I Will Be Your Voice For Student Success
A Podcast on Student Well-Being, Stability, and School Success
Every student brings unique strengths and assets into the classroom. What does it take for every student to succeed – especially those facing the greatest challenges?
Formerly I Will Be Your Voice: Stories of Homelessness and Hope, this podcast has expanded to explore a broader range of topics affecting students and families. Join Youth Development staff at the Center for Schools and Communities as they explore practices, programs, and partnerships shaping outcomes for students and their families.
Featuring voices and stories from education, human services, community organizations, and advocates, this podcast examines topics including housing instability, foster care, out-of-school time, school mobility, higher education, career readiness, school climate, mental health, and access to opportunity.
Each episode delivers practical insights, real-world strategies, and powerful stories that highlight how we can remove barriers and create pathways for student success.
Subscribe and listen to learn more and help amplify solutions that support the whole child – and the systems that surround them.
This monthly podcast is produced in partnership with
- The Pennsylvania Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (PA ECYEH) Program.
- The Pennsylvania Education Stability for Children and Youth in Foster Care Program
- The Pennsylvania Education Leading to Employment and Career Training (PA ELECT) Program
- The Pennsylvania Migrant Education (PA MEP) Program
- The Pennsylvania Refugee Education (PA REP) Program
- The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant
#IWillBeYourVoice
Episodes
21 episodes
Episode 20 - Learn About Our 2025 Build Your Best School Year Summer Camp
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.Pennsylvania’s ECYEH Program summer camp, “Build Your Best School Year,” is returning this July! Learn about this year’s summer camp hosted at Camp ...
Episode 19 - Looking Back and Moving Forward with CSC’s PA ECYEH Team
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.Listen to the latest "I Will Be Your Voice" episode where we kick off 2025 and chat with the statewide Education for Children and Youth Experiencing...
Episode 18 – Voices of Advocates for Students Experiencing Homelessness
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.In this special episode, we’re stepping away from our usual format to bring you powerful messages of homelessness and hope, in recognition of Pennsy...
Episode 17 - The Significance of ECYEH Awareness Week, November 11-15
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.As we approach 2024, ECYEH Awareness Week, November 11-15, join us for an eye-opening discussion on ECYEH Awareness Week with special guest Sonia Pi...
Episode 16 - Introducing The Bridge Project in PA: Online Mental Health Services for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.In partnership with Move Forward Counseling and eLuma, The Bridge Project in PA facilitates FREE access to mental health services for PA children an...
Episode 15 - Building Stability: Family Promise's Collaborative Approach
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.Can a community rally together to keep families united during their toughest times? Join us for an in-depth conversation with Matt Wagner from Famil...
Episode 14 - Empathy and Change: Advocating for Homeless Youth
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.Walter Harris and Emma Grimm join us to shed light on their poignant journeys through homelessness. Through bouts with the juvenile justice system, ...
Episode 13 - Finding a Lifeline: Maryama’s Story
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.Maryama's story is one of resilience and determination in the face of adversity. Born and raised in Niger, she embarked on a journey to America with...
Episode 11 - BONUS: Looking Ahead for the Pennsylvania Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.Since we are still early in 2024, “I Will Be Your Voice” shares a special bonus episode with the staff behind the scenes at the Center for Schools a...
Episode 12 - Advancing Educational Access for Students Experiencing Homelessness with Pennsylvania’s State Coordinator
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.Our morning chat with the Pennsylvania Department of Education State Coordinator for Homeless Education, Mr. Storm Camara, isn't just about the chal...
Episode 10 - Eden Village: A Tiny Home Community for the Chronically Homeless in Harrisburg
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.Eden Village is a new, planned tiny home community in Harrisburg, PA, to provide the chronically homeless a permanent place to live and rebuild. Hea...
Episode 9 - Voices of Survival and Resilience: A Conversation with Author Rene Denfeld
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.Recorded at 2023 Paving the Way for Educational Success Conference, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaHear Rene Denfeld's inspiring journey as a teen ...
Episode 8 - Supporting the Unseen: Navigating Homelessness and Food Insecurity in Schools Amid a Pandemic
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.What does it take to support and uplift homeless students in a school district? Would you be able to adapt your services to a global pandemic, and c...
Episode 7 - Transforming Lives One Cup at a Time: The Story of Monkey and Elephant Cafe
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.What happens when a café not only serves a warm cup of coffee but also a helping hand to young adults who have aged out of foster care? In this epis...
Episode 6 - More than Chocolate: Milton Hershey School’s President, Pete Gurt
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.In this episode of “I Will Be Your Voice: Stories of Homelessness and Hope,” President of the Milton Hershey School and graduate, Pete Gurt shares a...
Episode 5 - Valley Youth House
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.In this episode of “I Will Be Your Voice: Stories of Homelessness and Hope,” hear from Michele Albright, director of Lehigh Valley Emergency Service...
Episode 4 - School is Home
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.In this episode, one of PA’s ECYEH program regional coordinators, Sonia Pitzi, shares with us the origin of the "I Will Be Your Voice" campaign and ...
Episode 3 - SchoolHouse Connection
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.In this episode of “I Will Be Your Voice: Stories of Homelessness and Hope,” Executive Director for SchoolHouse Connection Barbara Duffield shares a...
Episode 2 - Learn About the Finding Your Way in PA App
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.In this episode of “I Will Be Your Voice: Stories of Homelessness and Hope,” app Developer Prithvraj Lankar shares the importance of providing immed...
Episode 1 - Replenish & Keep Growing to Advocate for Students Experiencing Homelessness
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.In the premiere episode of “I Will Be Your Voice: Stories of Homelessness and Hope,” President of the National Coalition for the Homeless Board, Dr....
Introduction - I Will Be Your Voice: Stories of Homelessness and Hope
This episode was produced under our previous focus on students experiencing homelessness.Welcome to our new podcast, “I Will Be Your Voice: Stories of Homelessness and Hope.” Daily, we have conversations with practitioners and thought le...