Dear John,

In the spring of 2019, NVAHA had the privilege of working with Alyia Gaskins and Katie Leonard when they helped design and lead our successful community engagement session in the Gum Springs/Hybla Valley community. That evening, residents spoke about their lived experiences in their community, and shared their hopes for the future for themselves and their neighbors as the Route 1 Corridor redevelopment was being planned. "More Than A Transit Corridor" taught us a lot about how to engage under-served communities in ways that are authentic and meaningful.

Not content to stand pat on their accomplishments, Katie and Alyia have embarked upon a new initiative. Their recently launched podcast, Checkbox Outreach "elevates viewpoints and stories from those whose voice may be muted or not sought after by elected officials and/or community leaders." Their goal is to "disrupt traditional community outreach and engagement."

We think the conversations Checkbox Outreach has highlighted are worth hearing, so we are sharing the news directly from Alyia and Katie, as they celebrate the completion of their first 10 episodes. We hope you'll spend some time listening to these in-depth, issue-focused conversations with young leaders and change-makers.

The message below is excerpted from an email from Alyia and Katie:

"Today, we are releasing a special bonus episode highlighting what we have learned from our podcasting journey thus far.

June, 2020 has been quite a month for Checkbox Outreach. We are grateful for you taking the time to listen as we have discussed race and social equity, criminal justice reform, emergency management, re-entry, and many other issues that impact our country. Below are the faces of the change-makers we spoke with over the last 11 episodes.

The response to the podcast has been overwhelmingly positive. Katie and I were featured on the Virginia Badass Podcast. The National Preparedness Leadership Institute at Harvard shared Episode 4: A Conversation on Emergency Management with their network. And, Episode 10: A Conversation on Criminal Justice Reform was featured in the Legal Counsel for the Elderly Newsletter.

Katie and I have shared our episodes with and given policy and program suggestions to our elected officials in the City of Alexandria and Fairfax County, Virginia. Our show guests have also shared their podcast with their elected officials and other decision-makers.

Huge shout-out to Congressman Don Beyer’s Office and City of Alexandria Vice-Mayor Elizabeth Bennett Parker for their willingness to engage in a deeper conversation about the issues presented on the podcast.

Now it is your turn to tell your elected officials about the change you hope to see.
Not sure what to say? Here are a few key takeaways from this month’s episodes:

• All people, regardless of income or influence, should have a platform to communicate the issues that are most important to them. (Episode 1)
• We need broader and more comprehensive action to create effective rehabilitation and re-entry programs. (Episode 2)
• City agencies need to develop meaningful/high impact metrics for community engagement efforts. Instead of numbers of clients served, metrics should evaluate outcomes such as improved quality of life. (Episode 3)
• We must center equity in emergency management and disaster response efforts. (Episode 4)
• Increase access to capital for minority and women owned businesses and entrepreneurs, especially formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs. (Episode 5)
• There is a business imperative for diversity, equity and inclusion. (Episode 6)
• It’s time to talk about colorisim. (Episodes 7 and 8)
• Let’s re-imagine employee benefit packages to address the multiple barriers employees can have to remaining on the job, including safe transportation, housing affordability, and concerns over health care access. (Episode 9)
• Local elections matter for criminal justice reform. From the mayor, to the city council, to the sheriff and the chief of police, each of these positions impact how public safety is funded and enforced. (Episode 10)
• Additional funding is needed for HIV prevention, treatment, and support services. Safe and affordable water is critical -- City leaders can take action to not only protect residents from water shutoffs but to also ensure resident's have essential infrastructure. (Episode 11)"

Addressing racial and social inequities begins by listening to the stories of those most affected who are not always at the table when policy decisions are made. Our lives will be richer when all voices are empowered to be full community participants. Thank you, Alyia and Katie, for urging us to lean in and 'live in' by getting uncomfortable with these conversations that move us in the right direction.

Michelle Krocker
Executive Director

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