En una calle arbolada de Buenos Aires se encuentra un descolorido edificio con un extenso mural de graffiti sobre la figura del incomparable Carlos Gardel. En su interior, un teatro que siempre permanece a oscuras. Es el llamado ‘ Teatro Ciego ,’ el primer y único teatro donde ambos, artistas videntes e no videntes, actúan totalmente sin luz. Nuestro último podcast nos trae a Ceci Gil Mariño y su experiencia con la representación de La Isla Desierta en completa oscuridad. Descubriremos por qué e...
Jun 30, 2011•16 min
On a tree-lined street in Buenos Aires is a faded building with a large graffiti mural of tango great Carlos Gardel on its walls. Inside is a theatre that is always kept dark. This is Teatro Ciego , the world's first and only theatre where both blind and seeing artists perform exclusively without light. Our latest podcast features Celeste Hamilton Dennis as she experiences the play La Isla Desierta in total darkness. We hear why she gets sprayed with jasmine perfume, what it's like for the actor...
Jun 29, 2011•13 min
In this episode we feature one of the winners of the 2009 Purpose Prize . The Purpose Prize awards up to $100,000 to social innovators in their encore careers who are creating new ways to solve tough social problems. The Prize is an initiative of Civic Ventures' Encore Careers campaign which aims to engage millions of experienced adults in work that makes a difference in their communities and the world. In this interview we hear from Connie Siskowski who started The Caregiving Youth Project , wh...
Nov 30, 2009•4 min
In this episode we feature one of the winners of the 2009 Purpose Prize . The Purpose Prize awards up to $100,000 to social innovators in their encore careers who are creating new ways to solve tough social problems. The Prize is an initiative of Civic Ventures' Encore Careers campaign which aims to engage millions of experienced adults in work that makes a difference in their communities and the world. In this interview we hear from Judith Broder who, in her late 60's, created The Soliders Proj...
Nov 13, 2009•4 min
On the outskirts of Buenos Aires tucked away from the ubiquitous tango clubs and steakhouses, is Hospital Borda, the largest and oldest mental hospital in Argentina. But this isn't your typical psychiatric ward. In the middle of its courtyard stands a small, bustling building full of recording equipment and unbridled energy, where each Saturday patients gear up to take the mic. This is Radio La Colifata , the first radio show in the world to be broadcast out of a mental hospital. Our latest podc...
Jun 29, 2009•13 min
From our team in Portland, Oregon: Last November, we blogged about a mentorship program taking place in our office where four of the women on our staff would be mentoring a small group of teenage girls. Coordinated by Girls, Inc. of NW Oregon , the Associates Mentoring Program provides opportunities for busy professional women to join forces with girls in crafting a project to explore different career paths, develop new skills, get to know one another, and have fun in the process. Seven months a...
Jun 09, 2009•21 min
Idealist.org's Jung Fitzpatrick talks with Regina Garner, the Director of Student Financial Services for the Monterey Institute of International Studies , to dispel some common myths that working professionals have about qualifying for financial aid and to learn more about the ins and outs of financial aid for graduate education. Whether you're thinking about graduate school–or are already on your way–this podcast helps answer many questions about the financial aid process. Topics include the ba...
May 04, 2009•35 min
This episode was produced by our guest contributors, Michael Premo and Rachel Falcone. If you have a story, click here for more information on contributing it to the Idealist.org Podcast. In 1983 New York State implemented the Returnable Container Act requiring a 5 Cent deposit on carbonated beverages sold in glass, metal and plastic containers. Commonly known as a “Bottle Bill,” the act is intended to reduce litter, ease the burden on solid waste facilities and encourage recycling activity. To ...
Feb 02, 2009•19 min
In recent years, communities across the five boroughs have become more concerned with eating "locally" and developing a sustainable food system for all New York City residents. Community Supported Agriculture--the model of pairing groups of community residents with small local farms--continues to gain in popularity all over the city as an alternative to supermarket shopping. But how exactly does CSA work? What does membership in a CSA model mean for community residents? In the latest Idealist.or...
Nov 01, 2008•11 min
"The poor will always be among you" is a biblical quote often cited by Christian leaders as a reason to not focus on poverty work. Some Christians, however, believe the quote means the exact opposite and that although 1.4 billion people live on less than $1.25 a day, poverty can end. In this latest Community episode, our summer podcasting intern Alison Killeen explores the beliefs of the Poverty Initiative at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. She speaks with co-founder and coordinator...
Oct 01, 2008•15 min
After the tragedy of September 11, 2001, some people began thinking about how two cultures could misunderstand each other so much. How could one group hate another enough to attack them? Though we live in a time of ever-increasing communication and modern technologies that connect us across continents, we still don't seem to understand each other very well. In the latest Idealist.org Community Podcast, our guest contributor, Eric Hanser, tells the story of a group called Cultures in Harmony . Th...
Sep 05, 2008•11 min
In the latest Community Podcast, we look at an organization that's working to bring the internet to all New Yorkers, in and outside of their apartments. Most of us think of using the internet as a solitary, indoor activity. NYCwireless thinks differently. By "lighting up" public parks with free wi-fi access, they're allowing New Yorkers to connect outdoors and helping everyone to create and participate in a new community. We talk with Dana Spiegel and Laura Forlano from NYCwireless about their m...
Aug 25, 2008•16 min
This past May in Washington, D.C., people came together in the neighborhoods of Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle to teach each other everything they know. Literally. Learn-a-Palooza is a one-day event in which temporary classrooms are set up across Washington D.C., and regular people share their knowledge and skills with their neighbors for free. This is the second year for the knowledge bonanza, intended to bring communities together, and workshop topics ranged from everything from "Personal Fina...
Jul 31, 2008•14 min
In this latest episode, we feature the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors (or BAADS), a sailing group that is making the world a little bit enjoyable and easier for the disabled to live in. How? By pairing two people with complementary disabilities to make one sailor, or by using inventive technology to enable the more daring to sail alone. We talk with three BAADS members—Greg Williams, Cristina Rubke and Ed Gallagher—to explore what being part of this association means for them. We also ...
Jun 09, 2008•17 min
What's in a name? When it comes to 'Ubuntu', a whole lot. Ubuntu means "humanity to others" in some African cultures, but it's also the name of an computer operating system that is bringing people together, as well as a larger movement to change the way people interact with technology. In this episode, we speak with members of an Ubuntu 'LoCo' (for Local Community) group in Washington, DC. While their mission is to promote Ubuntu Linux and open source software, their story likewise illustrates h...
Apr 17, 2008•16 min
In this latest Idealist Community episode we highlight two projects, Tuxedo Travels and CouchSurfing.com, that are making the world a little bit friendlier to live in. Heath Buck and Doug Campbell barely knew one another when they decided to set out on what they dubbed a "crazy adventure of the charitable kind." For six months, the duo traveled from Hong Kong to London raising money for local causes they encountered along the way. The catch? They wore tuxedos the whole time. Heath and Doug talk ...
Mar 13, 2008•15 min
In this Idealist Community episode, we explore what it means for a neighborhood to have an absence of banks—and what it takes for a few people to start one from scratch. This story tells the tale of Charlie Wilcox and Kelly Dillon, two entrepreneurs who noticed a need in a Bronx community and decided to do something about it. From starting with just an idea to establishing both a nonprofit, Ariva, and a community focused bank named CheckSpring, Charlie and Kelly talk about the challenges and rew...
Feb 04, 2008•14 min
With the new year just around the corner, we thought we'd find out what people hope for the world and their communities in 2008. And who better to ask than future world leaders? In this episode, we hear wishes and dreams for the upcoming year from kids ages 3 to 13. We were inspired, moved and tickled by their honest ideas to make the world a better place—let's just say that robots are in the plan. The featured kids are students from I.S. 162 in the Bronx, Our World Neighborhood Charter School i...
Dec 21, 2007•8 min
There are a lot of tools on the internet meant to help bring people and communities together across the world for good. But do any of these tools make a real impact? Can they be used to build trust between people despite the anonymity of the Internet? In this episode, we look at one such tool, Pledgebank, a project of the UK-based organization mySociety. The idea behind this website is that someone pledges to take an action as long as a certain amount of others do too. We explore this tool's sim...
Nov 26, 20070
When you hear about interns, you most likely think about someone being trapped in a boxy cubicle sending emails, fetching coffee for an angry manager or well connected kids kicking back their feet on the desk for a summer. However, we found some interns whose experiences went way beyond any of these preconceptions. In this episode we talk with three interns: Antasia at the Red Hook Initiative ; Carolyn at Green Guerillas ; and Santi at the Global Workers Justice Alliance . If you're inspired to ...
Nov 02, 2007•12 min
In this two part episode we hear from two people who are connecting people, issues and organizations through the act of walking. More than just a leisurely stroll, they are raising awareness and money for important issues by walking an astonishing one thousand miles. On the other side of the world, we catch up with Val Moran who is walking 1000 miles for the Australian organization SIDS and Kids. She is undertaking a walk that would challenge anyone, but at 65 she is charging forward with humor ...
Oct 03, 2007•10 min
In this two part episode we hear from two people who are connecting people, issues and organizations through the act of walking. More than just a leisurely stroll, they are raising awareness and money for important issues by walking an astonishing one thousand miles. The idea to walk 1,000 miles came to Iain Purdie after listening to the early 1990's hit, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," by the Scottish band The Proclaimers. But what started out as an arduous romantic gesture turned into something mo...
Sep 25, 2007•11 min
1. The Chicago Startup Meeting Welcome to the first Idealist podcast. This podcast is all about shining a spotlight on the people, organizations and groups on Idealist.org making connections in their community. In January, we sent an email to thousands of people who use Idealist around the world about our coordinated campaign of Idealist Start-up Meetings. The idea was to connect people who wanted to make change in their community but weren't sure how to start. This one simple email led to led t...
Aug 21, 2007•15 min
Welcome to the Idealist.org Podcasts! This podcast is a project of the organization, Idealist.org , an online community of people turning their good intentions into action. Our podcast comes in two flavors. The first is the Community Podcast, which features stories about innovative ideas and people who are building better communities around the globe. The second is the Careers Podcast which features interviews with professionals and leaders in the Public Service Careers sector. For more informat...
Jul 29, 2007•2 min
