Manda Aufochs Gillespie is a writer. She’s the author of the Green Mama series of books (https://thegreenmama.com/books/) and the publisher of the award-winning website thegreenmama.com. She is also a mother, neighbour, and founder of Folk University (folku.ca) on Cortes Island.
What really matters most in the world? How will we help inspire the next generation of truth-seekers and truth-tellers? At the Cortes Island Academy we believe in the passion and skills of the people and wild places of this place and are proud of our youth who learned along side our community and shared their growing skills through journalistic podcasts, Elder Documentaries, Field Guides and unsung hero posters (the one here is by artist Zella Aufochs).
This week on Folk U Radio CKTZ 89.5 FM (1 p.m. Fridays, repeats on folku.ca/cortescurents.ca/cortesradio.ca) youth journalists interview neighbours and regional experts on the issues of the day in our communities in their Audio Series called Desolation Sounds.
On January 26, Manda Aufochs Gillespie was joined by artists and organizers Bianca Lee (Old Schoolhouse Art gallery), Melanie Boyle (Cortes Island Museum), Rex Weyler (Love Fest + coffeehouses), and Meinsje (Old Schoolhouse Art Gallery). This was a lovely conversation about personal practice, the role of arts and culture in remote communities, the importance of everyday art, and upcoming events + opportunities for greater collaboration.
Carrie Saxifrage, Tianna Hope, and Kiera Tsakonas joined host Manda Aufochs Gillespie for the January 19th FolkU Friday session. An intergenerational conversation about the climate crisis, this episode touches on the importance of human connection, mitigation and adaptation, generational differences in needs and interpretations of environmental changes and response, and empowering environmental futures.
On January 12th, FolkU Friday was guest-hosted by Sadhu Johnston, who facilitated a discussion about rural resilience and emergency response. Joined in the station by Kate Maddigan, Eli McKenty, and Rex Weyler, this is a fascinating conversation about the confluence of emergency management and ecological protection, natural disasters and climate change, and the ways government, community, neighbourhood, and individual all play significant roles in rural resilience.
On Friday, January 5, Linda Solomon Wood joined Manda Aufochs Gillespie on Folk U Radio to talk about the state of the media today.
Solomon has been a professional journalist since the 1970s and founded the Vancouver Observer in 2009. As the bio on her website explains, this grew into a national publication:
