Michael Monasterial is the Artistic Director and Founder of Passing the Torch Through the Arts, whose mission is to inspire the youth of Hudson Valley, thereby strengthening and developing an infinite resource: their creative and collective consciousness. Theater + Education + Positive Action = Social Change.

Mark Wallace is the Coordinator of School Violence Prevention in the Newburgh NY school district. He is passionate about helping young people to respect themselves and their elders, providing a safe and joyful environment for them to grow and learn in.

Joan Henry of Mill Street Loft and some of the young women of Project AWARE (Adolescent Women Are Realizing Empowerment) join us.

Terry LeRoy of Haitian People’s Support Project and Evelyne Pouget, co-producer of “One Voice for Haiti,” a fund-raiser for Haitian support to be held at BSP in Kingston on April 23th.

Joan Henry of Mill Street Loft with the PASWORD Girl’s Empowerment Group.

Elly Wininger joins Julie in discussion with Dave Conover, education director at Clearwater. Dave tells us about Clearwater’s youth environmental stewardship initiative, and we join him in singing a couple of sea chanties.

How can children in the modern urban world experience the direct relationship with nature that is integral to human survival? By going to Farm Camp! John Chartier is Frost Valley YMCA’s Farm Director and Erin Hall is the Farm Camp Program Director. John & Erin foster a farm community where city children can return to basics, learning about where their food comes from and how to tend the animals. The kids find new wonders in everyday things as they explore the natural world around them.

Meghan Casey, a teacher at the Sullivan County BOCES GED program, and two of her students, Jen and Ayla, discuss their experiences in the GED program and the choices that led them there.

Mary Iatropoulous of the Children’s Media Project and several young people tell us about Radio Uprising, a youth-produced radio show that airs on Thursdays from 4-5pm on WVKR.

Vassar Professor of Political Science, Sarita Gregory, tells us about training 180 college students to be pollworkers in the historical 2008 presidential election.