Talking About Kids is a weekly podcast for parents, educators, and direct service providers that explores the latest information on issues impacting children and adolescents, from preventing bullying to unlocking creativity. Hosted by R. Bradley Snyder, author of The 5 Simple Truths of Raising Kids, each episode presents a new topic and introduces listeners to authors, academics, and visionaries from around the globe.
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How to take a developmental-relational approach in community programs and policy with Debra Pepler
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58:42Send us a text This is the fifth and final episode in a series of discussions I was lucky enough to have with esteemed developmental psychologist Debra Pepler in which she reflects on her research, experiences, and her approach to fostering positive outcomes for kids. In this episode, Deb talks about applying her developmental-relational approach i…
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How to take a developmental-relational approach in the classroom with Debra Pepler
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59:47Send us a text This is the fourth in a series of discussions with the eminent developmental psychologist Debra Pepler in which she reflects on her research, experiences, and her approach to fostering positive outcomes for kids. In this episode, Deb offers instructions for educators on applying her developmental-relational approach in the classroom.…
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How to take a developmental-relational approach to parenting with Debra Pepler
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55:25Send us a text This is the third in a series of discussions with the developmental psychologist Debra Pepler in which she reflects on her research, experiences, and her approach to fostering positive outcomes for kids. In this episode, Deb offers insights for parents on how to apply her developmental-relational approach in the home. It builds on co…
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Why you should take a developmental-relational approach to working with kids with Debra Pepler
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59:04Send us a text This is the second in a series of discussions with the famed developmental psychologist Debra Pepler in which she reflects on her research, experiences, and her approach to fostering positive outcomes for kids. In this episode, Deb explains her developmental-relational approach and the concepts that are important to it. Subsequent ep…
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How a developmental-relational approach benefits all kids with Debra Pepler
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30:32Send us a text The impact of Debra Pepler’s scholarship and work on the positive development of kids is global. You do not have to take my word for it. You can ask the Canadian Psychological Association, who bestowed on her the Donald O. Hebb Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology; or the nation of Canada who made her an Officer of the…
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How to protect kids from gendered-racial stereotypes in the classroom with Sheretta Butler-Barnes
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37:59Send us a text For the final Black History Month episode of Talking About Kids, I want to explore steps that we all can take to help protect Black students from the harm caused by gendered and racial stereotypes in the classroom. As you will hear from my guest, the celebrated scholar Sheretta Butler-Barnes, the things that benefit Black students ac…
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What you need to know about racial socialization competency with Riana Elyse Anderson
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37:09Send us a text Racial socialization competency refers to a parent’s or caregiver’s ability to communicate with their kids about race and to impart strategies for coping with racial discrimination, and the research shows that higher levels of competency are associated with better outcomes for Black children and youth. For this third Black History Mo…
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Which resources promote the well-being of Black emerging adults with Mavis Sanders
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43:39Send us a text As adolescents transition into adulthood and independence, their needs change. For Black History Month, Talking About Kids is looking at the specific needs of Black youth and young adults. My guest to help me do that is Mavis Sanders. Mavis is a senior research scholar at Child Trends who recently released a wonderfully insightful br…
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What you need to know to support the positive development of Black girls with Seanna Leath
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38:23Send us a text Talking About Kids is designed to support the positive development of all kids with the recognition that the factors that influence that development will be unique for each child based on their individual characteristics as well as those of their family and community. For Black History Month, Talking About Kids is examining the facto…
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How to connect with young children through authentic stories with Sasha Saidman
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31:33Send us a text My guest today is Sasha Saidman. Sasha is the author of multiple children’s books, including First Day, All Out of Ducks, and, my personal favorite, Melonade. As you will hear, one of the things that makes Sasha special is her willingness to unabashedly explore the adversity she has experienced in order to write authentic books that …
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What you need to know about the next generation of baby monitors with Ami Meoded
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37:08Send us a text A lot has changed since the days when baby monitors were little more than pastel-colored intercoms. Today, baby monitors transmit video as well as sound, they play lullabies and have night vision, and some even proport to be able to alert parents to changes in their baby’s breathing. While these advancements should result to healthie…
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Episode 6: What birth statistics indicate about how the U.S. values families
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6:20Send us a text It has been just over two weeks since Baby New Year 2025 arrived, so for this sixth and final mini holiday break episode of the 2024-2025 season of Talking About Kids, I am going to discuss births, deaths, and the fetal mortality rates and maternal mortality ratios. Links to the data I cite are at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Ta…
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Episode 5: How preparticipation physical examinations differ from annual well child examinations
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5:18Send us a text In this fifth mini holiday break episode of the 2024-2025 season of Talking About Kids, I am going to explain the differences between a preparticipation physical examination and an annual well child examination. Links to more information are at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking About Kids episodes will return soon.…
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Holiday Break Episode 4: How to measure a second chance for adolescents and the rest of us
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7:06Send us a text 2025 is just a few days old and the United States has already seen old adults, young adults, and adolescents injured or killed in a mass shooting in New York City, a bombing in Las Vegas, and, what is being described as, an act of domestic terrorism in New Orleans. I think 2025 needs a restart, so, for this fourth mini holiday break …
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Holiday Break Episode 3: Why humor is important to children and families
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4:57Send us a text In this third mini holiday break episode of 2024-2025 season of Talking About Kids and the final episode of 2024, I want to talk about kids and humor. In particular, I will present a little bit about what we know about humor’s importance to development, its role in establishing and maintaining relationships, and why at least one worl…
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Holiday Break Episode 2: What the good news is about youth substance use
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5:49Send us a text In this second mini holiday break episode of the 2024-2025 season of Talking About Kids, I share some seasonal joy in the form of brand-new statics from the Monitoring the Future study, which is conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan and funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse. Here is a sneak peek: The substantial…
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Holiday Break Episode 1: How to avoid "jargon-oblivion"
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4:31Send us a text In this first mini holiday break episode, I share a brand-new article from Pediatrics. It is entitled “Children’s Understanding of Commonly Used Medical Terminology,” and it examines “jargon-oblivion” or the problem that some professionals who work with kids do not recognize that those kids do not understand all of the words or phras…
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What state and federal resources are available to help address eating disorders with Noelle Veilleux Markham
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32:06Send us a text This is the final episode in Talking About Kids’ four-part series on eating disorders. In the first episode, Bryn Austin described the prevalence and stigmas of eating disorders. In the second episode, Jean Doak explained the harm caused by them. In the third episode, Anna Lutz and I discussed preventing eating disorders and how to i…
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How to prevent and respond to eating disorders with Anna Lutz
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35:06Send us a text This is the third of four episodes in Talking About Kids’ series on eating disorders. In the first episode, Bryn Austin described the prevalence and stigmas of eating disorders. In the second episode, Jean Doak explained the harm caused by them. In this third episode, we examine how to prevent eating disorders or intervene when issue…
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How eating disorders harm kids with Jean Doak
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41:14Send us a text This is the second of four episodes in Talking About Kids’ series on eating disorders. In the first installment, the preeminent Bryn Austin addressed the prevalence and stigmas of eating disorders. The core of this episode is on why we care. My guest to help us understand the harm to kids caused by body image issues, unhealthy eating…
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Who is impacted by eating disorders with Bryn Austin
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34:19Send us a text This episode is the first in Talking About Kids’ series on eating disorders. Over four episodes, leading experts and I will discuss prevalence, consequences, prevention, and the resources available to help you help the kids in your classroom, program or home. We will address body image, food, language, and when and how to intervene. …
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What you need to know about sibling aggression and abuse during adolescence with Corinna Jenkins Tucker
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34:40Send us a text Sibling aggression and abuse are often described as “invisible” by experts because of society’s tendency to confuse them with sibling rivalry or dismiss them as a natural part of growing up. However, the consequences of sibling aggression and abuse are very visible and potentially debilitating. My guest this episode is Corinna Jenkin…
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How rational emotive behavior therapy benefits kids and the adults around them with Debbie Joffe Ellis
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35:12Send us a text Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is an evidence-based therapy that can help kids overcome anxiety, depression, guilt, and a variety self-defeating thoughts and behaviors. My guest today to explain REBT is the legendary therapist Debbie Joffe Ellis. Among other things, Deb is a licensed mental health counselor, an adjunct prof…
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What you need to know about kids' dreams with Stanley Krippner
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22:21Send us a text Stanley Krippner has received multiple lifetime achievement awards from the American Psychological Association, including the Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology and the Award for Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to Humanistic Psychology. He is the subject of the edited volume, Sta…
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Why all young readers need to see themselves represented in books with Zetta Elliott
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33:24Send us a text Zetta Elliott writes the kinds of books that she wanted to read when she was younger. They are sweeping, fantastic, and crackling with energy. Zetta and I discuss the latest addition to her Dragons in a Bag series, entitled The Oracle’s Door, and what it means to kids to read about aspirational protagonists with whom they share exper…
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How engaging fathers can improve outcomes for kids with Sundjata Aya
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43:20Send us a text There is a simple equation when it comes to raising a healthy and happy kid: the more competent and caring adults there are in the life of a kid, the better off that kid will be. Unfortunately, policies and prejudices often prevent fathers from being present to their own children. My guest today to discuss these problems and what is …
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What we are getting dangerously wrong about school shootings with David Riedman
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34:37Send us a text By several measures, 2024 is on course to be one of the worst ever in terms of gun violence on school campuses. My guest this episode to discuss these tragic incidents is David Riedman. David is the founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database, arguably the most complete accounting of school shootings in the United States. As you wil…
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What we know about school-based mental health services with Ezra Golberstein
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37:34Send us a text The U.S. is in the middle of what many experts are a calling a “mental health crisis.” As a result, there is increased interest in initiatives that place mental health clinicians on campuses. Despite research suggesting that this model should help students, there was, until recently, little evidence that school-based mental health se…
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How to help a child cope with the loss of a pet with Anne Marie Farage-Smith
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34:39Send us a text I doubt that anyone listening to the Talking About Kids podcast needs science to tell them that kids form deep attachments to their pets. However, it is worth noting the research on kids’ emotional reactions to a pet’s death. Studies show that a pet’s death may be traumatic for children and associated with subsequent mental health di…
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Why we need more leadership from pediatricians with Timothy McKnight
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34:27Send us a text My guest this episode is Timothy McKnight, a respected pediatrician, a second-generation Black physician, and an innovative leader. Tim believes that more can be done to address the healthcare disparities that too many families face, and he believes that pediatricians are in a unique position to help bring about the necessary changes…
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What you need to know about bullying perpetration and the implications of working with adolescent bullies with Kevin Runions
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34:10Send us a text Bullying comes up a lot on Talking About Kids. When it does, we typically are discussing statistics and system-wide initiatives. My guest this episode to discuss bullying in adolescence is globally-recognized expert, Kevin Runions. In his roles as Area Lead Consultant for Research, Evaluation & Monitoring with School Mental Health On…
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How to teach kids about the real people of Capitol Hill with Kitty Felde
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33:24Send us a text Talking About Kids is kicking off our fourth season with a very special guest, Kitty Felde. Kitty is a veteran public radio journalist who has won multiple awards for her coverage of Capital Hill. Kitty’s desire to expose kids to the genuine Capital Hill and the real workings of government lead her down an unconventional path, that o…
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Summer Episode 6: What we know about the volunteerism of kids
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3:14Send us a text This is the final mini summer episode of Talking About Kids. In it, I share some statistics about kids that are related to the Positive Indicators Project's measures of kids "Helping Others to Flourish" that I described in the previous episode. To help us through the stress and fear-mongering of this political season, I share some en…
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Summer Episode 5: Why we should look for positive indicators of child development
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5:00Send us a text In this fifth mini summer episode of Talking About Kids, I introduce the Positive Indicators Project, which is a movement to measure and track positive behaviors and attitudes in kids. I also present concepts, like gratitude and thrift, that the project has defined, categorized, and analyzed. A link to the project is at talkingaboutk…
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Summer Episode 4: What we know about the delinquent behaviors of kids
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2:56Send us a text This is the fourth mini summer episode of Talking About Kids. In it, I share some favorable statistics about kids and delinquency. I hope these encouraging facts about kids will help us through the stress and fear-mongering of this political season. Links to some of the research I cite are at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking…
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Summer Episode 3: What we know about adolescents and drug use
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2:54Send us a text This is the third mini summer episode of Talking About Kids. In it, I share some encouraging statistics about kids and substance use. I hope these encouraging facts about kids will help us through the stress and fear-mongering of this political season. Links to some of the research I cite are at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talk…
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Summer Episode 2: What we know about adolescents and sex
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2:46Send us a text This is the second mini summer episode of Talking About Kids. In it, I share some encouraging statistics about kids and sex. I hope these encouraging facts about kids will help us through the stress and fear-mongering of this political season. Links to some of the research I cite are at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking About…
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Summer Episode 1: Why we need research on kids
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4:18Send us a text This is the first mini episode of Talking About Kids for summer 2024. In it, I share some little-known facts about kids in the U.S., and I present the theme for the remaining summer episodes: namely positive facts about kids to help us through the stress and fear-mongering that are all too present today. Links to some of the research…
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How the legal choices you make during a divorce impact family well-being with Charles Jamieson
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37:44Send us a text Divorce is hard on kids. My guest this episode is the attorney Charles Jamieson. Charles has spent over 40 years using his skills and considerable experience to help families around the country mitigate the damage divorce proceedings can cause. His insights are as practical as they are valuable, and I am grateful that he found the ti…
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What LGBTQ+ activists have to say about banning books from school libraries
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8:59Send us a text Nationwide, school libraries – often refuges for students who are being othered by their classmates – are being weaponized. In this final Pride Month installment of 2024, I asked several of the Grand Marshals of the 2024 NYC Pride March to react to the growing movement to deny students access to books with queer and trans voices. In …
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What LGBTQ+ activists want for all families
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26:33Send us a text For the second year in a row, Talking About Kids was granted media access to all of NYC Pride’s events, including the 2024 NYC Pride March. At the press conference for the march, each of the Grand Marshals described their platforms and the changes they hoped their profiles would affect. I found it interesting that most of them used t…
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How to support perinatal care for queer individuals with Bianca Sprague
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41:12Send us a text It goes without saying that would-be parents who are supported have healthier babies. For this fourth Pride Month installment of Talking About Kids, I want to address the perinatal care that queer individuals receive because it can be stressful and dehumanizing in ways that have negative short-term and long-term consequences for them…
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What you need to know about the rights of LGBTQ+ youth with Gaelle Esposito
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44:18Send us a text During Pride Month, Talking About Kids is devoted to LGBTQ+ issues. This third installment is about the rights of LGBTQ+ youth. My guest is Gaelle Esposito, a Partner with the lobbying, government relations, communications, and legislative advocacy firm Creosote Partners. Gaelle and I discuss the current state of the rights of LGBTQ+…
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How to support Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ youth with Jerico Cummings
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31:33Send us a text During Pride Month, Talking About Kids is devoted to LGBTQ+ issues. This second installment is about supporting Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ youth. My guest is Jerico Cummings. Jerico is a 2SLGBTQ+ Training & Community Engagement Specialist for the Paths (Re)Membered Project at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. The mission of…
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How understanding history can help LGBTQ+ youth with Marshall Shore
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34:31Send us a text In honor of Pride Month, Talking About Kids is devoting its June episodes to LGBT+ issues. This first installment is about how understanding history can help LGBT+ youth, and my guest is the “Hip Historian,” Marshall Shore. Marshall is known throughout the southwestern United States and beyond for excavating videos, news stories, and…
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What kids learn from wordless novels and relief printmaking with George Walker
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53:40Send us a text George Walker is an artist, educator, and historian, who is best known for his books about public figures ranging from Leonard Cohen to Tom Thomson. George tells these stories without words, using only images printed from wood he engraves. These wordless novels, as they are known, are in the tradition of works by Frans Masereel, Lynd…
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How to teach kids about hope and joy with Gina Prosch
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33:32Send us a text As a writer, social media figure, and, now, children’s book author, Gina Prosch has focused on hope and joy. The second book in her Holly’s Choice series was just released. It is called, Hope! More Than Wishful Thinking. True to its title, it addresses hope, but, as you will hear, Gina’s conception of hope is not a Pollyanna one, but…
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How mentors can support antiracist action in youth with Noelle Hurd
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41:58Send us a text Mentors have come up before on Talking About Kids, but the work of my guest today, Noelle Hurd, challenges more traditional notions of how mentors are identified and recruited and their role in the life of a kid, especially a racially or ethnically marginalized one. Noelle is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, w…
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How a healthy democracy can support healthy families with Sandra Gutierrez
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28:37Send us a text Vot-ER is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that believes that a healthy and inclusive democracy makes for healthy communities. To that end, Vot-ER works to integrate civic engagement into healthcare. My guest this episode to discuss Vot-ER’s rationale, how it goes about promoting an inclusive democracy, and what you can to do to…
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How faith communities build resilience in kids with David Myles
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42:56Send us a text The website for the Center for the Developing Child at Harvard University lists the factors that “predispose children to positive outcomes in the face of significant adversity.” Among them is “sources of faith.” My guest this episode to help me understand how faith traditions build resilience is David Myles. David is an award-winning…
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