Young people are facing an epidemic of loneliness. Despite being the most connected generation, students still feel isolated, disconnected, and uncertain.

This lack of connection impacts many areas of their lives—from school attendance and graduation rates to risky behaviors that prevent them from reaching their full potential.

For 35 years, Right Moves for Youth has been tackling this issue head-on.

Through weekly group meetings led by staff, school resource officers, and sometimes community volunteers, Right Moves provides teens with the opportunity to connect, build relationships, and gain the support they need to overcome life’s challenges.

As Election Day approaches, the importance of voting is at the forefront of many conversations.

However, a healthy democracy relies not just on ballots cast, but on active, connected, and informed communities—what we refer to as civic health.

Today, we’re taking a closer look at the concept of civic health and how data—from voting rates to social trust—can reveal a lot about the strengths and challenges our communities face.

We’ll also discuss how nonprofits can help promote civic health without stepping into partisan territory.

Every nonprofit has a story to tell, but how they tell it can make all the difference.

In an attempt to build a social presence, organizations may present complex issues too simply or stage moments for quick soundbites.

This is where powerful, story-driven video can create a better narrative.

Matt Pearl, founder of Pearl Impact Media, has years of experience in journalism. He now helps nonprofits amplify their impact through compelling video storytelling.

While storytelling can be complex, Matt shares his simple approach that emphasizes clarity, authenticity, and empathy.

If you work with youth, especially in mental health and substance use, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is an invaluable resource.

This survey collects data from students in grades 9–12, revealing key health behaviors and experiences that significantly impact adolescent health.

When you understand these trends, you’ll get a clearer picture of what young people are facing, which makes it easier to create programs that address their specific needs.

The rise in mental health challenges among youth has reached alarming levels. Recent statistics show that 11% of North Carolina children aged 3 to 17 have been diagnosed with depression or anxiety. This marks a significant increase from previous years.

The situation is worsened by the pandemic's aftermath and escalating community violence. Both factors have intensified feelings of isolation and insecurity among adolescents.

We’re joined by Ebony Rao, Senior Health Program Manager for the ReCAST II program at Mecklenburg County Public Health. We discuss how the program is approaching these issues and helping communities build their mental health capacity.

Organizations find themselves asking similar questions when it comes to conducting a needs assessment: Where can I find reliable data? How do I know if it’s relevant to my community? Is the information up to date?

These are important concerns. Accessing meaningful data can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to make it applicable to the specific work you’re doing.

Today, we address these questions by giving you an overview of one key data source: the Kids Count Data Book, which provides state and county-level indicators on child and family well-being.

Collective impact—a framework where organizations across sectors come together with a shared vision—can play a crucial role in improving economic mobility, or the ability for individuals and families to move up the economic ladder. This is especially important in cities like Charlotte, where decades of structural barriers have limited upward mobility for many residents.

Economic mobility impacts whether people can escape poverty and build better futures for themselves, but it requires more than just isolated efforts. Collective impact brings together nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies to work toward common goals, using data to measure progress and drive decisions.

Today’s guest, Khalil Salim, Ph.D., Director of Research and Evaluation at United Way of Greater Charlotte, shares his expertise on how these collaborative approaches are being used to address Charlotte’s challenges, and his thoughts on Raj Chetty’s new research.

When it comes to conducting a needs assessment, one of the most important things you can do is listen to the community you’re trying to help.

Integrating community voice into your assessment creates programs and services that genuinely reflect what people need and want. Community members have firsthand knowledge about the challenges they face and the resources they lack, which can really shape your understanding of the local landscape.

This episode kicks off a series that will give you strategies, tools, and resources needed to create stronger, more thorough assessments. We’ll discuss where to find secondary data that can shed light on your community’s current landscape and how to collect your own data through surveys, focus groups, and interviews.

Behavioral health issues are closely linked to larger social and environmental factors. 

That’s why it’s so important for communities to come together and find sustainable solutions. 

For those in human services, mental health, or prevention work, it’s easy to focus solely on programs and services. 

However, advancing your mission often involves looking beyond these to embrace advocacy, systems change, and environmental strategies.

Joining us is Kristin Kidd, co-coordinator of the SAMHSA-funded Southeast Prevention Technology Transfer Center and director of the North Carolina Behavioral Health Equity Initiative. 

Building a strong data culture in nonprofits and public sector organizations can bring big advantages. When leaders focus on using data, they save time, raise more money, and make better choices for their organizations.

Even though it might seem tough to invest in data with limited budgets, the long-term benefits make it worthwhile. By using data to guide their actions, organizations improve how they work and make a bigger impact on the people they serve.

In this episode, Drew shares exactly how creating a culture of data can lead to these positive changes. You’ll also hear real examples of organizations using data to make smarter choices, improve their programs, and build long-term success.

A strong and effective board can make a big difference for organizations, especially those that are looking to grow, get to the next level, be more strategic, and ultimately increase their impact.

With decades of experience revitalizing alumni boards and developing leadership in nonprofits, our guest, Deb Macfarlan Enright, shares her strategies for engaging board members and cultivating effective leadership that drives meaningful impact.

We explore how nonprofits can transform their leadership approach by leveraging the passion and expertise of their members to build stronger communities.

For many organizations, the challenge isn't just in collecting or analyzing data—it's in making data a core part of the decision-making process. Leaders often find it difficult to embed a culture where data-driven decisions are not just encouraged but are the norm. Despite having access to valuable data, teams may hesitate to use it due to a lack of confidence, unclear expectations, or insufficient support from leadership.

In a previous episode, we explored what defines a strong culture of data, including leadership commitment, data literacy, and governance. But today, we're taking it a step further by discussing the practical strategies you can implement to cultivate this culture within your own organization.

The rise of youth vaping presents a new and significant challenge in the field of substance use prevention. Despite celebrating the decline in cigarette smoking as a public health win, nicotine use has now moved to vapor products and pouches.

This issue is closely linked with concerning trends in youth mental health, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic. Understanding the connection between these two factors and exploring how communities can create supportive environments to address them is crucial for effective prevention efforts.

What is a data culture? When we talk about culture, it's about an environment. It's about practices. It's about habits. It's kind of like the air you breathe—the part of an organization that's sometimes hard to pinpoint but is always there.

A data culture means creating an environment where the use of data is a priority in decision-making and is part of everything you do. You gather evidence, collect data, evaluate programs, and use this information to make decisions about management, fundraising, and more.

A data culture has several key elements, and we’ll cover five of them so you can understand what’s important for building an organization that uses data in everything it does. Data should not be an afterthought but a central part of how an organization operates, makes decisions, and evaluates its impact.

The 28208 zip code in Charlotte, NC, including the Lakeview neighborhood, is one of the city’s areas with significant economic challenges. Residents born in this neighborhood have less than a 5% chance of transitioning out of poverty into the middle class.

Originally established as a mill village for white workers in the late 1930s, Lakeview became predominantly Black in the late 1960s due to urban renewal and white flight. Today, the community faces ongoing challenges, including issues of trust, gentrification, and a lack of meaningful engagement.

Jamaal Kinard and Adrian Sundiata from the Lakeview Neighborhood Alliance (LNA) join us to discuss their efforts to improve the quality of life in the Lakeview neighborhood.