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A monthly series on peacemaking and nonviolent conflict resolution. Stories that inform, inspire and improve the human condition.
On this episode of Peace Talks Radio, correspondent Julia Joubert, looks at how digital addiction is affecting communication between parents and teens, and together with her guests, discusses ways to help families strengthen their relationships in a world where constant connectivity is the norm.
Over the past decade, smartphone use among teens has skyrocketed, with 95% of teens now owning one. As they spend over 44 hours per week on screens, many struggle with concentration, social isolation, and rising levels of anxiety and depression. This trend has left parents deeply concerned, feeling that excessive screen time is taking away from their children’s real-world experiences and future opportunities.
While many parents try to set limits, like creating device-free zones or monitoring screen time, teens often feel punished by these rules, which can widen the communication gap within families. Today, our guests will share insights and ideas to help bridge this divide.
Joining us are mother-daughter duo Jessica Ticktin and Lola Rubin, social media influencer Allie O’Brien, and psychotherapist Asiya Vickers. Together, they’ll discuss the pressures teens face, the concerns of parents, and strategies to help everyone communicate and connect better in the digital age.
On this episode of Peace Talks Radio, we hear the story about a couple who made the difficult decision to leave a place that was not safe, what it took to make it, and how they are settling into their new life. Alaina and her wife Jeannie lived in Tennessee for many years. But as the political climate has shifted, it became untenable for Alaina to exist as a trans woman there. In 2023, the couple made the difficult decision to uproot from their community and relocate to southern Vermont.
They're an example of a national trend where liberals move to blue states and conservatives move to red ones, as the country grows increasingly polarized. But for someone like Alaina, whose healthcare and physical safety were on the line, it's not just a decision about politics; she feels like a refugee.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we’re exploring the world of therapeutic psychedelic drugs. After a golden age of research in the 1950s and 1960s, research on therapeutic uses of psychedelics was grounded for much of the 20th century after they were classified as schedule 1 drugs. This classification means they have no medical use and a high potential for abuse.
In recent years, scientists have challenged those assumptions and this line of research has started to gain new momentum, with particular focus on how these substances may relieve suffering for people struggling with trauma and PTSD. Scientists are still trying to understand exactly how they work therapeutically, but believe substances like MDMA, psilocybin and LSD help the brain rewire in a way that allows new perspectives on psychiatric problems. While these drugs may be better known for their recreational uses, researchers say they have huge potential to help people struggling with mental health conditions that are sometimes resistant to other treatments, or require indefinite use, like antidepressant medications.
We’ll hear about this research and how therapists are integrating psychedelic use into their work with clients. Danielle Preiss talks with three guests who provide different perspectives on the therapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs. We’ll hear from Shannon Miller a therapist who works with people who are using therapeutic psychedelics and from Shawn, a humanitarian aid worker from the UK who tried a therapeutic mushroom trip herself. We will also hear from Dr. Jennifer Mitchell, a researcher working on this cutting edge science at the UCSF department of neurology and the San Francisco Veteran’s Administration.
Artificial intelligence is no longer merely a far-fetched feature of sci-fi, but a daily fixture in most American’s lives — whether we’re aware of it or not. Corporations and authorities are increasingly using A.I. in everything from employment and hiring, to economic decisions to surveillance and war. Police departments in some of the largest cities in the U.S. use predictive policing to forecast criminal activity, militaries use AI systems to help determine targets.
Yet humanitarian institutions and peace advocates are growing more interested in using AI to promote social good and peace. Proponents of AI for peace say that it could be harnessed for early warning of violence, combating hate speech, human rights investigations, and analyzing the effects of climate change on conflict. How do we build a world where A.I. is no longer a weapon of warfare, but a powerful tool for peace? Correspondent Mary Steffenhagen speaks with Yeshi Milner, founder and CEO of Data for Black Lives, and Branka Panic, founding director of A.I. for Peace, to find out.
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we explore solutions to gun violence in the U.S. from three perspectives - academic, policy and on the streets. Since 2020 firearms have been the leading cause of death in the US for youth. One of the most promising models to address gun violence is Community Violence Intervention (CVI). CVI programs use a localized approach, identify those who are at the highest risk and work to reduce violence through targeted interventions and peer outreach.
Emily Cohen speaks with Chico Tillmon, PhD, of the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab and a leader in the CVI field, as well as Nick Wilson, a senior director for Gun Violence Prevention at American Progress, where he leads the organization’s efforts to reduce gun violence and shrink the footprint of the criminal justice system while improving public health and safety. Also featured are outreach workers Billy Deal, Rodney Phillips, James Mitchell and Nyedra Turner of the Metropolitan Peace Initiatives on their new podcast Streets, Beatz and Peace.
In this edition of Peace Talks Radio, correspondent Julia Joubert explores intergenerationl connection. Studies have shown that at least six distinct generations currently live side by side in the United States, and there are almost equal numbers of people of every age alive today. To put that into perspective, we have the same number of people who are seven years old as 70. Yet, while we might be the most age diverse we have ever been, age segregation is also at an all time high.
Rapid changes in technology, polarizing political views and isolating societal structures have resulted in a clear and growing generational gap. These divides are often fuelled by a lack of understanding as generations exist alongside each other but don’t have ways to connect meaningfully. But, the opportunity is there!
On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we explore political division. Research shows that polarization isn’t just something we see in politics or with elected officials, but that it is affecting our relationships with family members, neighbors, and coworkers.
This program features voices from people working to mend this division and gives listeners tips to how ask “curious questions” to help find common ground. Emily Cohen speaks with Monica Guzman from Braver Angels, Alyson Spery from StoryCorps’ One Small Step program and Ron Gunzberger, former political director for Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.
Amanda is a wife. A mother. A blogger. A Christian.
A charming, beautiful, bubbly, young woman who lives life to the fullest.
But Amanda is dying, with a secret she doesn’t want anyone to know.
She starts a blog detailing her cancer journey, and becomes an inspiration, touching and
captivating her local community as well as followers all over the world.
Until one day investigative producer Nancy gets an anonymous tip telling her to look at Amanda’s
blog, setting Nancy on an unimaginable road to uncover Amanda’s secret.
Award winning journalist Charlie Webster explores this unbelievable and bizarre, but
all-too-real tale, of a woman from San Jose, California whose secret ripped a family apart and
left a community in shock.
Scamanda is the true story of a woman whose own words held the key to her secret.
New episodes every Monday.
Follow Scamanda on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
Amanda’s blog posts are read by actor Kendall Horn.
