Welcome to Bright Spots - a new series from Lemonada that offers bite-sized stories of community impact that will leave you feeling inspired and hopeful about what is possible.

Today, we’re turning our attention to the foster care system. In Oklahoma, the Office of Family Representation ensures every parent dealing with a child welfare case has access to a strong legal defense. We talk to executive director Gwendolyn Clegg about how OFR got started and how their work supports families in Oklahoma. 

This episode is created in partnership with Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Special thank you to Gwendolyn Clegg and the Oklahoma Office of Family Representation. Learn more at https://www.oklahomafamilyrepresentation.org/

Welcome to Bright Spots - a new series from Lemonada that offers bite-sized stories of community impact that will leave you feeling inspired and hopeful about what is possible.
Today, we&rsquo;re turning our attention to the foster care system. In Oklahoma, the Office of Family Representation ensures every parent dealing with a child welfare case has access to a strong legal defense. We talk to executive director Gwendolyn Clegg about how OFR got started and how their work supports families in Oklahoma.&nbsp;
This episode is created in partnership with Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Special thank you to Gwendolyn Clegg and the Oklahoma Office of Family Representation. Learn more at <a href="https://www.oklahomafamilyrepresentation.org/">https://www.oklahomafamilyrepresentation.org/</a>

Good Things from Lemonada Media is a podcast about the good people in the world who are rolling up their sleeves and working hard to make things better. Each week, we'll be talking about this country's most complex and confounding issues in an effort to affect systemic change, with a rotating cast of incredible guests and Lemonada hosts. From the dire condition of the American foster care system to the decline of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, protecting democracy, and more, we’re focusing on solutions – with the people putting them into action.

Good Things from Lemonada Media is a podcast about the good people in the world who are rolling up their sleeves and working hard to make things better. Each week, we'll be talking about this country's most complex and confounding issues in an effort to affect systemic change, with a rotating cast of incredible guests and Lemonada hosts. From the dire condition of the American foster care system to the decline of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, protecting democracy, and more, we’re focusing on solutions – with the people putting them into action.

Good Things from Lemonada

Bright Spots: Keeping Families Together in Oklahoma

This is the story of a modern-day Erin Brockovich, set on the Mississippi River in an area known as “Cancer Alley." Her name is Sharon Lavigne, her community is St. James Parish in Louisiana, and her fight is to keep out one of the largest plastic manufacturing companies in the world.

In this investigative four-part series, hosted by Emmy award-winning journalist Gloria Riviera, we discover how our plastic world came to be. Because plastic is everywhere - it has advanced our world, but it has damaged our environment and our health. So what do we do? We look at what’s next for all of us, and how we can learn from communities like St. James to make a difference in our own backyards.

This series is presented in partnership with Only One, the action platform for the planet. Only One is on a mission to restore ocean health and tackle the climate crisis in this generation — with your help. Visit only.one to learn more and get involved.

This is the story of a modern-day Erin Brockovich, set on the Mississippi River in an area known as “Cancer Alley." Her name is Sharon Lavigne, her community is St. James Parish in Louisiana, and her fight is to keep out one of the largest plastic manufacturing companies in the world.
In this investigative four-part series, hosted by Emmy award-winning journalist Gloria Riviera, we discover how our plastic world came to be. Because plastic is everywhere - it has advanced our world, but it has damaged our environment and our health. So what do we do? We look at what’s next for all of us, and how we can learn from communities like St. James to make a difference in our own backyards.
This series is presented in partnership with Only One, the action platform for the planet. Only One is on a mission to restore ocean health and tackle the climate crisis in this generation — with your help. Visit only.one to learn more and get involved.

Discarded

Across the country, kids in the juvenile justice system face a hidden burden: fines and fees that can follow them well into adulthood, affecting their credit, education, and ability to get a job. In this episode, host Maya Rupert speaks with Cameron D. Clark, Co-Coordinator of Debt Free Justice, about their work to eliminate fines and fees placed on youth and their families. In partnership with local communities, Debt Free Justice works to transform the system in states like Hawaii, where youth organizers are advocating for Native Hawaiian accountability practices instead of financial punishment. Through it all, Debt Free Justice is showing us what's possible when we replace punitive fines and fees with real opportunities for growth and accountability.

This episode is created in partnership with Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Learn more about Debt Free Justice at debtfreejustice.org

Across the country, kids in the juvenile justice system face a hidden burden: fines and fees that can follow them well into adulthood, affecting their credit, education, and ability to get a job. In this episode, host Maya Rupert speaks with Cameron D. Clark, Co-Coordinator of Debt Free Justice, about their work to eliminate fines and fees placed on youth and their families. In partnership with local communities, Debt Free Justice works to transform the system in states like Hawaii, where youth organizers are advocating for Native Hawaiian accountability practices instead of financial punishment. Through it all, Debt Free Justice is showing us what's possible when we replace punitive fines and fees with real opportunities for growth and accountability.
This episode is created in partnership with Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. Learn more about Debt Free Justice at <a href="http://debtfreejustice.org">debtfreejustice.org</a>

Bright Spots: Eliminating Fines and Fees for Kids in the Justice System

Great teaching changes lives, but even the best teachers need support. In this episode, we highlight a bright spot in New York City Public Schools where students achieved remarkable gains in reading proficiency. To uncover what led to these results, host Gloria Riviera speaks with Teaching Lab CEO Sarah Johnson and explores how investing in teachers can transform classrooms, boost student learning, and create a ripple effect of success. You’ll also hear from a New York City teacher and his teaching coach about what coaching looks like in practice – and the tangible impact it has in the classroom.

This episode is created in partnership with Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. 

Learn more about Teaching Lab at teachinglab.org. 

Great teaching changes lives, but even the best teachers need support. In this episode, we highlight a bright spot in New York City Public Schools where students achieved remarkable gains in reading proficiency. To uncover what led to these results, host Gloria Riviera speaks with Teaching Lab CEO Sarah Johnson and explores how investing in teachers can transform classrooms, boost student learning, and create a ripple effect of success. You&rsquo;ll also hear from a New York City teacher and his teaching coach about what coaching looks like in practice &ndash; and the tangible impact it has in the classroom.
This episode is created in partnership with Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies.&nbsp;
Learn more about Teaching Lab at&nbsp;<a href="http://teachinglab.org">teachinglab.org</a>.&nbsp;

Bright Spots: The Power of Coaching Teachers 

In 2023, multiple wildfires broke out in Hawaii, devastating the island of Maui. The town of Lahaina was destroyed, with more than 2000 buildings burned, and over a hundred deaths. The wildfires shocked the country, but there were people on the ground in Hawaii who had been raising the alarm for years. Elizabeth Pickett, the Co-Director of the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, joins us to discuss her efforts to raise awareness about the growing wildfire vulnerabilities in Hawaii over the last two decades. Now she’s helping the state lead the charge in wildfire prevention, making sure its communities continue to stand strong.  

This episode is presented by America Wins With Water. From the pipes, plants, and pools to the streams, lakes, and rivers that connect our 50 states, protecting and investing in water is all about protecting and investing in America. Learn more at americawinswithwater.org. 

In 2023, multiple wildfires broke out in Hawaii, devastating the island of Maui. The town of Lahaina was destroyed, with more than 2000 buildings burned, and over a hundred deaths. The wildfires shocked the country, but there were people on the ground in Hawaii who had been raising the alarm for years. Elizabeth Pickett, the Co-Director of the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, joins us to discuss her efforts to raise awareness about the growing wildfire vulnerabilities in Hawaii over the last two decades. Now she&rsquo;s helping the state lead the charge in wildfire prevention, making sure its communities continue to stand strong.&nbsp;&nbsp;
This episode is presented by America Wins With Water. From the pipes, plants, and pools to the streams, lakes, and rivers that connect our 50 states, protecting and investing in water is all about protecting and investing in America. Learn more at <a href="http://americawinswithwater.org/">americawinswithwater.org</a>.&nbsp;

Bright Spots: Keeping Families Together in Oklahoma

Discarded

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