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PODCAST

Voices of the Community

George Koster, Voices of the Community

Welcome to Voices of the Community, we strive to amplify solutions facing where we live through featuring residents like you, along with change makers, and thought leaders to support our fellow residents and people visiting or working in our area. “Our goal is to feature the unheard comments and stories from communities across our region in hopes to create dialogues to address our common problems and support the change of the status quo.” - George Koster, Creator/Host

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

00:59:55

Covid-19's Impact on Housing & Wrap Around Services...

Voices of the Community ·

2025/12/19

“We were able to open our tiny house village during the pandemic and have 26 young people move in off the street and into housing." - Sally Hindman, Founder & Executive Director, Youth Spirit Artworks3 Main Takeaways on Solutions1.Guaranteed Income Works-Programs like **Miracle Money** and the **New Leaf Project** show that direct cash support helps unhoused individuals secure housing faster, save money, and meet basic needs—while reducing emergency service use and public costs.2.Wraparound Services

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00:59:19

Covid 19's Impact on our Communities Highlights Part...

Voices of the Community ·

2025/11/22

“Before the pandemic, one in four San Francisco families struggled with food security; after, four out of ten Black and Latinx families are struggling.” - Kenneth Kim, Senior Director of Programs, GLIDEDrawn from our 105-episode COVID-19 series, this conversation revisits the early months of the global pandemic—and connects them to today’s hunger crisis intensified by government shutdowns and SNAP cuts. Frontline leaders describe building pop-up pantries in days, serving thousands of outdoor meals,

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00:59:35

Covid-19’s Impact on Our Communities Highlights Part...

Voices of the Community ·

2025/10/24

"I think that people forget that. These small businesses, they're the ones that are sponsoring your sports teams, which are helping with school things, and that are doing fundraisers that are giving back to the community all the time." - Rebecca BertoldiWhen COVID-19 hit, we launched a series to spotlight the small businesses that sustain our communities. Five years on, many are still rebuilding. This highlight episode revisits candid conversations with policymakers, advisors, and owners about what

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00:29:52

”Beyond Bankruptcy”: The Fight For Stockton -...

Voices of the Community ·

2025/09/24

“We talk about that nihilistic mindset… what it means to grow up in a community that has that mindset and how that affects them. You have to be honest with them, though, that this is real. This is why y’all are dying.” - Anthony RodriguezPart two features Barbara Albertson, Michael Tubbs, youth panelists, and educators discussing Stockton's remarkable transformation from America's most miserable city through genuine community engagement, crime reduction strategies, educational reform, and grassroots

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00:29:55

”Beyond Bankruptcy”: The Fight For Stockton -...

Voices of the Community ·

2025/08/28

“No one’s coming to save us; we have to figure this out ourselves.” — Dillon DelvoReinvention in Stockton starts with people. Family, faith, and Black history shape young leaders; high expectations and visible role models invite the whole community to “come together.” Mentorship turns promise into pathways: Phoenix Scholars supports first-gen, low-income students through applications, scholarships, and personal statements, building generational opportunity. Meanwhile, grassroots coalitions

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00:30:17

CA Arts & Culture Summit - “Highlights Show Part 2”

Voices of the Community ·

2025/07/16

"Artists are entitled, just like every other worker, to a livable, predictable, sustainable wage." – Jennifer Laine, San Benito County Arts CouncilIn this powerful season finale, guests explore five urgent themes—economic power of the arts, youth-led civic engagement, cultural equity, legislative reform, and creative healing. From museum-building to policy change and correctional programs, they reveal how arts work fuels systemic solutions and community transformation across California.Show

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00:30:10

CA Arts & Culture Summit - “Highlights Show Part 1”

Voices of the Community ·

2025/06/18

"I have been used, abused and silenced within the nonprofit industrial complex... I'm not gonna take it anymore... I'm gonna get mine and my community's gonna get there's this year" - Nikko Kimzin, Kimzin CreativeIn Part One of season two of Where Art Meets Impact highlight episode. This episode features inspiring voices from the 2024 California Arts and Culture Summit, which highlights, how artists and advocates tackle three major issues: legitimizing creative careers as real work, integrating arts

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00:30:30

State of the Arts Summit Highlights Part 2

Voices of the Community ·

2025/05/14

"When the community comes together, organizes, advocates, makes noise, and has a plan, we can change systems” - Richard RayaJoin host George Koster for part two of our Arts for a Better Bay Area highlights as ten visionary guests tackle some of the big issues facing San Francisco and our arts organizations and creative workforce; Such as downtown vacancies, converting offices into affordable artist homes, changing Hotel Tax Funding of the arts via reforms ensuring transparent hotel‑tax dollars, and

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00:30:00

State of the Arts Summit Highlights - Part 1

Voices of the Community ·

2025/04/16

We must disrupt and rebuild; our task is to shift how society thinks through art” - Ralph RemingtonPart one of this special episode, in collaboration with Arts for a Better Bay Area, delves into the discussions and insights from the 2023 State of the Arts and Culture Organization Summit. Host Eric Estrada and summit reporter Isa Nakazawa bring you the voices of key panelists and attendees who are shaping the future of the arts in the Bay Area. Guests:Maria Jenson, Creative and Executive Director,

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00:35:45

"Breaking Isolation: Arts as a Community Solution"

Voices of the Community ·

2025/02/12

Arts Equity, Advocacy, Impact"Artists, cultural bearers, creatives are essential contributors to the economy… so that arts are not a luxury, arts are not a hobby" – Ron MurieraThis episode of Where Art Meets Impact features Kristen Sakota, Michael Alexander, Ron Muriera, Meghna Bhat, and Josiah Bruny, discussing arts advocacy, economic empowerment, storytelling, arts and health, and youth leadership. They offer solutions including increasing arts funding, strengthening community engagement,

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00:59:28

Creative Equity: "Building Sustainable Futures for...

Voices of the Community ·

2025/01/18

"Artists must be at the center of decision-making, shaping policies and funding structures that directly impact their work and their communities” - Nataki GarrettShow GuestsTiara AmarTitle: Advocate for Art Workers’ RightsKey Points:Advocates for fair pay and professional protections for musicians.Highlights the Fair Play Initiative for setting pay minimums.Showcases transformative impact through grassroots campaigns and fellowship programs.Nurit SmithTitle: Executive Director, Music Forward

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01:02:05

Making the Invisible Visible - Finding Home Part 2

Voices of the Community ·

2024/12/14

“So, if people need potable water, then we need to provide them with that. Or if people are looking for a job that we don't need to categorize that. We can start to put away our own judgment and provide them with the opportunity that they're putting in front of us versus us telling them, no, no, you need to go get treatment before you get a job”- Mary CarlIn Part Two of our “Finding Home” Live Show, experts and those with lived experience discuss the complexities of homelessness in San Francisco;

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01:07:38

Harnessing the Power of Arts: Advocacy, Equity, and...

Voices of the Community ·

2024/11/27

"For the first time, we are centering artists in our work with an equity-centered, artist-centered cultural plan... with a big emphasis on affordable housing and live-workspace for artists” - Jonathon Glus, City of San DiegoIn this engaging episode of Voices of the Community, we spotlight transformative policy wins and the visions shaping the future of California's arts and culture sector. Recorded live at the second annual California Arts and Culture Summit in Sacramento, this episode features

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01:01:53

Making the Invisible Visible - Finding Home Part 1

Voices of the Community ·

2024/11/09

"Our philosophy is simple: without rest, there is no healing. We open our doors so that people can have a safe space to rest, restoring a basic dignity often lost on the streets.”- Lydia BranstenIn Finding Home, host George Koster speaks with leaders from San Francisco-based organizations committed to supporting unhoused residents. This insightful conversation highlights the unique challenges and solutions surrounding homelessness, especially in a post-pandemic environment.Featured Guests: Mary

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01:13:29

Building Better Bridges in the Arts Economy - Case...

Voices of the Community ·

2024/10/26

"It’s really important for arts advocates and tradition bearers, artists, and cultural organizations to participate in the visioning and guiding principle process in your community plan, to get named in the vision statement of the community" - Tracy HudakJoin Tracy Hudak, Director of Field Engagement for California for the Arts, and Jackie Melendez, Assistant City Manager of the City of Chino, for an insightful discussion in "Casemaking for Collaboration." This episode explores the intersection of

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01:11:42

Discover the Future of Creative Work!

Voices of the Community ·

2024/09/14

"We’re living through the greatest art heist of all time. Billions of images, data, and content were scraped illegally, impacting creative jobs, and AI is at the forefront of this transformation." - Nicole HendrixThe creative economy is at a crossroads, grappling with issues of fair pay, technological disruption, and access to resources. The panelists in this insightful discussion offer solutions and strategies for artists and advocates to navigate these challenges and build a more sustainable and

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01:01:45

Voices of Change: "The Intersection of Art, Equity, &...

Voices of the Community ·

2024/08/17

“So if you have not tapped into community members that you are serving, that you are working with, then you are missing a large, piece of the solution to your problems”. - Heather HeslepGentrification, displacement, the struggle for ownership... these are the challenges faced by many communities today. But what if art could be the key to preserving cultural heritage and building economic resilience? The panel discussion features Tamaira “Miss Tee” Sandifer, CEO & Founder of Studio T Arts &

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01:08:31

CA Arts & Culture Summit "Arts and Health" panel

Voices of the Community ·

2024/07/13

"At the structural level, we don’t make decisions based on evidence. If we did, we would have universal healthcare and basic income. The arts can be part of this shift” - Tasha GoldenJoin Nefesha Yisra’el from California for the Arts as she introduces our second episode, featuring a powerful panel discussion on the intersection of arts and health. This episode is part of our exclusive interview series with California for the Arts and their second annual State of the Arts Summit.Featured

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00:59:16

The Future of Arts & Culture in California: Keynote...

Voices of the Community ·

2024/06/01

"Together we can create a world where arts and culture are recognized and invested in as essential to society, embedded in community life, and intersecting with broader policy change to reshape systems towards equity and justice." - Julie BakerJoin us as we kick off our second season, celebrating the vibrant and resilient arts and culture scene that shape our community. This season, we bring you highlights from the second annual California Arts & Culture Summit, organized by our partner California

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00:38:25

Discover the Artist Space Trust: Unlocking the Future...

Voices of the Community ·

2024/04/03

"The interesting thing about a Land Trust is that it's a split title, we'll split the title and the land trust will own the land forever. And then we'll either sell or lease the housing or creative space on top of it to artists" - Meg ShifflerWelcome to the finale of our series on affordable housing for the creative workforce, brought to you in partnership with Arts for a Better Bay Area and the State of the Arts Summit. This episode is the culmination of our journey, featuring innovative solutions

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