For our last episode of Season 2, we are welcoming Pooja Tilvawala, Founder and Executive Director of Youth Climate Collaborative (YCC), a global youth-led nonprofit building the conditions for young people to create, sustain, and scale climate leadership and action. YCC engages 6,000+ youth annually through programs and resources focused on climate mental health, media and storytelling, green skills, intergenerational collaboration, and access to opportunities, with hubs in Kenya, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

She is also the Founder of Jaali, an AI-enhanced platform connecting changemakers with each other and resources to accelerate social impact. She previously co-founded the Entertainment + Culture Pavilion, advancing the role of arts and culture in climate solutions.

This episode is part of Podcasthon’s global event bringing podcasters and charities together. Thousands of podcasters have joined this annual event, highlighting charities around the world addressing different causes. We’re proud to be part of this event helping nonprofits reach new audiences and create long-term connections.

Resources:

• Youth Climate Collaborative’s Website

• Donate to Youth Climate Collaborative

• Pooja Tilvawala’s LinkedIn

• Podcasthon’s Website

Definitions:

• Intergenerational: interaction between members of different generations
• AI: artificial intelligence

• Generative AI: subfield of artificial intelligence that uses models and data to create text, images, videos, audio, software code or other forms of data.

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Cover art by Vivian Garcia (@viv_doodles)

Intro and Outro music: Clocks by Smith the Mister (All rights and credit go to Smith the Mister. No copyright infringements intended)

The Trump administration’s attacks on migrants in the United States has attempted to instill fear in American citizens, immigrants, and governments worldwide. Migrants have been dehumanized in the past (this is not new), but there is an increased awareness of immigrant policies and injustices due to the administration’s hateful rhetoric, including insults targeting different migrant populations. To wrap up Season 2, Tania and Adriana touch on this topic that is close to their hearts. While it’s a heavy topic, the episode ends with positive news and solutions (as always)!

Resources for Immigrants

• Know Your Rights

Learn More

• Tania’s Article: Life at the U.S.-Mexico Border Under Trump Administration - Migrant Women Press

• Two women on Tik Tok track ICE

• Charlottesville, NC community stands up to ICE

• Los Angeles protests against ICE

Organizations to Support

• Border Kindness

• Border Angels

• MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee

Definitions

• Environmental justice: a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit.
• Climate justice: a type of environmental justice that focuses on the unequal impacts of climate change on marginalized populations.
• Global North and Global South: terms used to categorize countries by socio-economic development, with the Global North comprising wealthy nations and the Global South including less affluent countries, reflecting global inequalities in wealth, power, and resources.
• Asylum: an asylum seeker is a person who has left their country and is seeking protection but has not yet been legally recognized as a refugee
• Refugee: someone who has fled due to risk of persecution or serious human rights violations and has been granted international protection.

• ICE: International Customs Enforcement Border Patrol (also known as Border Patrol) is a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS) responsible for border security and interior enforcement, including inspections, apprehensions, and removal processes.

  If you liked this episode, please rate and review the podcast on your favorite streaming platform. We appreciate your feedback.💛

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  Cover art by Vivian Garcia (@viv_doodles)

  Intro and Outro music: Clocks by Smith the Mister (All rights and credit go to Smith the Mister. No copyright infringements intended)

Fatimata Chan is a poet, author, climate activist, speaker, and an award-winning scholar. She has founded multiple initiatives, published a poetry book, and takes different approaches to her activism such as through academia, policy, and art. Fatimata’s interconnected approach to human rights allows her to address multiple injustices at once, including gender inequality, racial discrimination, the disproportionate impacts of the climate crisis, and more.

Fatimata grew up in the Bronx, New York City. Her upbringing in one of the most underresourced communities in the city, along with her immigrant background, inspired her to begin her activism at a young age by advocating for policy change. Her activism expanded over the years to include mutual aid efforts, community building, creating accessible spaces in academia, and spreading joy through art.

We at Closing the Gap podcast acknowledge that the Bronx lies on unceded Munsee Lenape land.

Resources

• Fatimata’s Website

• Fatimata's LinkedIn

• Fatimata’s Linktree

• Poem published by the Malala Fund: What do criminals look like?

• Perfectly Imperfect Poetry Book on Thrift Books

People Mentioned

• Trayvon Martin

• Tamir Rice

• Sandra Bland

Organizations to Support

• The People's Forum

• BRIC Arts Media

Definitions

• Boycotting: to refuse to buy or handle goods, or to refuse to participate in an event, as a form of protest.

• Coalition: formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal.

• Colonialism: the practice of extending and maintaining political, social, economic, and cultural domination over a territory and its people, by another group of people who claim superiority.

• Doomscrolling: the act of spending an excessive amount of time reading or watching large quantities of negative news on the web and social media.

• Gender equality: equal access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations, and needs equally.

• Lobbying: a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials.

• Mutual aid: an organizational model where voluntary, collaborative exchanges of resources and services for common benefit take place amongst community members to overcome social, economic, and political barriers to meeting common needs.

If you liked this episode, please rate and review the podcast on your favorite streaming platform. We appreciate your feedback.💛

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @closingthegappod ✨

We want to hear from you! Email us at closingthegappod@gmail.com

Cover art by Vivian Garcia (@viv_doodles)

Intro and Outro music: Clocks by Smith the Mister (All rights and credit go to Smith the Mister. No copyright infringements intended)

Welcome, Angelina Alanis! Angelina is the Communications & Partnerships Coordinator at Festival Beach Food Forest. She talks about the importance of food forests and urban green spaces in general. The Festival Beach Food Forest, based in Austin, Texas, was founded on Indigenous land stewardship practices. It’s filled with edible plants, rest spaces, and a communal gathering area under the tree canopy where different events are held, including weekly yoga sessions and monthly plant ID walks. This abundant space was intentionally designed to build community and foster a connection to the Earth. It sits next to a large highway, I-35, and is situated in a historically redlined neighborhood. The Festival Beach Food Forest illustrates the power of healing through community and urban green spaces, and is a great example for cities everywhere.

We acknowledge that Austin, Texas lies on unceded Sana, Comanche, Coahuiltecan, and Jumanos land.

Resources

• Festival Beach Food Forest Website

• Address: 25-1/2 Waller Street, Austin, Texas 78702

• Donate to Festival Beach Food Forest

• Instagram

• Facebook

Definitions

• Food forest: a type of garden where you grow many different fruits, nuts, herbs, and vegetables. It is designed to mimic a natural forest and has many different layers, from trees to shrubs, ground cover plants, vines, and more.

• Redlining: typically refers to the practice of creating and enforcing discriminatory policies or laws, particularly in relation to housing, lending, and access to resources. The term originates from the practice of drawing red lines on maps to outline areas that were deemed too risky for investment, often based on the racial or ethnic composition of the neighborhood.

• Permaculture: a type of agriculture intended to be self-sufficient, based on traditional practices that use natural resources and minimize waste.

• Topography: features of land surfaces or landforms

• Swales: a sunken or marshy place with gently sloping sides designed to manage water runoff, filter pollutants, and increase rainwater infiltration. Bioswales are swales that involve the inclusion of plants or vegetation.

• Natives or native plants: a plant is native if it has occurred naturally for thousands of years in a region, ecosystem, or habitat without human introduction.

• Biodiverse: Biodiversity is the variability of life on Earth. The more biodiverse an area, the more species variety there is.

If you liked this episode, please rate and review the podcast on your favorite streaming platform. We appreciate your feedback.💛

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Cover art by Vivian Garcia (@viv_doodles)

Intro and Outro music: Clocks by Smith the Mister (All rights and credit go to Smith the Mister. No copyright infringements intended)

Co-hosts Adriana Maria and Tania explore diverse forms of protest, from marches and vigils to calling legislators and creating art builds. They also delve into more extreme actions like hunger strikes, showcasing the range of ways dedicated activists push for change. But protest isn’t just for full-time activists; after listening, you’ll be invited to consider which types of actions resonate with your own skills, talents, and passions. Social justice movements thrive and succeed when we all play our part, so what’s your role?Resources

• Know Your Rights | Protesters’ Rights | ACLU

• How to Protest Safely

• 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action

• Timeline of the nationwide protest movement that began at Columbia University

• Los Angeles Public Safety Committee Ordinance- Council File: 24-0910

Types of Protests

• • Marches
  • Vigils
  • Calling/emailing legislators
  • Boycotts
  • Sit ins

• 
  

  Definitions

• • Land Back: a campaign or movement to by and for Indigenous peoples who seek to reestablish Indigenous sovereignty, with political and economic control of their ancestral lands.
  • Self-immolation: the act of setting oneself on fire. It is mostly done for political or religious reasons, often as a form of protest. It is considered one of the most extreme methods of protest.
  • Collective liberation: a concept that recognizes the interconnected nature of oppression and the need for collaborative efforts to create meaningful change.

  
  

  If you liked this episode, please rate and review the podcast on your favorite streaming platform. We appreciate your feedback.💛

  Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @closingthegappod ✨

  We want to hear from you! Email us at closingthegappod@gmail.com

  
  

  Cover art by Vivian Garcia (@viv_doodles)

  Intro and Outro music: Clocks by Smith the Mister (All rights and credit go to Smith the Mister. No copyright infringements intended)

Carol Viana (she/her) is a passionate advocate for climate justice in Brazil and beyond. Her expertise in environmental engineering and sustainable farming practices led her to work with international organizations including the Rainforest Alliance and the United Nations. Her work with these influential global entities highlights her dedication to meaningful climate solutions. In this discussion, Carol openly shares her journey, revealing the inspirations that drive her commitment to climate optimism and hope.Resources

• Sign up for Carol’s newsletter
• The Chloride Free Foundation
• YOUNGO: Youth constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Rainforest Alliance
• UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030)

Definitions

• Carbon markets: a trading scheme designed for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. In a carbon market, carbon credits are sold as permits that allow the purchaser to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas

• Agroforestry: land use management system that combines trees with farming, or agriculture and forestry

• Climate justice: a type of environmental justice that focuses on the unequal impacts of climate change on marginalized communities

• Global South / Global North: The Global North refers to the wealthier, more industrialized countries mostly, but not all, situated in the Northern Hemisphere that wield the majority of global political power. The Global South refers to countries less industrialized, with limited access to resources, that experience more extreme poverty and that wield less political power globally, primarily in the Southern Hemisphere. This drastic divide stems from centuries of colonialism, imperialism, and exploitation.

• Climate migration: a type of forced migration driven by sudden or gradual climate-exacerbated disasters, such as extreme weather, environmental degradation, or sea-level rise.

• Hurricane Milton: an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone which became the second-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded over the Gulf of Mexico

• Land grabbing: the act of seizing land in an unlawful manner

If you liked this episode, please rate and review the podcast on your favorite streaming platform. We appreciate your feedback.💛

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @closingthegappod ✨

We want to hear from you! Email us at closingthegappod@gmail.com

Cover art by Vivian Garcia (@viv_doodles)

Intro and Outro music: Clocks by Smith the Mister (All rights and credit go to Smith the Mister. No copyright infringements intended)

Aura Vasquez (she/her) is an Afro-Latina Colombian immigrant, community leader, organizer, and justice-oriented policy expert. She has worked extensively with the Los Angeles City Council, impacting legislation across Los Angeles county and the broader state of California. Aura’s efforts towards a more equitable and environmentally mindful society have led to successful campaigns, including the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. She has partnered with dozens of organizations and hundreds of individuals, demonstrating solidarity for causes that she sees as ‘interconnected,’ including affordable housing, renewable energy, immigration reform, amongst many more.

Recently, she began consulting companies to advance environmental regulations in the business sector. No matter what sector, campaign, or cause Aura is advocating for, she does so in a way that’s accessible to the public so everyone’s voice is heard.

We at Closing the Gap podcast acknowledge that Los Angeles lies on unceded Tongva land.

Connect with Aura

• Aura's Story
• The Impact Hour: Real Talk with Aura Vasquez
• Aura’s Instagram

Learn More About Aura’s Work

• Aura Vasquez, A Commissioner Shaking Up The System
• Life & Work with Aura Vasquez of Council District 10 - Voyage LA Magazine
• Aura for the People of L.A City Council District 10 in 2020

Resources

• Sierra Club
• PICO Network

Definitions

• Feminism: the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes .

• Environmental Justice: a social movement that addresses environmental harms that disproportionately affect marginalized communities, such as through a neighborhood’s proximity to landfills, hazardous waste, or and other land uses from which they do not benefit.

• Biodiversity: the variety of life on Earth.
• Community organizing: the strategic collaboration carried out by local residents to promote the interests of the community.

If you liked this episode, please rate and review the podcast on your favorite streaming platform. We appreciate your feedback.💛

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @closingthegappod ✨

We want to hear from you! Email us at closingthegappod@gmail.com

Cover art by Vivian Garcia (@viv_doodles)

Intro and Outro music: Clocks by Smith the Mister (All rights and credit go to Smith the Mister. No copyright infringements intended)