The Social Work Lens

Foster Care to Prison Pipeline Part 3: Jaylyn

Welcome to the conclusion of our series on the Foster Care to Prison Pipeline. In this episode, we are joined by Jaylyn Van Fossen, who was previously in the foster care

Foster Care to Prison Pipeline Part 2: Vermont's System

In this episode we will be continuing our discussion of the Foster Care to Prison Pipeline, focusing in on this system as it pertains to Vermont. This will be a discussio

Foster Care to Prison Pipeline Part 1: Dr. Sherri Simmons-Horton

In this episode, Mackenzie Leonard interviews Dr. Sherri Simmons-Horton about her incredible work around what is being referred to as "The Foster Care to Prison Pipeline"

Vermont Resource Spotlight on Camp Outright!

Within the quiet rolling hills of Vermont exists a sanctuary like no other. A space where love, community, self-discovery, acceptance, and belonging hangs in the air and

Re-examining the Narrative Around Adoption: A Conversation with Chithra Jeyram

TBD

What is “Anti-Adopterism” with Dr. Seungmi Laura Cho

Adoption is complicated.  In this episode, Dr. Seungmi Laura Cho, a critical qualitative researcher, reflects on her experience researching Korean Adoptees and her work w

Food Not Cops with Sam Bliss

Food Not Cops (FNC), a volunteer-run mutual aid effort in Burlington, has served a free daily meal for the last five years. They gather around hot meals cooked by communi

DEI Part 2: What Is Going On In Higher Education?

Join us for Part 2 of our series on DEI as we talk with Paul Suk-Hyun Yoon, Dr. Jason C. Garvey & Dr. Tiffanie Spencer about what Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion work in H

DEI Part 1: AG Charity Clark on Executive Orders

  Join us for Part 1 of our series on DEI as AG Clark returns to the Social Work Lens studio to unpack current executive orders as they pertain to Diversity, Equity, & I

Rooted in Pride: Youth-Led, Youth-Centered

Rooted in Pride: Youth-Led, Youth-Centered In this episode, we sit down with Emmett, Youth Organizer at Outright Vermont, for a powerful conversation about the role of y

What happens when the rules change overnight?

“You can’t come home and tell your spouse, or your best friends what you experienced at work… because then you are just traumatizing other people, and no one is going to

Immigration is a Human Right (revisited): Detained & Interrogated

On July 22, 2025, Winooski School District Superintendent Wilmer Chavaria was detained and questioned by federal agents for four and a half hours at Houston’s George Bush

Restoring Connection: Paul Nixon on Transforming Child Welfare Through Relational Practice

What would it take to transform child welfare into a system rooted in healing, trust, and human connection?   In this powerful episode, we speak with Paul Nixon, an ind

Human Rights & the work of VT’s Human Rights Commission with Big Hartman

Did you know Vermont has a Human Rights Commission?  Are you curious about what rights and protections you and/or your clients have under Vermont state law? Join Cassie a

Affirm, Connect, Resist: How Community Shapes Trans Liberation - Part 2

PART 2- On January 20th, the current administration launched targeted actions against transgender Americans—moves that didn’t emerge in isolation, but deepened a long, pa

Affirm, Connect, Resist: How Community Shapes Trans Liberation - Part 1

PART 1- On January 20th, the current administration launched targeted actions against transgender Americans—moves that didn’t emerge in isolation, but deepened a long, pa

“Immigration is a Human Right”

We recently brought you an episode on the political and legal landscape of Immigration. In this episode, we take it down to the personal level and bring you the voices of

Immigration 101 with Jill Martin Diaz

Are you wondering what is actually going on with Immigration in the United States right now? Are you curious about what these executive orders mean and how the system is

HOW THE STORY IS TOLD: Part 3- The child welfare that can be realized through our imaginations and life's work.

In this moment, as many of us experience a shift in what we are allowed to talk about at work related to DEI and identity, we are sharing this series of episodes explorin

HOW THE STORY IS TOLD: Part 2- Voices from the Conference

In this moment, as many of us experience a shift in what we are allowed to talk about at work related to DEI and identity, we are sharing this series of episodes explorin