Hey, everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome to a bonus episode of Work in Progress. Ye First of all, thank you so much for listening to Work in Progress through and congratulations everyone we made it somehow to the end of this year. When I look back on the past year, I'm going to frame the high highs and low lows by the guests we've had on the show and the conversations I've gotten to have and learn so much from. As I think back on this year, I'm struck by how much all of us are doing in our day to day lives and as a society, and even more by how much there still is to do and our motivation to get it done. To that end, I thought I'd take an opportunity to help make sure we can all pitch in to start off right. Let's start it on one of those high notes with a few charitable organizations that can use your donations or volunteer time or your voice to make a difference. Now, these aren't in any particular order, and you may recognize a few of them from some of our regular and bonus episodes from Let's Chat giving back In the past couple of weeks, we've all been having some pretty intense discussions on social media about what's going on in the world. And one of the things that is the hardest pill for me to swallow is our epidemic of gun violence, and especially how it affects young kids, from school shootings to firearm accidents in homes where those firearms are not locked up. We have a problem. And I know there's a big debate about responsible gun ownership and and the hobby that comes with it. And by the way, I'm a hobbyist too, so I I come to this debate from both sides at the same time, as a person who grew up with that being part of my family life and as a person whose family has been touched by a gun violence. Guys, the reality is that gun violence touches every town in America. It touches every place that we live, every community, and unfortunately eventually every single one of us. And for too long, life saving laws and policy have been thwarted by the gun lobby and by leaders who refuse to have a same debate on ways that we can all take common sense steps that will save lives. Now, I don't think saving children's lives should be partisan. I don't think protecting families should be partisan, but a lot of big corporations have spent a whole lot of money to make us think that these conversations are and I think we can do better. Part of the reason I believe that we can do better and I believe in change is because of every town and Moms Demand action. More than six million mayors, moms, teachers, survivors, gun owners, students, and everyday Americans from all over this country have come together to make their communities safer. Shannon Watts founded and leads Mom's Demand. I am so honored that through this work, I not only call her an idol, but I call her a friend. And she has inspired people everywhere, and I know she will inspire all of you. Every town in Mom's Demand starts with us, met you, and it starts in our neighborhoods. By introducing evidence based solutions in every town, we can end gun violence. And I believe we can do this together, and I really believe that we have to. So if you want to get involved, if you were as freaked out in the second week of December as I was about a TikTok challenge going around encouraging gun violence in schools like what is happening? Things have gone too far. If that freaked you out, if you are from a town that has been touched by gun violence, if you know someone whose family has been touched by gun lands, and even if you think you don't, you know me so you do, please consider getting involved. You can learn, you can listen, you can show up, you can volunteer, and the best place to start is to download their app. Every Town and Mom's Demand share an app which makes it easy. You don't have to have to and you can download. We'll put the link in the show notes. You can donate, You can volunteer on their text or call team. Visit the website every town dot org or Mom's Demand dot org to get started. Together, we can prevent the gun violence that we all know is preventable, and I think together we can remain committed to doing what it takes to keep our families and our neighbors safe. When we think about how things affect kids, like the epidemic of gun violence we just referenced, we also need to pull back and think about how whatever they're facing, whether it is that epidemic, whether it is the pandemic of COVID whether it's poverty and community, whatever it is kids are up against, it affects their mental health. And I know so many of us are coming to terms with talking about our mental health and what we need to take care of it as adults. You know, Millennials and gen Z were really open about those struggles and those gains that we're making. But what about kids? That's where On our Sleeves comes in. On Our Sleeves as a national movement that is working to break stigmas around children's mental health because they believe, as I do, that no family should struggle alone on that journey. And so many kids are reporting issues of mental health, anxiety, depression, stress, a hard time focusing in school, and the idea that you know, an eight year old, a five year old could be dealing with this stuff just breaks my heart. And I'm so relieved that On our Sleeves exists to provide free mental health and educational resources to every community in America to educate families and empower advocates. They support access to services by connecting families to trust the local resources, and they even provide resources for classrooms so that teachers, as they run their curriculum can include curriculum about mental health and communication. That really helps kids open up about this and that helps parents too. So if you want to get involved in supporting kiddos, whether they're yours or kids you love, or siblings in your family, you can visit on our Sleeves dot org. You can pledge to do one small thing, you can plan an event, you can plan a fundraiser, and you can check out the show notes for more news about the incredible work that On Our Sleeves is doing. The next group I'd love to talk about also involves a former work in progress guest chef, Jose Andres and his incredible organization, World Central Kitchen. World Central Kitchen uses the power of food to nourish communities and strengthen economies through times of crisis and beyond. Whether there is a natural disaster like a hurricane or a flood, World Central Kitchen is on the ground. If there is a community that is suffering, World Central Kitchen is on the ground. Jose Andres shows up where people are needed, and one of the things that people need most when they're going through something is a hot plate of food and the knowledge that they're cared about, Especially with the outbreak of COVID and what happened all across the globe. The world changed profoundly, and World Central Kitchen activated in communities all around the US and around the world to meet the daily needs of families in need of a warm plate of food, and they supported thousands of local restaurants in the process. That's one of the things that I think is so cool. Whether it's a health crisis or a man made or natural made disaster, they show up to keep people fed, loved, and to keep local businesses alive. And I'm just endlessly inspired by what they do. If you missed Jose Andrea's episode of this show, I highly suggest you check it out so that you can learn from the man himself. And if donations that bring fresh meals to frontline medical staff and communities need inspire you, please visit w c K dot org that stands for World Central Kitchen dot org. You can follow them on Twitter. They are hiring, you can volunteer, and of course you can donate. And finally, I want to talk about an organization that I'm incredibly proud to have helped co found and that I'm so honored to be a part of, and that is I Am a Voter. Guys, I Am a Voter is a nonpartisan movement that is aiming to create a cultural shift around voting and civic engagement. We need to unify around a central truth. Our democracy works best when we all participate, and we all participate best when we are informed. It's easy to get started with I Am a Voter. You can text the word voter v O T E R to to six seven nine seven. We will not bombard you with a whole bunch of information, but what we will help you do is registered to vote. Check your registration status, because y'all know there are nefarious groups out there purging voters from the rolls and that is not hey. So you can register, you can check your status, you will get election reminders, and of course you can donate, volunteer your time, whatever it is you choose. To learn more, visit I Am a Voter dot com, follow us on Instagram at I Am a Voter, and remember that when you vote, you're powerful and honestly sexy. Cific engagement is sexy. Let's be honest about it. I want to say thank you again. I just can't express enough how much getting to do this show means to me and how much I appreciate you all for listening and supporting the podcast extra thanks to our Wondery plus subscribers, and for all of you, seriously thank you for being a part of Work in Progress. The fact that we I'll meet here in this digital space to share thoughts and to learn lessons and to learn how we can further work on ourselves makes me feel like we all share a common goal of progress, more goodness, more kindness, more ideas, more thought, and that that's the thing I cherish most is year ends. So happy New Year to all of you. I'm grateful for you.

Hey, everyone, it's Sophia. Welcome to a bonus episode of Work in Progress. Ye First of all, thank you so much for listening to Work in Progress through and congratulations everyone we made it somehow to the end of this year. When I look back on the past year, I'm going to frame the high highs and low lows by the guests we've had on the show and the conversations I've gotten to have and learn so much from. As I think back on this year, I'm struck by how much all of us are doing in our day to day lives and as a society, and even more by how much there still is to do and our motivation to get it done. To that end, I thought I'd take an opportunity to help make sure we can all pitch in to start off right. Let's start it on one of those high notes with a few charitable organizations that can use your donations or volunteer time or your voice to make a difference. Now, these aren't in any particular order, and you may recognize a few of them from some of our regular and bonus episodes from Let's Chat giving back In the past couple of weeks, we've all been having some pretty intense discussions on social media about what's going on in the world. And one of the things that is the hardest pill for me to swallow is our epidemic of gun violence, and especially how it affects young kids, from school shootings to firearm accidents in homes where those firearms are not locked up. We have a problem. And I know there's a big debate about responsible gun ownership and and the hobby that comes with it. And by the way, I'm a hobbyist too, so I I come to this debate from both sides at the same time, as a person who grew up with that being part of my family life and as a person whose family has been touched by a gun violence. Guys, the reality is that gun violence touches every town in America. It touches every place that we live, every community, and unfortunately eventually every single one of us. And for too long, life saving laws and policy have been thwarted by the gun lobby and by leaders who refuse to have a same debate on ways that we can all take common sense steps that will save lives. Now, I don't think saving children's lives should be partisan. I don't think protecting families should be partisan, but a lot of big corporations have spent a whole lot of money to make us think that these conversations are and I think we can do better. Part of the reason I believe that we can do better and I believe in change is because of every town and Moms Demand action. More than six million mayors, moms, teachers, survivors, gun owners, students, and everyday Americans from all over this country have come together to make their communities safer. Shannon Watts founded and leads Mom's Demand. I am so honored that through this work, I not only call her an idol, but I call her a friend. And she has inspired people everywhere, and I know she will inspire all of you. Every town in Mom's Demand starts with us, met you, and it starts in our neighborhoods. By introducing evidence based solutions in every town, we can end gun violence. And I believe we can do this together, and I really believe that we have to. So if you want to get involved, if you were as freaked out in the second week of December as I was about a TikTok challenge going around encouraging gun violence in schools like what is happening? Things have gone too far. If that freaked you out, if you are from a town that has been touched by gun violence, if you know someone whose family has been touched by gun lands, and even if you think you don't, you know me so you do, please consider getting involved. You can learn, you can listen, you can show up, you can volunteer, and the best place to start is to download their app. Every Town and Mom's Demand share an app which makes it easy. You don't have to have to and you can download. We'll put the link in the show notes. You can donate, You can volunteer on their text or call team. Visit the website every town dot org or Mom's Demand dot org to get started. Together, we can prevent the gun violence that we all know is preventable, and I think together we can remain committed to doing what it takes to keep our families and our neighbors safe. When we think about how things affect kids, like the epidemic of gun violence we just referenced, we also need to pull back and think about how whatever they're facing, whether it is that epidemic, whether it is the pandemic of COVID whether it's poverty and community, whatever it is kids are up against, it affects their mental health. And I know so many of us are coming to terms with talking about our mental health and what we need to take care of it as adults. You know, Millennials and gen Z were really open about those struggles and those gains that we're making. But what about kids? That's where On our Sleeves comes in. On Our Sleeves as a national movement that is working to break stigmas around children's mental health because they believe, as I do, that no family should struggle alone on that journey. And so many kids are reporting issues of mental health, anxiety, depression, stress, a hard time focusing in school, and the idea that you know, an eight year old, a five year old could be dealing with this stuff just breaks my heart. And I'm so relieved that On our Sleeves exists to provide free mental health and educational resources to every community in America to educate families and empower advocates. They support access to services by connecting families to trust the local resources, and they even provide resources for classrooms so that teachers, as they run their curriculum can include curriculum about mental health and communication. That really helps kids open up about this and that helps parents too. So if you want to get involved in supporting kiddos, whether they're yours or kids you love, or siblings in your family, you can visit on our Sleeves dot org. You can pledge to do one small thing, you can plan an event, you can plan a fundraiser, and you can check out the show notes for more news about the incredible work that On Our Sleeves is doing. The next group I'd love to talk about also involves a former work in progress guest chef, Jose Andres and his incredible organization, World Central Kitchen. World Central Kitchen uses the power of food to nourish communities and strengthen economies through times of crisis and beyond. Whether there is a natural disaster like a hurricane or a flood, World Central Kitchen is on the ground. If there is a community that is suffering, World Central Kitchen is on the ground. Jose Andres shows up where people are needed, and one of the things that people need most when they're going through something is a hot plate of food and the knowledge that they're cared about, Especially with the outbreak of COVID and what happened all across the globe. The world changed profoundly, and World Central Kitchen activated in communities all around the US and around the world to meet the daily needs of families in need of a warm plate of food, and they supported thousands of local restaurants in the process. That's one of the things that I think is so cool. Whether it's a health crisis or a man made or natural made disaster, they show up to keep people fed, loved, and to keep local businesses alive. And I'm just endlessly inspired by what they do. If you missed Jose Andrea's episode of this show, I highly suggest you check it out so that you can learn from the man himself. And if donations that bring fresh meals to frontline medical staff and communities need inspire you, please visit w c K dot org that stands for World Central Kitchen dot org. You can follow them on Twitter. They are hiring, you can volunteer, and of course you can donate. And finally, I want to talk about an organization that I'm incredibly proud to have helped co found and that I'm so honored to be a part of, and that is I Am a Voter. Guys, I Am a Voter is a nonpartisan movement that is aiming to create a cultural shift around voting and civic engagement. We need to unify around a central truth. Our democracy works best when we all participate, and we all participate best when we are informed. It's easy to get started with I Am a Voter. You can text the word voter v O T E R to to six seven nine seven. We will not bombard you with a whole bunch of information, but what we will help you do is registered to vote. Check your registration status, because y'all know there are nefarious groups out there purging voters from the rolls and that is not hey. So you can register, you can check your status, you will get election reminders, and of course you can donate, volunteer your time, whatever it is you choose. To learn more, visit I Am a Voter dot com, follow us on Instagram at I Am a Voter, and remember that when you vote, you're powerful and honestly sexy. Cific engagement is sexy. Let's be honest about it. I want to say thank you again. I just can't express enough how much getting to do this show means to me and how much I appreciate you all for listening and supporting the podcast extra thanks to our Wondery plus subscribers, and for all of you, seriously thank you for being a part of Work in Progress. The fact that we I'll meet here in this digital space to share thoughts and to learn lessons and to learn how we can further work on ourselves makes me feel like we all share a common goal of progress, more goodness, more kindness, more ideas, more thought, and that that's the thing I cherish most is year ends. So happy New Year to all of you. I'm grateful for you.