This November, as we recognize National Runaway Prevention Month, we are excited to launch our Let’s Talk podcast, where our hope is to elevate the voices of young people as they share their stories, and highlight the complexities and intersections that are witnessed by the 4.2 million young people experiencing homelessness across the United States each year.
Hosted by Maria Taylor, Prevention and Youth engagement Coordinator
CONTENT WARNING: THIS PODCAST FEATURES DISCUSSIONS THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING TO OUR AUDIENCES, COVERING TOPICS THAT INCLUDE SUICIDE, INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE, INSTITUTIONALIZATION, GUN VIOLENCE, ADDICTION AND VARIOUS FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION. LISTENER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
The Official NRS Podcast
Let's Talk!
Episode 1 - Let's Talk: National Runaway Prevention Month
Episode 2 - Let's Talk Trauma, Immigration & Addiction
Episode 3 - Let's Talk Homelessness, Disability & Discrimination
Episode 4 - Let's Talk: Indigenous Identity & Foster Care
Episode 5 - Let's Talk Diagnosis, Disability & College
Episode 6 - Let's Talk: Mental Health, Domestic/Gun Violence
episodes
EP 1. Let's Talk: National Runaway prevention Month
Now Available
Featuring Susan Frankel
Susan Frankel, CEO of the National Runaway Safeline (NRS), helps launch the Let’s Talk podcast, detailing her own journey in the youth advocacy field. As NRS, the Family and Youth Services Bureau and partner organizations nationwide kick off National Runaway Prevention Month (NRPM), Susan explains why NRPM is so important to NRS, and also to the runaway and homeless youth field as a whole.
EP 2. Let’s Talk: Generational Trauma, Immigration and Addiction
Available Now
Featuring Mariana Aguire Rios
Mariana Aguire Rios is a Denver native and certified Peer Support Specialist who has years of experience in children’s advocacy. Currently working at DenverHealth as a care navigator and serving as a member of the NRS Youth Advisory Board, Mariana shares her experiences as a young person navigating the complexities of homelessness, generational trauma, immigration and addiction, and how that led her to where she is today.
EP 3. Let’s Talk: Homelessness, Disability & Discrimination
Available Now
Featuring EJ Valez
EJ Valez joins us from Kutztown College. In addition to their ambitious course load, EJ works four part-time jobs, is a member of both the NRS Youth Advisory Board and the Youth Council Advisory Board with the National Network for Youth, and serves as a consultant for Youth Collaboratory. In this interview, EJ describes how they have experienced the intersection of youth homelessness, disability, and discrimination, and discusses their goals for the future.
EP 4. Let's Talk: Indigenous Identity & Foster Care
Available Now
Featuring Keeley BadWarrior
Keeley BadWarrior is from Rapid City, South Dakota, where she is currently a student at Western Dakota Technical College studying business and technology. Outside of her coursework, Keeley holds multiple jobs and is an active member of both the NRS Youth Advisory Board and the Rapid City Youth Action Board. In this interview, Keeley shares her experiences with homelessness and housing instability following her aging out of the foster care system.
EP 5. Let's Talk: Diagnosis, Disability & the College Experience
Available Now
Featuring Rachel Litchman
Raised in the Chicago suburbs, Rachel Litchman is a student studying Sociology and Women and Gender Studies at the University of Wisconsin. She is a member of the NRS Youth Advisory Board and the Dane County Youth Action Board. Rachel shares her experiences as a young person navigating the failures of our health care system, and how lack of diagnosis impacted the trajectory of her life.
EP 6. Let's Talk: Mental Health, Domestic VIolence & Gun Violence
Available Now
Featuring Zachary Mallory