In this episode, the hosts explore how they are irreverently approaching the concept of “composting.” They talk about it in the context of language and how words mean different things across groups and contexts. This includes standardized or accepted tools within NPIC, which were not made for revolutionary praxis. It touches on our responsibility to learn from our ancestors and figure out things we’ve been told we can’t do. Lastly, the episode exposes the persistent idea that anyone has the right to know the outcome of their contribution of time or other resources.

Music

“Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠

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Website:⁠⁠ https://themay13group.net⁠⁠⁠

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• Raisely

We're on a small hiatus at the moment, but we wanted to hop into your stream to celebrate our anniversary and reflect on the work we're doing. Take a short break with us and let us know how you're celebrating May 13th!

“Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠

Sound Effect by Universfield from Pixabay

In this conversation, Carolina and The May 13 Group’s producer delve into the ecosystem metaphor again, discussing its implications in the nonprofit sector, the importance of holistic understanding, and the interconnectedness of various players within the ecosystem. They explore the nonprofit industrial complex as an ecosystem, the role of intention, and the potential for destruction and nourishment within these systems. The discussion also touches on the evaluation theory tree as a metaphor and questions the value of the ecosystem metaphor itself.

⁠⁠Episode 13 transcript⁠

Notes

• COMING SOON!

References

• COMING SOON!

Music

• “Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠

Contact us

• Website:⁠⁠ https://themay13group.net⁠⁠⁠

• • Email: team@themay13group.net
  • LinkedIn:

• • • Carolina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carodela⁠⁠⁠

    • Vidhya: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidhyashanker⁠⁠

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  • Raisely
    

In this episode, host Vidya Shanker welcomes The May 13 Group Podcast producer, Nayantara Premakumar, to explore the metaphor of ecosystems in relation to their work and personal experiences. They discuss the importance of understanding ecosystems holistically, the impact of colonialism and capitalism on land relationships, and the misappropriation of ecosystem language in various fields. The conversation also touches on personal reflections, cultural connections to land, and the need for deeper interrogation of the systems we create and participate in.

Episode 2.3 TRANSCRIPT COMING SOON!⁠⁠

Notes & References COMING SOON!

Music

• “Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)⁠ ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠⁠

Contact us

Website: ⁠https://themay13group.net⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn:

• Carolina: linkedin.com/in/carodela

• Vidhya: linkedin.com/in/vidhyashanker/

In this episode, Ramya Kumaran—a scholar and practitioner around imagination, play, and futures—joins host Vidhya Shanker to explore the transformative power of collective imagination for building new worlds beyond the ones we inherited. We challenge listeners to question whose imagination shapes our current realities and discuss The May 13 Group not as a single utopia but rather as a potential portal or protopia—an incremental steppingstone toward better possibilities. We invite listeners to reflect with us on healing, solidarity, and moving beyond survival to shift our perspective and open paths to meaningfully different futures.

Episode 2.3 TRANSCRIPT COMING SOON!⁠⁠

Notes & References COMING SOON!

Music

• “Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠⁠⁠

Contact us

Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://themay13group.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn:

• Carolina:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/carodela⁠
• Nayantara:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nayantara-premakumar⁠⁠
• Vidhya:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidhyashanker⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Donate to our podcast!⁠

The May 13 Group will be closed from mid-July to mid-August. Our team will be tending to our other gardens, which means time away from email and limited engagement with social media. In the meantime, you can stay connected with us through ⁠our website. If you would like to reach us, you can do so at team@themay13group.net and we will respond when we can after we return in August.

In this episode, hosts Carolina and Vidhya dive deep into collectivism in relation to the (neo)liberal ideology of individualism that underpins the nonprofit/nongovernmental industrial complex and evaluation. We invite Naaima Khan, a strategist and evaluator, to discuss the implications of collectivism in the context of structurally-focused analysis and action. The conversation weaves personal reflections, historical definitions, and critiques of language to explore themes of leadership, accountability, and culture. We discuss the need to shift how success is defined, acknowledging the discomfort that often accompanies true collectivism.

Episode 2.2 TRANSCRIPT⁠

Notes & References COMING SOON!

Music

• “Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)⁠ ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠⁠

Contact us

Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://themay13group.net⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn:

• Carolina: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/carodela
• Nayantara: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nayantara-premakumar⁠
• Vidhya: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidhyashanker⁠⁠⁠

Donate to our podcast!

In this episode, hosts Carolina and Vidhya reflect on our first year building a solidarity economy through this podcast. We connect recent topics—collective knowledge-making, individualism, and the idea of an economy—to each other, evaluation, accountability, and resource distribution. We note the years of work ahead, as today's socio-political situation results from decades of deliberate effort, not recent elections. Grateful for your feedback, we commit to being accessible to everyone fighting within the nonprofit industrial complex.

⁠⁠⁠Episode 2.1 TRANSCRIPT⁠⁠

Notes

• COMING SOON!

References

• COMING SOON!

• Music

• “Inspired” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)⁠ ⁠⁠Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0⁠⁠⁠

• Contact us

• Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://themay13group.net⁠⁠⁠⁠

• LinkedIn:

• Carolina: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/carodela⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Nayantara: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nayantara-premakumar⁠
• Vidhya: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidhyashanker⁠⁠⁠

⁠Donate to our podcast!⁠⁠