Who speaks for kids when lawmakers, the government, and elected officials are making decisions about their education, health and safety?
You do! Children need our collective attention and voice.
You’ve found Speaking of Kids…, a podcast series from First Focus on Children that examines how laws and public systems impact kids — not just in theory, but in real life. We’re here sorting out who’s actually for kids and who’s just kidding.
Join our host, Messellech “Selley” Abebe, as she gathers voices from every corner of the kid-policy world: congresspeople, public health leaders, political organizers, parents, and the dogged advocates doing the hard work of imagining something better.
Selley explores the ‘kid angle’ in policy and politics. What’s working? What’s not? And how can we take action to create a better future for the next generation?
Listen and discover the hidden power that each of us has as an ambassador for children. We believe that kids matter. Their lives are worth protecting, their joy is worth preserving, and their futures are absolutely worth fighting for.
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Who speaks for kids when lawmakers, the government, and elected officials are making decisions about their education, health and safety?
You do! Children need our collective attention and voice.
You’ve found Speaking of Kids…, a podcast series from First Focus on Children that examines how laws and public systems impact kids — not just in theory, but in real life. We’re here sorting out who’s actually for kids and who’s just kidding.
Join our host, Messellech “Selley” Abebe, as she gathers voices from every corner of the kid-policy world: congresspeople, public health leaders, political organizers, parents, and the dogged advocates doing the hard work of imagining something better.
Selley explores the ‘kid angle’ in policy and politics. What’s working? What’s not? And how can we take action to create a better future for the next generation?
Listen and discover the hidden power that each of us has as an ambassador for children. We believe that kids matter. Their lives are worth protecting, their joy is worth preserving, and their futures are absolutely worth fighting for.
#20 - Advocating for Kids in Kentucky and Across America with Dr. Terry Brooks
Speaking of Kids...
54 minutes
1 year ago
#20 - Advocating for Kids in Kentucky and Across America with Dr. Terry Brooks
In this episode, hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech Looby chat with Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, a nonprofit watchdog for Kentucky's kids. Dr. Brooks has successfully worked with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to make necessary improvements for the lives of children across the state, such as supporting kinship caregivers and kids in foster care. Dr. Brooks tells our hosts that Kentucky’s children, like those around the country, are at a crossroads. Society has accepted issues such as child poverty as normal, he says, and he shares his efforts to press
policymakers to focus on issues such as child care and child poverty, rather than on distractions like the culture wars. Dr. Brooks also discusses the complexities of a Kentucky ballot initiative that would allow the general assembly to use public money for private schools.
Learn more about Kentucky Youth Advocates:
Resource: Kentucky KIDS Count, By Kentucky Youth Advocates
Podcast: The American Rescue Plan & Efforts to End Child Poverty, By Kentucky Youth Advocates, Featuring Bruce Lesley
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Send us comments on thoughts via email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.org
Find us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_Focus
Want to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here.
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Speaking of Kids...
Who speaks for kids when lawmakers, the government, and elected officials are making decisions about their education, health and safety?
You do! Children need our collective attention and voice.
You’ve found Speaking of Kids…, a podcast series from First Focus on Children that examines how laws and public systems impact kids — not just in theory, but in real life. We’re here sorting out who’s actually for kids and who’s just kidding.
Join our host, Messellech “Selley” Abebe, as she gathers voices from every corner of the kid-policy world: congresspeople, public health leaders, political organizers, parents, and the dogged advocates doing the hard work of imagining something better.
Selley explores the ‘kid angle’ in policy and politics. What’s working? What’s not? And how can we take action to create a better future for the next generation?
Listen and discover the hidden power that each of us has as an ambassador for children. We believe that kids matter. Their lives are worth protecting, their joy is worth preserving, and their futures are absolutely worth fighting for.
