Public Hearing

In our first episode of 2021, Josh speaks with Etel Haxhiaj ; a Worcester resident, former refugee and Albanian immigrant, single mother, and candidate for District 5 on the Worcester City Council . Etel and Josh discuss opportunities for putting residents at the center of decision-making and how a public budget is a moral document. We’re back with all new episodes of Public Hearing ; available wh...

Molly & Sarah from Pop It finish their conversation with Josh and go even deeper discussing identity, lived experience, and start a challenging conversation about systems of prostitution. Check out Pop It, here ! What topics do you want to hear on the show in 2021? Send us a note: publichearing.co

Public Hearing is a podcast and radio show talking about smart cities, systems change, and equity-centered development through the lens of the City of Worcester, MA. We explore challenges facing the community and discuss solutions with a focus on inclusion, equity, and prosperity. Hosted by Joshua Croke, founder of Action! by Design. Action! by Design is a design studio helping organizations ampli...

Molly and Josh respond to Sarah’s question about what we spend our time doing with or without pay.. and the history of Yankee Doodle Dandy in this short sidebar convo.

Join hosts of two Worcester-based podcasts, Public Hearing and Pop It for a crossover episode! Molly, Sarah, and Josh talk about everything from Worcester politics to public education to buses using solar powered WiFi thingies to connect communities to the internet.

How should School Committees support public education and how can residents hold them accountable? Season 1 of Public Hearing has been about systems that impact youth; with pretty much every episode highlighting education in one way or another. In our Season Finale (woo hoo!), Josh talks with Tracy O’Connell Novick, a member of the Worcester Public Schools School Committee with kids in WPS (crazy,...

All politics is local. However, there are a lot of folx who don’t know too much about their local elected officials and what can actually be done at the local level. In this Sidebar episode of Public Hearing, Josh talks with Danaah McCallum and Doug Arbetter about the importance of voting in local elections, the challenges that many communities face, and ideas to improve our systems of government.

What are students actually looking for when it comes to changes in public education? Is our community truly centering and valuing the voices of the kids experiencing the systems that we’ve built for them? Today, we’re talking with two young organizers; both alumni of South High School in Worcester. And while we talk at a local level, this conversation echoes into so many other districts where stud...

Continuing our conversation with Dr. Mariel Novas, we dive into catalyzing community connectivity, racism as smog in the air, and finding time for joy in the midst of turmoil. More about Mariel! More on WEC. More on DYS. Check out this bit on Teach for America Mass! MEEP? Yes you heard that correctly. 

So far in Public Hearing Season 1, we’ve talked with people working across different systems including public education, juvenile justice, and child welfare as well as with individuals who have lived some of these experiences. In this episode, Josh talks with Dr. Mariel Novas; educator, innovator, immigrant, and community builder, about the cross-section of these systems and how intersectionality...

The child welfare system is a continuum of services that is setup to ensure children are safe and families have the appropriate resources to provide for the needs of their kids.. but does it? In our episode today, Josh talks to Danaah McCallum, a woman with over 20 years of experience working with the Department of Children and Families, about the complexities of this work and how it intersects wi...

This week we sat down with Keyshawn O'Connell—a recent college grad from College of the Holy Cross—who talked to us about some of his experiences growing up in Worcester, attending the public schools, and getting involved with programs like Recreation Worcester, Dynamy Youth Academy (Upward Bound), and Bottom line. Keyshawn shares his thoughts on how we might strengthen educational spaces for...

How much does opportunity outside of public education impact a students ability to be successful? This week, we talk with Frankie Franco, Community Engagement Specialist for the City of Worcester's Division of Youth Opportunities. Growing up in Worcester, Frankie shares his experiences navigating the public schools, the opportunities he had to join programs like Upward Bound, and how his brot...

How might we redesign the juvenile justice system so it is antiracist, developmentally appropriate, and transformative? We spoke to Katie Byrne who works for the Department of Youth Services as part of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI). JDAI has made significant progress in decreasing the number of youth in juvenile detention over the past 10 years, but when you break that down...

Welcome to our first Sidebar! Sidebars will be bonus material that either couldn't fit into our radio show (hosted on our local NPR affiliate WICN 90.5) or anything else that we feel is important to share with you! On this Sidebar, our host, Joshua Croke, was invited to facilitate the first Worcester Education Equity Roundtable Webinar focused on the future of education in the face of a pande...

On our first episode of Public Hearing, we spoke with Jennifer Davis Carey, Executive Director of the Worcester Education Collaborative , about the landscape of public education and how it serves (or doesn’t serve) the needs of young people and their families here in the U.S. We also hear from Savonne Pickett, a Worcester-based artist who participated in the Black Lives Matter street mural. Savonn...

Public Hearing listens to voices impacted by systems like public education and juvenile justice and talks to people using community-centered design to fix them. From getting families internet access to keeping kids out of prison, we’re imagining ways to build inclusive, equitable, and prosperous communities.  Hosted by Joshua Croke, founder of Action! by Design. Action! by Design supports communit...