Let's Talk Dreams

Meara Kane is a City Year AmeriCorps member serving as a student success coach at Eugene Field Elementary School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In this role, she provides academic, attendance, and social-emotional support to students in a fourth grade classroom. The City Year program requires 1700 hours of service throughout the school year, and Meara pursues additional service opportunities outside of the classroom by volunteering with community organizations such as Iron Gate, the Gathering Place, the Tulsa Garden Center, the Tulsa SPCA, and the Oklahoma Aquarium. She enjoys seeking out new experiences and believes that community connection is an essential part of staying grounded and healthy while navigating challenges.

In addition to her work with City Year, Meara has also been working on a project called Lemniscate, which she developed with a classmate shortly after graduating high school. Lemniscate aims to elevate voices from the neurodivergent community by creating safe spaces for neurodivergent folks to connect and share their experiences. She recently partnered with a writer from the Tulsa area to host Lemniscate’s first in-person meetup in March, where they met other community members who were also interested in the project. They are currently working on maintaining connections virtually through a blog, newsletter, and social media channels and are planning a second in-person event scheduled for the end of May.

Hey Everyone!

Welcome to Season 2 of Let's Talk Dreams! Today, our founder, Sydnee Floyd is here to give all the details on her recent Brazil trip! She also starts our new season of Let's Talk Dreams with her advice on how to make a change! Give it a listen!

For my social science project, I decided to explore the rise of homelessness in Nashville. I interviewed Steven Young, Daniel Craig, and Trayce Tucker to talk about their personal experiences with helping the homeless in the community. 

World Meet Robbie!  

Robbie J. Atkinson, is a Film Director, Editor, and CEO of RPX Media Production as well as the founder of the Foundation for Inter-Ethnic Restoration [aka FIER; pronounced "fire.] After obtaining her M.A. in Digital Production from Georgia State University (2018), she founded FIER in 2020 amidst the countless protests against police brutality and rampant xenophobia stemming from the COVID 19 pandemic. From there, she assembled a diverse team of volunteers and researchers from countries like Nigeria, China, Bangladesh, Turkey and Dubai to help FIER reach its community and achieve its mission. FIER's general mission is to bring ethnic communities together, address racial trauma through education about racial literacy, foster community engagement and host open/inclusive discussion.  

Join Robbie on LTD as we discuss racial inequality, being a woman in the production industry, how to make a difference, and the power of your voice.

Everyone Meet Star!

"I am currently going back to school for Elementary Education. My goal is to be the teacher I needed in school as well as utilize the knowledge I learned from my favorite instructors. I do my best to be involved in activism in my community as well as using my tiktok account to spread information across the world. I am currently working on raising money and collecting supplies to build winter bags for the homeless in my area. I am currently a volunteer member of Gen-z For Change and have been since its launch in 2019; I have also just started volunteering with NARAL and my aim is to continue to help make change in our country."

Star comes on LTD to discuss voting, abortion rights, interracial relationships, mental health, and being unapologetically you! Listen to her episode now!

Gabi's Goodies for Good is run by a high school girl who bakes and sells treats in order to raise money for charities that speak to her heart. In 2017, she raised $1000, 2018 $1640, 2019 $2000, 2020, $2,211, 2021, $3,289.21!

"Sidonia Cannon is a student at George Mason University, studying Global Affairs and Nonprofit Management. She has been a founding member and leader of two student-run nonprofits and has interned for many more. Her dream: working in development for an international nonprofit and changing the world for the better."

Bridge Builders Program Inc. is a local non-profit that is committed to providing leadership, mentoring, academic support, and networking opportunities for children and families in the Nashville area. Bridge Builder participants and programs tirelessly throughout Nashville and surrounding communities to uphold and emulate its guiding principles.

Outside of education, Bridge Builder's Program, Inc. works in the community with the Rescue Mission, RMDH, and Metro Nashville Public Schools to provide for the needs of the less fortunate in our community.

She started "build her a bridge" in 2018, a 501(c)3 organization for girls ages 12-19 and young adults dealing with issues this generation struggles with in a very real and authentic way. That's why their motto is real, raw and relatable!" Between monthly gatherings, community impact projects, a journal/self help book coming soon, a new television project, and the beginning process of opening a teen center for teens seeking therapy!

Naomi Porter is a 16-year-old serial entrepreneur, education reform advocate and public speaker from Los Angeles, California.  She is the C.E.O. of two businesses:  Spice it Up and Bright Futures.

Naomi founded EntrepreYOUership in 2019 to provide free entrepreneurial education to youth. Her organization has served over the 1600 youth through 35+ workshops that equip youth with an entrepreneurial mindset. She manages a team of 50 youth from over 18 countries.

Most recently, her advocacy and entrepreneurial work has been featured in Forbes, Voyage LA Mag, and Wharton Business.

Michelle Sanders Brinson is a compelling writer and communications expert. She has mastered the art of storytelling for nonprofits and businesses across the country that inspire authentic generosity.

Tom Ahern, one of the world's foremost authorities on donor communications, calls her, “some kind of donor newsletter genius/artist.”

Michelle is the Communications & PR Manager for Nashville Rescue Mission, and the writer behind their monthly print newsletter that annually raises nearly $2 million.