Resilient Conversations

Welcome to episode 12 of season one of Resilient Conversations, a podcast by PartnersGlobal that explores different facets of civic space resiliency. In this podcast, PartnersGlobal co-executive director, Roselie Vasquez-Yetter speaks with cellist, Tanya Anisimova, in the fourth in a series of vignettes on the artist collective who collaborated with PartnersGlobal and the International Human Rights Arts Festival.Cellist, composer, arranger Tanya Anisimova is a unique artist whose performances encompass standard repertoire, original compositions, and otherworldly improvisations with her own vocal accompaniment. Tanya has appeared on the stages of Carnegie Hall in NYC, the Great Hall of The Moscow Conservatory in Russia, The National Cathedral and The National Gallery Of Art in Washington, D.C., Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, Germany, and many more. In 2001, Tanya became the only cellist in the world to ever perform and record the Complete Violin Sonatas and Partitas by J.S. Bach. As a composer, her music is regularly performed by leading musicians in the U.S. and in Europe. Currently, Tanya is working on a new project titled Appalachian Dreams. The idea grew out of reflecting on her experiences during twelve years spent in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. PartnersGlobal is a nonprofit based in Washington, DC that advances resilient civic space throughout the world by focusing on authentic partnership, locally-led solutions, inclusive processes, and conflict sensitivity to bring about more peaceful, secure, just, and accountable societies. Partners envisions a world where civil society thrives, change is managed peacefully, rights are protected, and democracy can flourish. Visit our website at www.partnersglobal.org and follow us on social media. Music for this episode is created by Tuesday Night from Pixabay. 

Welcome to episode 11 of season one of Resilient Conversations, a podcast by PartnersGlobal that explores different facets of civic space resiliency. In this podcast, PartnersGlobal co-executive director, Kyra Buchko speaks with Shedrick Pelt, a photographer, designer, and creative director committed to culture and community. Shedrick Pelt is a D.C. creative  primarily focused on photojournalism and portrait, music, and commercial photography. Shedrick's work has covered local and nationwide news and he often highlights grassroots organizations and their work within the community. Shedrick’s photo book, We Keep Us Safe, released in 2020, documents civic actions in and around D.C. His most recent book, District Postcard Views, features vintage-inspired images of historically Black landmarks in Washington, DC. Shedrick's work has been featured in exhibitions at the International Center of Photography in New York City, the Center for Photography at Woodstock, Dupont Underground, ExposedDC, and Washingtonian Magazine. PartnersGlobal is a nonprofit based in Washington, DC that advances resilient civic space throughout the world by focusing on authentic partnership, locally-led solutions, inclusive processes, and conflict sensitivity to bring about more peaceful, secure, just, and accountable societies. Partners envisions a world where civil society thrives, change is managed peacefully, rights are protected, and democracy can flourish. Visit our website at www.partnersglobal.org and follow us on social media. Music for this episode is created by Tuesday Night from Pixabay. 

Welcome to episode 10 of season one of Resilient Conversations, a podcast by PartnersGlobal that explores different facets of civic space resiliency. In this podcast, PartnersGlobal co-executive director, Roselie Vasquez-Yetter talks with Erin McCarthy, Senior Civil Society Advisor for U.S. Agency for International Development’s Europe and Eurasia Bureau, based in Washington, DC.   Erin joins Resilient Conversations to discuss resilient funding practices at USAID. Their discussion explores how donors are adjusting  policies and practices around grantmaking, reporting and monitoring processes.  Their talk also offers a look into USAID’s adaptive approach to address the real obstacles faced by civil society grantees that are managing grants in tightening civic space.PartnersGlobal is a nonprofit based in Washington, DC that advances resilient civic space throughout the world by focusing on authentic partnership, locally-led solutions, inclusive processes, and conflict sensitivity to bring about more peaceful, secure, just, and accountable societies. Partners envisions a world where civil society thrives, change is managed peacefully, rights are protected, and democracy can flourish. Visit our website at www.partnersglobal.org and follow us on social media. Music for this episode is created by Tuesday Night from Pixabay. 

Welcome to episode nine of season one of Resilient Conversations, a podcast by PartnersGlobal that explores different facets of civic space resiliency. In this podcast, PartnersGlobal co-executive director, Roselie Vasquez-Yetter speaks with Anne Labovitz, a visual artist, author and activist from St. Paul Minnesota, who creates work about how political, social, and cultural platforms can be turned into personal acts of care. Anne Labovitz is Artist Founder and Producer at 122 Conversations and Artist Founder and Managing Director at I Love You Institute. She is a contemporary artist whose work addresses themes of human connection, the immersive power of color, and radical care in art. Labovitz’s research-based practice combines painting, sculpture, light, installation, mixed media and social practice to address ideas by activating color and light in large-scale immersive work. As part of Labovitz’s artistic praxis, she connects to communities through artistic intervention, activism, anti-racism, and public co-creation. PartnersGlobal is a nonprofit based in Washington, DC that advances resilient civic space throughout the world by focusing on authentic partnership, locally-led solutions, inclusive processes, and conflict sensitivity to bring about more peaceful, secure, just, and accountable societies. Partners envisions a world where civil society thrives, change is managed peacefully, rights are protected, and democracy can flourish. Visit our website at www.partnersglobal.org and follow us on social media. Music for this episode is created by Tuesday Night from Pixabay. 

Welcome to episode eight of season one of Resilient Conversations, a podcast by PartnersGlobal that explores different facets of civic space resiliency. In this podcast, PartnersGlobal co-executive director, Roselie Vasquez-Yetter talks with Tom Block - playwright, author, and visual artist who has spent three decades using art to explore the intersection of mysticism and society. Tom is the Founding Producer of New York City’s International Human Rights Art Festival (2017-present), producer of the first Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival (2010, Washington DC), creator of the Human Rights Painting Project (2002-2015) and the Shalom/Salaam Project (2004-2012). Block is also the author of six books, a playwright, and a 25+ year exhibiting visual artist. He was a Research Fellow at DePaul University (2010), LABA Fellow (NY, 2013-14), Hamiltonian Fellow (DC, 2008-09) and has spoken throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Turkey, and the Middle East.PartnersGlobal is a nonprofit based in Washington, DC that advances resilient civic space throughout the world by focusing on authentic partnership, locally-led solutions, inclusive processes, and conflict sensitivity to bring about more peaceful, secure, just, and accountable societies. Partners envisions a world where civil society thrives, change is managed peacefully, rights are protected, and democracy can flourish. Visit our website at www.partnersglobal.org and follow us on social media. Music for this episode is created by Tuesday Night from Pixabay. 

Welcome to Resilient Conversations, a podcast by PartnersGlobal that explores different facets of civic space resiliency. If you're new to this podcast, here's a recap of our first six episodes led by podcast producer, Aly Lyons.PartnersGlobal is a nonprofit based in Washington, DC that advances resilient civic space throughout the world by focusing on authentic partnership, locally-led solutions, inclusive processes, and conflict sensitivity to bring about more peaceful, secure, just, and accountable societies. Partners envisions a world where civil society thrives, change is managed peacefully, rights are protected, and democracy can flourish. Visit our website at www.partnersglobal.org and follow us on social media. Music for this episode is created by Tuesday Night from Pixabay.

Welcome to episode six of season one of Resilient Conversations, a podcast by PartnersGlobal that explores different facets of civic space resiliency. Today’s conversation is about trauma sensitivity and what a trauma-informed framework for civil society resiliency looks like. I had the opportunity to chat with Alexa Brand - my colleague and manager of resiliency programs at PartnersGlobal. Alexa is an expert on the topic of trauma-informed care and civic space issues. Throughout her career, Alexa has been designing and leading trainings pertaining to social inclusion, gender equality, trauma-informed care, and resilience and security for human rights defenders in closing and closed spaces. Prior to joining Partners, she managed human rights programs that focused on strengthening the resilience and security of LGBTQ+ and women human rights defenders in the MENA region, as well as anti-trafficking activists and journalists in Southeast Asia. Alexa earned her Masters degree in Middle East and Islamic Studies from George Mason University and has a Graduate Certificate in Trauma-Informed Care from the University at Buffalo. PartnersGlobal is a nonprofit based in Washington, DC that advances resilient civic space throughout the world by focusing on authentic partnership, locally-led solutions, inclusive processes, and conflict sensitivity to bring about more peaceful, secure, just, and accountable societies. Partners envisions a world where civil society thrives, change is managed peacefully, rights are protected, and democracy can flourish. Visit our website at www.partnersglobal.org and follow us on social media. Music for this episode is created by Tuesday Night from Pixabay. 

Today’s episode features a thought provoking conversation between Deborah Mancini Griffoli - the Director of the Africa Program at PartnersGlobal - and Odi Lagi - Program Director at the Network of University Legal Aid Institutions (NULAI) in Nigeria. NULAI is a network of clinical programs promoting access to justice, legal aid and public interest lawyering. Their conversation explores several topics ranging from legal hurdles and efforts by civil society to improve the situation for pretrial detainees in Nigeria to the security landscape and its impact on civic space resiliency. As a development professional and human rights advocate with over 12 years experience promoting human rights based programming in Nigeria, Odi is a force to be reckoned with. Her work has led to the development of clinical law programmes across Nigeria’s university system, as well as University-based legal aid clinics. She is an Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) Human Rights Fellow with a Masters in Human Rights from the Central European University and a trained human rights educator from Equitas (International Centre for Human Rights Education, Canada).Resilient Conversations is a podcast that explores different facets of individual, organizational, sectoral and systemic resiliency as it relates to civil society. It is produced by PartnersGlobal, a DC-based nonprofit organization working in service of civil society around the world to be more resilient and bring about peaceful and locally led solutions to complex issues. Don’t forget to subscribe and please if you have a moment, leave us a comment or rating if you like what you hear!

Welcome to episode four of season one of Resilient Conversations, a podcast by PartnersGlobal that explores different facets of individual, organizational, sectoral, and systemic resiliency as it relates to civil society. Today’s episode features my colleague Jeffsky Poincy, a Program Manager at PartnersGlobal. We talked about Partners’ collaborative approach to fighting systemic corruption, the impact of legitimacy on civil society’s ability to fight corruption, and how corruption impacts civil society’s efforts. Originally from Haiti, Jeffsky’s current portfolio at Partners focuses on good governance, anti-corruption, and civil society resiliency in West Africa. Prior to joining Partners, he worked at several notable international organizations and is the Founder of BUSY (or Business-driven Solutions for Youth), a Haitian-based economic development organization whose mission is to promote and foster economic empowerment for marginalized youth in Haiti. Resilient Conversations is produced by PartnersGlobal – a nonprofit based in Washington, DC that advances resilient civic space throughout the world by focusing on authentic partnership, locally-led solutions, inclusive processes, and conflict sensitivity to bring about more peaceful, secure, just, and accountable societies. Partners envisions a world where civil society thrives, change is managed peacefully, rights are protected, and democracy can flourish. Visit our website at www.partnersglobal.org and follow us on social media. Music for this episode is created by Tuesday Night from Pixabay. 

PartnersGlobal is the founding member of a 35 year old civil society network comprised of peacebuilding organizations from around the world called The Partners Network who specialize in organizational strengthening processes. But sometimes even those who do, need external support. This is where the PeaceNexus Foundation comes in.  Almost two years ago, the PeaceNexus Foundation supported our network through an organizational strengthening process that made us confront some difficult questions about who we are as a network and why we are together. This process was absolutely critical to the resilience of our network as our members experience the impacts of changes to their operating and funding environments, putting their ability to withstand and adapt to the test. In this episode, we speak with Carole Frampton and Heloise Heyer of PeaceNexus to talk about their approach to organizational and network strengthening in times of change and uncertainty from the donor perspective.  Resilient Conversations is produced by PartnersGlobal – a nonprofit based in Washington, DC that advances resilient civic space throughout the world by focusing on authentic partnership, locally-led solutions, inclusive processes, and conflict sensitivity to bring about more peaceful, secure, just, and accountable societies.  You can learn more about our work by visiting our website at www.partnersglobal.org and following us on social media. Special thanks to Carole and Heloise for their time and contributions in making this episode possible. Music for this podcast was created by Tuesday Night from Pixabay. 

We live in an increasingly dynamic world that is experiencing a range of changes to civic space - the ability of people to exercise their right to free speech, expression, and assembly. These changes vary from country to country, but collectively are impacting civil society's ability to serve their communities and operate freely without fear of repercussions.  In this episode, I had the opportunity to speak with Roselie Vasquez Yetter, Co-Executive Director of PartnersGlobal and primary author of the ResiliencyPlus Framework, as well as Luis Gomez Chow and Olivia Baciu, two of the leaders who designed and are implementing our signature ResiliencyPlus approach with civil society organizations around the world, helping them to build a stronger adaptive capacity to prevent, withstand and respond to changes in their environments. They offer insights and learnings, and share challenges and adaptations throughout the development and implementation of the resiliency process.   Resilient Conversations is produced by PartnersGlobal – a nonprofit based in Washington, DC that advances resilient civic space throughout the world by focusing on authentic partnership, locally-led solutions, inclusive processes, and conflict sensitivity to bring about more peaceful, secure, just, and accountable societies. PartnersGlobal envisions a world where civil society thrives, change is managed peacefully, rights are protected, and democracy can flourish. Visit our website at www.partnersglobal.org and follow us on social media. Special thanks to Roselie, Luis and Olivia. Music for this episode is created by Tuesday Night from Pixabay. 

Co-Executive Director of PartnersGlobal Kyra Buchko talks to Zuza Fialova of Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia – one of our fellow Partners Network members – about the impact of the Ukrainian crisis in Slovakia and throughout the region. The open and reflective conversation delves into topics ranging from Slovakia's historical policies accepting refugees to how PDCS is working internally within Slovakia to maintain space for dialogue on difficult topics related to the crisis and xenophobia to what international and regional organizations can do to best support Ukrainians seeking refuge in neighboring countries.  Resilient Conversations is produced by PartnersGlobal – a nonprofit based in Washington, DC that advances resilient civic space throughout the world by focusing on authentic partnership, locally-led solutions, inclusive processes, and conflict sensitivity to bring about more peaceful, secure, just, and accountable societies. Partners envisions a world where civil society thrives, change is managed peacefully, rights are protected, and democracy can flourish. Visit our website at www.partnersglobal.org and follow us on social media. Special thanks to Kyra Buchko and Zuza Fialova. Music for this episode is created by Tuesday Night from Pixabay.