Vaccines work -- but they only work if people get them. How can communities make sure that as many of their residents get vaccinated as possible? Host Justin Milner talks with Urban Institute researcher Leandra Lacy; Luis Garcia, director of technology and analytics at El Buen Samaritano; and Treshika Melvin, advocacy, training, and power building director at Springboard to Opportunities, about how to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence, especially in areas where racial and ethnic disparities exist. This episode was produced with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Related Links: Partnering for Vaccine Equity Leveraging Community Expertise to Advance Health Equity Emerging Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic for Building Urban Health Equity

Equitable community engagement and development can seed systems change that supports long-term health and well-being within communities. Host Justin Milner talks with Urban Institute researcher Laudy Aron; Maggie Super Church, vice president for healthy and resilient communities at the Conservation Law Foundation; Vedette Gavin, senior research consultant at the Conservation Law Foundation; and Robyn Gibson, resident researcher and site coordinator for the Healthy Neighborhoods Study, about what equitable community engagement and development looks like in practice. This episode was produced with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Related Links:

Blame Policies, Not Places, for Poor Health

What’s Different When the Community Collects the Data?

Driving Systems Change Forward: Leveraging Multisite, Cross-Sector Initiatives to Change Systems, Advance Racial Equity, and Shift Power

Mutual Accountability Is the Key to Equity-Oriented Systems Change

Healthy Neighborhoods Equity Fund

Healthy Neighborhoods Study

New Insights On How Philanthropy Can Improve Community Health

All young people need support and a runway to independence to develop into thriving adults. For those without this support, that’s where public safety net programs come in⁠—but the safety net has substantial gaps and barriers that make access challenging for young people. Host Justin Milner talks with Urban researcher Heather Hahn, young people who’ve interacted with the safety net, and employees at youth-serving organizations to understand how to improve safety net programs for 14-to-24-year-olds in ways that meet their basic needs and build on their strengths.

Related Links:

Young People and the Safety Net

Young People’s Lived Experiences with Safety Net Programs: Insights from Young People and Youth-Serving Organizations

Understanding the Challenges Young People Face in Navigating the Safety Net

As the nation aims to recover from the pandemic, policymakers have the opportunity to implement policies that build toward a more inclusive, equitable society. Host Justin Milner talks with Urban Institute researcher Kimberly Burrowes; Jon Kher Kaw, senior urban development specialist at the World Bank; Ernesto Falcon, senior legislative counsel at the Electronic Frontier Foundation; and Richard Sewell, deputy director for digital infrastructure for the Welsh government, about how innovative policies and programs from abroad could inform initiatives in the United States. This episode was produced with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Registered tech apprenticeship programs create vital pathways for diverse candidates to enter the tech industry, supplying companies with needed talent while advancing the crucial industry goals to cultivate an inclusive tech workforce. Host Justin Milner talks with Urban Institute researchers Diana Elliott and Fernando Hernandez-Lepe; apprentices Chrystal Yeoman and Jed Beddo; and Sarah Boisvert, founder and CEO of Fab Lab Hub and New Collar Network in Santa Fe, New Mexico, about common challenges stakeholders face when developing tech apprenticeships, how tech apprenticeships can address skills and opportunity mismatches between employers and workers, and how apprenticeships can increase diversity in the tech industry.

It’s been 17 months since the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed our lives. It has been difficult, but we have found some outlets helped us reflect on, and even escape, our current reality. On this episode with guest host Jacinth Jones, you’ll hear from Urban staff about the books, miniseries and podcasts that have been getting them through since March 2020.

Related Links:

WandaVision, The Death of Vivek Oji, The Vanishing Half, The Kite Runner, The Atomic Habits, A Gentleman in Moscow, Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, Maintenance Phase, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT Up New York, 1987 to 1993

A lot of the conversation around improving education outcomes centers the effectiveness of teachers, but how important are principals in shaping students’ direction and success? Host Justin Milner talks with Constance Lindsay of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Urban Institute, Michele Shannon of the Leadership Academy, and Kerensa Wing, principal at Collins Hill High School, about who principals are, how their role has changed, how they can be as effective as possible, and how they can advance equity in our school systems.

Related Links:

Principals-Affect-Students-and-Schools.pdf"> How Principals Affect Students and Schools

Culturally responsive leadership matters, research indicates

The recently passed American Rescue Plan Act could reduce poverty among families with children by half. How will this work, and why is it a big deal? Host Justin Milner talks with tax policy expert Elaine Maag and Gaynell Brady and M.A. Sheehan from the Lower 9th Ward Homeownership Association in New Orleans about the expansion of the child tax credit and ways to ensure all families benefit from it.

The country has now spent a year dealing with the effects of COVID-19 and the pandemic has brought an array of unprecedented challenges for public leaders. Host Justin Milner speaks with Philadelphia Councilmember Kendra Brooks, King County, Washington Executive Dow Constantine, and Pueblo, Colorado Mayor Nick Gradisar on how they worked to support their communities and how they envision the road to recovery.

Nearly a year into the pandemic, the definition of ‘giving’ has been expanding and the idea of philanthropy at multiple levels is more salient than ever. As we think about developing a culture of giving, it is important to start at the beginning and look at how we learn about charitable giving as kids. Host Justin Milner speaks with Shena Ashley, the vice president of Urban's Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Alison Body, a lecturer in philanthropic studies at the University of Kent, and Amy Neugebauer, executive director and founder of The Giving Square, to discuss how children develop their philanthropic identity.