — those born between 1981 and 1996 — are now in their late 20s to early 40s, prime home-buying years. Today they make up nearly 50% of homebuyers, the most of any generation. Guests included Lusette Walker, Broker Associate for Murrell Homes Real Estate Group; Gynon Brown, Community Mortgage Loan Adviser for First Federal Bank of Kansas City; Aaron Potter of Alexander Potter Homes; and Adrianne Long, a millennial looking to buy a home.

Other recent episodes have explored LISC KC’s Intern program for HBCU students; capacity building – helping community-based organizations grow to the next level; Disability Pride Month; and efforts to increase the number of Black teachers by removing barriers of entry.  Those are just a few of the topics tackled since the podcast began in 2021.

In honor of International Podcast Day, why not treat yourself to a fascinating conversation (or two)? Watch the Community Wise video podcast on YouTube and join the conversation with other thoughtful, committed citizens. Let’s change the world!