Do Local Good Podcast

11/27/24 • 0 min

Welcome to Do Local Good, a podcast created by United Way of the Alberta Capital Region and hosted by the team of volunteers on the GenNEXT Cabinet! We feature stories and people from the Edmonton region to inform, inspire, and invite others to join us in building resilient and thriving communities. Each episode features insights from local experts, community leaders, and non-profits working in education, mental health, financial literacy, and more — bringing you closer to the real challenges and solutions that shape our community.

Previous Episode

Empowering Youth

In this episode we get to know Make Your Mark, an initiative of United Way of the Alberta Capital Region that teaches students from kindergarten to Grade 12 about social issues in their own communities, the role of non-profit organizations, and how they can make a real impact. We interview Sarah Chan about what drives her involvement with Make Your Mark as United Way works to grow the program to more local school projects. We also talk to Michelle Sabourin, a high school teacher at M.E. LaZerte and a champion of the program who participates annually with her students. And we hear from students Jessica and Drew, who are actively participating in Make Your Mark and share how this program has a direct impact on students.

Join us as we examine who is readying the next generation of changemakers in the Alberta Capital Region, and how are they doing it. United Way’s Make Your Mark is presented by Dentons.

Learn More: Stats Canada on Low Volunteerism
Get Involved: Make Your Mark
Support: United Way Alberta Capital Region

The GenNEXT podcast team is Alex Bedard, Adam Tymko, Annie Weishaar, Brett Eigner, Sydney Reid, Feven Woerde, and Samantha Baxter. GenNEXT is a volunteer committee of United Way of the Alberta Capital Region. If you’d like to learn more or find out how you can help ensure no one in our community is left behind, visit MyUnitedWay.ca.

Next Episode

Art as Therapy: Bridging Mental Health Gaps in the Edmonton Region

In this episode of United Way’s Do Local Good podcast, hosts Yawa Idi and Rahma Dalmar explore how art therapy is making a meaningful impact on mental health in the Alberta Capital Region. Joined by special guests Derryl-Lynn Braumberger, MCP-AT, CCC, and Laura Torgrimson, MCP-AT, CCC, art therapists from The Family Centre, the conversation highlights the critical need for accessible mental health resources. Together, they discuss how United Way-supported initiatives like All in for Youth foster supportive spaces where creative expression can be a powerful tool for healing. Hear inspiring stories of how art therapy helps build connection, hope, and strength in Edmonton's diverse communities.

Get Involved:

Learn more about how you can make a difference with GenNEXT: https://www.myunitedway.ca/take-action/join-a-group/gennext/
Access local resources by calling 211, texting INFO to 211, or chatting online at 211 Alberta: https://ab.211.ca/

Featured Programs and Resources:

All in for Youth: https://www.myunitedway.ca/allinforyouth/
The Family Centre: https://www.familycentre.org/
Tools for School: https://www.myunitedway.ca/tools-for-school/
Coats for Kids & Families: https://www.myunitedway.ca/how-we-help/basic-needs/coats-for-kids-and-families/

Special Acknowledgments:

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our hosts, Yawa Idi and Rahma Dalmar, for leading this inspiring conversation, and to our guests, Derryl-Lynn Braumberger and Laura Torgrimson, for sharing their expertise and passion for building resilient communities through art therapy.

Special thanks to The Family Centre for their ongoing leadership in providing essential mental health resources in our community. We also acknowledge the incredible teams at All in for Youth schools across the Alberta Capital Region, whose unwavering dedication helps create supportive environments where young people can thrive.

A big thank-you to everyone from United Way and the GenNEXT Cabinet involved in the production of this podcast, including Adam Piercey, Chris Tse, Courtney Riley, Catherine Lee-Hanley, and Daryl Hooke, for their creativity, hard work, and commitment to amplifying stories of resilience and connection.

Lastly, we express our gratitude to our listeners for joining us on this journey to explore how creative solutions like art therapy can help strengthen our community.

Together, we are building resilient, connected, and thriving communities where no one is left behind.

Land Acknowledgment:

This episode was recorded in Edmonton, Alberta, on Treaty Six Territory and the Métis Nation of Alberta North Saskatchewan River Territory. We acknowledge that this land has long served as a meeting place, gathering ground, and travel route for the diverse Indigenous Peoples who have called it home for generations. These include the nêhiyawak (Cree), Blackfoot, Dene, Anishinaabe (Saulteaux), Nakota Sioux, Inuit, and Métis. We are deeply grateful for the resources, knowledge, and culture shared by Indigenous communities, as we walk together on the path toward reconciliation. We honour and respect their contributions, which help guide our work to ensure no one in our community is left behind.