2020 has been one stressful year, to say the least—from the pandemic shaking up our lives, to systemic racism being exposed and protested worldwide, to the recent general election. Today’s episode of To The People is a special one. We’ll hear from Rhea Wolfram, a 101-year-old educator and friend of YTTP who counteracts stress by building community. Born into the time of the Spanish flu, Rhea has seen her fair share of wars, community building, and presidential elections—and her advice for youth is really profound. Before that, Laura Cline, YTTP’s Director of Education, stops by to teach us how to manage skin stress
“I was born when the Spanish flu took place and I was born at home because my mother couldn’t be in the hospital because of the flu,” she says. “I’ve seen the depression, I’ve seen the gathering of the soldiers in preparation for the war that became World War II.”
Still, Rhea finds a lot of hope in building community. In conversation with her 23-year-old friend and mentee, Megan Burke, Rhea says that community comes down to being connected with other people—whether it’s the people in your neighborhood, your school, or your place of worship.
“I believe everybody should devote at least an hour to doing volunteer work, because then you know what the needs of the community are—you are a part of the community,” Rhea says. “The community has to work together. It can’t be divided by race, religion, sex, or anything else. We are in a period of transition and we have to learn and understand the needs of people who are different from us.”
We at YTTP hope you love this special episode as much as we do. That’s a wrap on season 00, y’all. We’ll catch you right here in the new year, for season 01—and we’re so ready for it!
Listen to To The People wherever you get your podcasts.
Hosted by Alyssa Shapiro
Edited by Manna Zel + Alyssa Shapiro
Produced by Megan Burke, Manna Zel + Alyssa Shapiro
Theme music by YTTP co-founder Greg Gonzalez + Hannah Fernando
