Capita In Conversation

At a moment when the old global order is fraying and the future feels radically uncertain, how can we prepare for what comes next? In this episode of Per Capita, Joe Waters speaks with Nils Gilman, Senior Advisor at the Berggruen Institute, about how to think systematically about the future in a moment of institutional rupture and geopolitical instability. Drawing on his intellectual journey—from Berkeley in the aftermath of the Cold War to Silicon Valley and his work in scenario planning—Nils explains the importance of interrogating assumptions, analyzing intersecting technological, demographic, political, and ecological trends, and challenging the “official future” narratives that shape collective expectations. He reflects on how historical change often emerges either from centers of power or from the periphery, and situates today’s disruptions within a broader pattern of punctuated equilibrium. Nils discusses the concept of the “planetary,” developed in his book Children of a Modest Star: Planetary Thinking for an Age of Crises, and its ethical commitment to multispecies flourishing. He argues that existing institutions are ill-equipped to manage planetary-scale challenges. Rather than advocating world government Nils proposes “planetary subsidiarity”: narrowly tailored institutions that address specific transboundary problems while preserving local democratic agency.  Addressing America’s current political trajectory, democratic fragility, and the retreat from international institutions, Nils urges us to learn from other countries' experiences with authoritarianism and to strengthen civil society, scientific capacity, and participatory governance as foundations for a more resilient and ecologically grounded future. www.capita.org

Africa’s demographic future is arriving faster than most policymakers are prepared for. In this episode of Per Capita, Joe Waters speaks with Blessing Adesiyan, Founder and Chief Care Officer of Caring Africa, about how rapid population growth, urbanization, and changing family structures are creating an urgent care crisis in Nigeria. With nearly half of the country’s population under 15 and a growing elderly population, families and workers are increasingly overstretched by care responsibilities in systems that remain largely informal and unregulated.Blessing argues that care must be treated as essential infrastructure, not a private family matter. She describes how the absence of professionalized, affordable care limits women’s participation in the workforce, reduces productivity, and increases inequality.The lack of existing policy and regulation is a unique opportunity to design modern, inclusive care systems from the ground up. From public policy to private investment, building a robust care economy is not only a social imperative, but also a foundation for long-term economic growth across the African continent. www.capita.org

Africa’s rapid urbanization is shaping the future of cities and families in the continent. In this episode of Per Capita, Joe Waters speaks with Joseph Asunka, CEO of Afrobarometer, about what Africans across more than 40 countries say their governments should prioritize—from the recent rise of health as a top concern to ongoing challenges around unemployment, security, and economic opportunity.The conversation explores how current global transformations are influencing migration, religion, and the role Africa will play in the global workforce, as well as what it will take to build cities and systems that serve families and their communities. Joseph also discusses the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence for the continent, and why African data, talent, and infrastructure must be part of shaping the technologies that will define the future. www.capita.org

Artificial intelligence is advancing faster than our social, moral, and political frameworks, and families are feeling the consequences first.In this episode of Per Capita, Joe Waters speaks with Ron Ivey, Founder & CEO of Noēsis Collaborative, about how artificial intelligence is reshaping family life, work, and education. They explore why many parents fear AI will undermine economic stability, how rapid technological change is outpacing governance, and why education must focus less on tool use and more on developing moral, relational, and human capacities. The conversation argues for a new framework for AI policy and design which is centered on human and family flourishing rather than economic growth. www.capita.org

The United States and many other democracies are in the midst of a dramatic political realignment with shifting views on national security, economics, technology, and the role of government. In this new episode of Per Capita, Joe Waters is joined by Marshall Kosloff, Senior Fellow and Director of Special Projects at the Niskanen Center, and host of The Realignment, one of the most insightful podcasts on how economic and cultural shifts are remaking politics in the U.S. and beyond.The conversation focuses on how today’s realignment is reshaping the right, what it means for the center-left, how families and their communities are feeling these pressures, and why structural economic change matters as much as cultural identity. www.capita.org

Are families caught in a polycrisis within the polycrisis?Housing, health care, caregiving, paid leave, economic uncertainty are just some of the relentless forces reshaping family life in the U.S. today. In the midst of these overlapping pressures, a deeper question emerges: who do we believe ourselves to be? Are we independent, self-reliant individuals? Or are we fundamentally dependent, interconnected, and relational beings?How we answer that profoundly impacts how we view our responsibilities, our communities, and the role of public policy in shaping family life.In this episode of Per Capita, Joe Waters, Capita’s Co-Founder and CEO, speaks with Jessica Grose, opinion writer at The New York Times, about the challenges families face and what government is doing—and could do—to support family flourishing. They also explore broader social trends, including declining workforce participation among women, the limits of policy in influencing birth rates, and the role of recreation and community spaces. www.capita.org

In this episode, Jay Chaudhary, a Visiting Fellow at Capita and Senior Fellow at the Sagamore Institute, interviews Capita Co-Founder + CEO Joe Waters, Daniel Williams, CEO of the Steelcase Foundation, and Jesús Gerena, CEO of UpTogether, during the Aspen VisionXChange in Aspen, Colorado. They explore recent coverage of the Baby’s First Years evaluation, the role of two-parent households in addressing poverty, a more thoughtful definition of abundance, the influence of elite preferences on social policymaking, and the importance of centering the voices and aspirations of parents and families in shaping policy.We are grateful to the Aspen Institute for allowing us to use the podcast studio on the Aspen Meadows campus to record this conversation on July 29, 2025. www.capita.org

In this episode, Capita’s Chief Strategy Officer Caroline Cassidy sits down with Katie King, Senior Director of Strategic Engagement at KnowledgeWorks to revisit the first-ever ten-year forecast focused on the flourishing of young children and their families co-developed by Capita and KnowledgeWorks in 2019. A lot has changed in just five years. From the pandemic’s lasting impact to the rise of homeschooling and the growing urgency of climate change, they reflect on how a host of forces are reshaping childhood and family life in the U.S. They also dive into unexpected shifts, like the rapid evolution of AI and the complexities of children’s autonomy and equity in an increasingly digital world. The episode wraps up with a discussion on the power of strategic foresight—how leaders can use these tools to navigate uncertain futures and create better systems for families and their communities.Katie King is the Senior Director of Strategic Engagement for KnowledgeWorks. Katie manages externally facing strategic foresight projects and partnerships, co-designs and delivers workshops and contributes to KnowledgeWorks publications about the future of learning. Katie leads foresight strategy in state supports for personalized, competency-based learning, supports the management of foresight operations and strategic execution, and manages strategic foresight projects focused on sensemaking and strategy development.Katie has previously served as a consulting futurist for various nonprofit organizations and taught middle school English in Texas and California. She holds a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Southern California and a master’s in foresight from the University of Houston. She is a member of the Association of Professional Futurists and co-author of The Futures Thinking Playbook.Caroline Cassidy directs overall strategy for Capita, which includes public engagement, communications, and organizational development.For two decades, Caroline has been a leader in the think tank, global development and not-for-profit sectors where she has orchestrated initiatives aimed at shaping a more just and humane world. She is a strong advocate for embedding a deeper approach to communications throughout an organization or project- from language, relationships, and framing to deep listening, behaviour change, and values.  www.capita.org

In this episode, Capita CEO Joe Waters talks with Isabelle Hau, the author of "Love to Learn." They discuss the importance of relationships and connections in early education. Hau argues that there is a relational crisis in society and that we need a relational revolution to support children's learning and overall development. She emphasizes the role of love and relationships in brain development and highlights examples of communities and organizations that prioritize relationships in education. The episode also touches on the potential impact of artificial intelligence on relationships and the need for ethical considerations in its development.Isabelle Hau is executive director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, an initiative of Stanford's Long-Range Vision that seeks to accelerate solutions to the most pressing challenges facing learners. She was a founding partner at Imaginable Futures, the philanthropic investment firm of eBay founder where she led the U.S. education initiative. She has worked with a broad and deep network of educators, edu-preneurs, innovators, funders, researchers, community and system leaders – and partnered with Sesame Street, Harvard Center on the Developing Child, LEGO, Head Start, Khan Academy, Ascend at the Aspen Institute, edtech and philanthropic funders, the federal and local governments, and other esteemed organizations to scale innovations in education that have reached millions of learners.Joe Waters is the co-founder and CEO of Capita. Since starting Capita in 2018, Joe has developed an array of initiatives to explore the major transformations of our time—social, demographic, cultural, technological, environmental, and economic—and anticipate their potential impacts on families and their communities worldwide. www.capita.org

In this episode, Joe Waters and US Representative Becca Balint speak about the crisis of loneliness and disconnection in America. They discuss the lack of social support for parents of young children, the impact of economic inequality on social cohesion, and the role of social media in exacerbating loneliness. They also explore potential solutions, such as investing in physical infrastructure to create spaces for social interaction and enacting policies that support families and communities. Representative Balint emphasizes the importance of diagnosing the problem and working together across the political spectrum to find solutions.Rep. Becca Balint is a mom, teacher, and progressive leader who comes to Washington ready to fight for working families. Becca is the first woman and openly LGBTQ person to represent her home state of Vermont. As the daughter of a working-class mother and immigrant father, Becca is deeply committed to defending American democracy and protecting vulnerable communities. This Congress, Becca serves as Congressional Progressive Caucus Vice Chair for New Members and as a Co-Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. She is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, and the Budget Committee. Joe Waters is the co-founder and CEO of Capita. Since starting Capita in 2018, Joe has developed an array of initiatives to explore the major transformations of our time—social, demographic, cultural, technological, environmental, and economic—and anticipate their potential impacts on families and their communities worldwide. www.capita.org

In this episode, CEO Joe Waters speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dele Olojede, who was in Pretoria on May 10, 1994, covering Nelson Mandela's inauguration and the formal transition to democracy in South Africa. The following day, he flew to Kigali to cover the early days of the Rwandan genocide. In just a matter of days, Dele witnessed both the best of humanity and its greatest depravities. As South Africa marks the 30th anniversary of democracy, Dele shares his insights and wisdom. The conversation also delves into current challenges in the U.S., the critical role of leadership in navigating today's societal transformations, and the importance of a long-term perspective. This episode, introduced by Capita Board Chair Nicole Biondi, was recorded in November 2024 at a Capita Salon in Charlotte, North Carolina.Dele Olojede is the founder and host of Africa In the World. A writer, publisher and editor over four decades, he has been a correspondent stationed in various global centers, including New York, Johannesburg and Beijing, mainly for New York Newsday. During his career he reported from more than 75 countries spread across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and North America. He also published an investigative newspaper in Lagos. Dele is a moderator of the Aspen Institute leadership seminars for the Aspen Global Leadership Network, of which he is also a fellow. He serves on various boards, including of EARTH University, in Costa Rica, Edesia Nutrition, in Rhode Island, and on the selection board of the Aurora Prize, which awards $1 million every year to a person or organization doing exceptional humanitarian work worldwide. Dele was the first African-born winner of the Pulitzer Prize, journalism’s highest honor, for his writing on the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. He is a frequent writer and commentator on public affairs. He commutes between Stellenbosch and New York City.Joe Waters is the co-founder and CEO of Capita. Since starting Capita in 2018, Joe has developed an array of initiatives to explore the major transformations of our time—social, demographic, cultural, technological, environmental, and economic—and anticipate their potential impacts on families and their communities worldwide. www.capita.org

In this extended episode, Deb Chachra, materials scientist and professor of engineering, explores the profound connections between care and infrastructure in our society; infrastructure systems are ways we take care of each other at scale. This conversation challenges us to rethink how we value and sustain the systems that underpin our lives.Deb Chachra is the author of HOW INFRASTRUCTURE WORKS (Riverhead/Torva, 2023), and she writes, thinks, speaks, builds and collaborates widely on themes of technology and society. As one of the earliest faculty at Olin College, Dr. Chachra has been deeply engaged in all aspects of undergraduate engineering education, including the design of learning experiences and programs, as well as educational research. Her research interests include design and design education, the built environment, materials science, and the intersection of all the above with the arts and humanities.Joe Waters is the co-founder and CEO of Capita. Since starting Capita in 2018, Joe has developed an array of initiatives to explore the major transformations of our time—social, demographic, cultural, technological, environmental, and economic—and anticipate their potential impacts on families and their communities worldwide. www.capita.org

In this episode, Joe Waters talks to Jon Baron, President of the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, to discuss the evolution and impact of evidence-based policymaking in the U.S. Jon shares his journey and insights on how government funding can prioritize programs proven to work, tackling social issues through a rigorous, data-driven approach. The conversation explores some of the challenges and the potential of this approach to address core issues fueling public frustration, paving the way for a more effective and accountable policy landscape.Jon Baron is a government reformer who has played a pivotal role in advancing evidence-based policymaking throughout government for over 20 years. He recently relaunched the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy – the nonpartisan organization he founded and led from 2001-2015 – and serves as the Coalition’s President, CEO, and Chairman.From 2015-2021, Jon served as Vice President of Evidence-Based Policy at the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (now Arnold Ventures), where he designed and led a major research funding portfolio that has successfully grown the body of proven-effective social programs. He left Arnold Ventures in 2021 and was a candidate for Maryland governor in the 2022 election.Joe Waters is the co-founder and CEO of Capita. Since starting Capita in 2018, Joe has developed an array of initiatives to explore the major transformations of our time—social, demographic, cultural, technological, environmental, and economic—and anticipate their potential impacts on families and their communities worldwide. www.capita.org

In this episode, Capita’s Ankita Chachra talks to Jane Gilbert, Chief Heat Officer for Florida’s Miami-Dade County. In 2021, Jane became the first Chief Heat Officer in the world, a position that is now found in cities across the globe. Jane talks about how heat particularly impacts children and families, the types of strategies that can help keep residents safe, and how she is helping to create a vision for a more livable and climate-resilient cityJane Gilbert is Arsht-Rock’s Chief Heat Officer in Miami-Dade County, US. Gilbert works across departments and partners to address the increasing risks to human health, lives and livelihoods associated with extreme heat. She has over 30 years experience in public private partnerships, climate mitigation and adaptation, and urban resilience.Before joining the County, she served as the City of Miami’s first Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) for four years. In this role, Gilbert led the climate and urban resilience strategy development and implementation for the City of Miami. She developed and implemented a city-level response to the impacts of sea level rise and climate change.Prior to public service, Gilbert led three nonprofits and managed Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) work for large corporations. She holds a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science from Barnard College and Master’s from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.Ankita Chachra is committed to creating sustainable, just, and vibrant cities for young children and families. She has over ten years of global experience working on her mission through partnerships with city agencies, and the private, non-profit, and philanthropic sectors.Ankita previously worked at Bernard Van Leer Foundation as the Knowledge for Policy Director. She found her passion for prioritizing the needs of children and caregivers in urban environments while leading the Streets for Kids Program at NACTO’s Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI), where her team published the guide on Designing Streets for Kids. She worked under Bloomberg’s Initiative for Global Road Safety, primarily in Latin America and Asia. Ankita was also part of the core team that developed the Global Street Design Guide , the first-ever worldwide guideline for designing city streets. www.capita.org

In this episode, Capita Co-founder & CEO Joe Waters interviews Dr. Erin M. Cline, Tagliabue Distinguished Professor in Interfaith Studies & Dialogue at Georgetown University and Senior Research Fellow, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs. They discuss Cline’s book “Families of Virtue” which compares Confucian and Western views on childhood development and moral education. Cline describes how the Confucian tradition places a special emphasis on filial piety - the deep respect, reverence, and gratitude that children have for their parents. Cline explains how the Confucian view of rituals are central to moral cultivation. Finally, Cline and Waters discuss how the Confucian emphasis on the importance of early childhood development and the role of family and ritual aligns with modern developmental psychology, and how these insights could inform policy and public discourse around families.Dr. Erin M. ClineProfessor Cline specializes in Chinese philosophy, Chinese religions, and comparative philosophy and theology.  The author of five books, she is especially interested in how the virtues, values, and rituals that classical Chinese philosophers emphasized can help us to live better lives today.  Her latest book, The Analects: A Guide (Oxford University Press, 2021), offers an argument that the Confucian Analectsis a sacred text, exploring its often-neglected religious and spiritual dimensions. Her last book, Little Sprouts and the Dao of Parenting: Ancient Chinese Philosophy and the Art of Raising Mindful, Resilient, and Compassionate Kids (W.W. Norton, 2020), shows how the wisdom of Chinese philosophy can enrich the lives of families today in a variety of surprising ways.  Inspired by her own experiences as the mother of three children, the book explores wide-ranging topics, from the role of daily rituals and mindfulness practices to ways of nurturing a love of nature and a love of learning, to how we respond to disabilities and challenges. Professor Cline recently completed a new translation of the Confucian Analects (under contract with W.W. Norton).In addition to her work in the field of Chinese philosophy, Prof. Cline also works on Ignatian spirituality in relation to different religious and cultural traditions; her book, A World on Fire: Sharing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises with Other Religions(The Catholic University of America Press, 2018), puts the Ignatian tradition into conversation with Asian traditions (including Confucianism, Buddhism, and Hinduism), showing how and why the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises—though they are rooted in the Christian tradition—might be adapted for people from traditions other than Christianity who are interested in Ignatian spirituality.Joe WatersJoe Waters is the co-founder and CEO of Capita. Since starting Capita in 2018, Joe has developed an array of initiatives to explore the major transformations of our time—social, demographic, cultural, technological, environmental, and economic—and anticipate their potential impacts on families and their communities worldwide. www.capita.org

In this episode Capita Senior Fellow Elliot Haspel interviews Brendan Ballou, author of Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America. They discuss the basics of private equity and its differences from venture capital firms and hedge fund investments. They outline the risks of private equity on the human services and child care sectors. Finally, they touch on policy solutions and how individuals can work with advocacy groups to address these risks.Brendan BallouBrendan Ballou is the author of Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America.  He served as Special Counsel for Private Equity in the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.  Previously, he worked in private practice, and before that, in the National Security Division of the Justice Department.  His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, and the Nation.Elliot HaspelElliot--Senior Fellow at Capita--is a child & family policy expert and commentator. He specializes in early childhood & education issues and the intersection between early childhood development and climate change. He most recently served as the Senior Program Officer for Early Childhood Education at the Robins Foundation.Among other accomplishments, Elliot conceived of and helped raise over $7 million for the Child Care NEXT philanthropic initiative, and helped spearhead the launch of the 100-member strong Virginia Funders Network. www.capita.org

In this Capita in Conversation episode, Senior Fellow Elliot Haspel talks to Abby Jitendra from the UK’s Joseph Rowntree Foundation about financialization threats, particularly from private equity firms, facing both the UK and US child care systems. They discuss Jitendra’s proposal for a new social licensing model that treats child care more as a public good and aims to improve quality and supply by linking high standards with public money, ensuring government investments benefit families equitably and effectively.Elliot HaspelElliot--Senior Fellow at Capita--is a child & family policy expert and commentator. He specializes in early childhood & education issues and the intersection between early childhood development and climate change. He most recently served as the Senior Program Officer for Early Childhood Education at the Robins Foundation.Among other accomplishments, Elliot conceived of and helped raise over $7 million for the Child Care NEXT philanthropic initiative, and helped spearhead the launch of the 100-member strong Virginia Funders Network.Abby JitendraAbby is a Principal Policy Adviser at JRF and is working on developing a new programme of work on care, family and relationships. Her areas of expertise include energy policy and regulation, destitution, household debt and social security. Abby previously worked at Citizens Advice, leading a team of policy researchers and campaigners to stand up for consumers as energy companies failed and costs increased. Before that, she had oversight of policy and research at anti-poverty charity the Trussell Trust. She is a trustee of Quaker Social Action. www.capita.org

In this episode, Capita Senior Fellow Elliot Haspel interviews Chiara Rosselli, co-founder and executive director of the APROPOS Group, a non-profit, politically neutral think tank operating in the field of democratic innovation specializing in the development and implementation of process design methods for the political sphere.Elliot HaspelElliot--Senior Fellow at Capita--is a child & family policy expert and commentator. He specializes in early childhood & education issues and the intersection between early childhood development and climate change. He most recently served as the Senior Program Officer for Early Childhood Education at the Robins Foundation.Among other accomplishments, Elliot conceived of and helped raise over $7 million for the Child Care NEXT philanthropic initiative, and helped spearhead the launch of the 100-member strong Virginia Funders Network.Chiara RosselliChiara is a process designer and political dialogue curator, designing fit-for-purpose processes for better dialogue and collaboration, for the political sector & beyond.She is Executive Director and Co-Founder of the APROPOS Group, where they specialize in Political Process Design. She has been a political dialogue curator for over 7 years, designing political conversations with a purpose for Europe's first policymakers' dialogue platform and OECD best practice for cross-border innovation & collaboration - the Open European Dialogue. www.capita.org

Capita Senior Fellow Ian Marcus Corbin speaks with author Jennifer Banks about her book "Natality: Toward a Philosophy of Birth."Ian Marcus CorbinIan is a Senior Fellow at Capita. He is also a philosopher on the Neurology faculty at Brigham and Women's Hospital / Harvard Medical School, where he co-directs the Human Network Initiative. He serves on the ethics committee at Brigham and Women's, and helps to direct the Trust and Belonging Initiative at Harvard's Human Flourishing Program. He has studied politics, religion and philosophy at Gordon College, Oxford University, Yale University and Boston College, with an eye to the ways that deep human values function in the formation and evolution of human communities.At Harvard Medical School, he studies intersubjectivity, cognition and human flourishing. He is currently writing a book on belonging and world-making for Yale University Press. He has taught at a number of colleges and universities in the Boston area and published widely in venues such as the Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek, The Point and Plough. In a former life he founded and ran a contemporary art gallery in Boston's South End. Jennifer BanksPublishing professional with a wide range of experience, from foreign rights and marketing to editorial. Since 2007, as an editor at Yale University Press, Jennifer has built up a diverse, interdisciplinary list in the humanities that has emphasized non-fiction books on religion. She has edited many New York Times best-selling and Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, MacArthur Genius Grant, and Grawemeyer Award-winning authors. www.capita.org

Capita visualiza un futuro en el que las niñas y los niños, y sus familias, puedan desarrollar todo su potencial en una sociedad justa, pacífica y próspera en un planeta sostenible.A menudo, quedan excluidos de cómo moldeamos nuestros sistemas políticos, económicos y sociales. Sin embargo, al priorizar a nuestros niños más jóvenes, sus familias y sus comunidades, tenemos el potencial de transformar radicalmente la estructura de nuestras sociedades a largo plazo.//////Capita envisions a future in which children and families can flourish. So often, they are excluded from how we shape our political, economic, and social systems. Yet by prioritizing our youngest children, their families and their communities we have the potential to radically transform the fabric of our societies for the long term.  www.capita.org

Capita Co-Founder + CEO Joe Waters talks with UpTogether CEO and Aspen Ascend Fellow Jesús Gerena on wealth inequality and the work UpTogether is doing to help low-income people.Joe WatersJoe Waters is the co-founder and CEO of Capita. An independent, nonpartisan think tank with a global focus, Capita works to build a future in which children and families can realize their full potential in a just, peaceful, prosperous society on a healthier, cleaner, and safer planet.Since starting Capita in 2018, Joe has developed forward-leaning initiatives exploring how the great cultural, planetary and social transformations of our day affect our youngest children (0-8 years old) and our communities. From the impacts of climate change to parental loneliness and social disconnection, Capita’s work catalyzes creative new ideas and solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges impacting families.Jesús GerenaJesús Gerena is CEO of UpTogether (previously Family Independence Initiative), a national organization with a bold mission of changing policies, systems, and underlying beliefs so that all people in the United States are seen and invested in for their strengths and are able to build power, reinforce their autonomy, and drive their own economic and social mobility.Under Jesús’ leadership, UpTogether has developed a model for systemic change through philanthropic and government partnerships to support the broad adoption of UpTogether’s strength based approach of centering community, cash and choice. Over the past three years, UpTogether has grown its work and organizational capacity to expand its reach to all 50 states and Puerto Rico, distributing $190 million dollars in support of its mission. www.capita.org

Capita Chief Strategy Officer Caroline Cassidy speaks with LaDon Love, Executive Director of Spaces in Action, to talk about communities, the power of storytelling and listening, and how we build trust.Caroline CassidyCaroline directs overall strategy for Capita, which includes public engagement, communications, and organizational development.For two decades, Caroline has been a leader in the think tank, global development and not-for-profit sectors where she has orchestrated initiatives aimed at shaping a more just and humane world. She is a strong advocate for embedding a deeper approach to communications throughout an organization or project- from language, relationships, and framing to deep listening, behaviour change, and values. Caroline previously set up and led the strategic communications team for the UK-based think tank ODI, with a focus on policy engagement. As a consultant, she has provided strategic council to a diverse range of clients including the Bernard Van Leer Foundation, the OECD Early Childhood Education & Care team, Oxford Policy Management, Rodeemos el Diálogo, the World Health Organization, On Think Tanks and Open Society Foundations. She has also created and implemented a major and individual donor strategy for the media organization tve and worked in TV production at the BBC.LaDon LoveLaDon Love is the Executive Director of SPACEs In Action. SIA is a multi-ethnic membership based community organization that focuses in the District of Columbia in wards 7 and 8, as well as, Maryland in Montgomery County. In 2019, SIA was a lead organization in the campaign that secured $15.8 million in the DC budget for childcare and health services for DC families raising children from birth to three.Love has over two decades of experience in community, leadership and organizational development.  She uses grassroots organizing to engage in local, state and national campaigns to affect public policy.  She works with local leaders to identify issues and develop solutions to improve the lives of low and moderate income families and their community.  She is also a published photographer who uses her photography skills to tell the story of those directly impacted, bringing her subject’s personality to the photography experience.   www.capita.org

Capita Chief Strategy Officer interviews Play Africa's Managing Director Rongedzayi Fambasayi about the role of cities in protecting child rights, creativity in tackling the climate crisis, governance for child-centered climate action across Africa, and more.Caroline CassidyCaroline directs overall strategy for Capita, which includes public engagement, communications, and organizational development.For two decades, Caroline has been a leader in the think tank, global development and not-for-profit sectors where she has orchestrated initiatives aimed at shaping a more just and humane world. She is a strong advocate for embedding a deeper approach to communications throughout an organization or project- from language, relationships, and framing to deep listening, behaviour change, and values. Caroline previously set up and led the strategic communications team for the UK-based think tank ODI, with a focus on policy engagement. As a consultant, she has provided strategic council to a diverse range of clients including the Bernard Van Leer Foundation, the OECD Early Childhood Education & Care team, Oxford Policy Management, Rodeemos el Diálogo, the World Health Organization, On Think Tanks and Open Society Foundations. She has also created and implemented a major and individual donor strategy for the media organization tve and worked in TV production at the BBC.Rongedzayi FambasayiRongedzayi is a child's rights scholar and former managing director of Play Africa.  www.capita.org

Capita Senior Fellow, and Instructor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School Ian Marcus Corbin, interviews writer Pete Davis to discuss how this culture of restlessness and indecision is causing tension in the lives of young people today.Ian Marcus CorbinIan is a Senior Fellow at Capita. He is also a philosopher on the Neurology faculty at Brigham and Women's Hospital / Harvard Medical School, where he co-directs the Human Network Initiative. He serves on the ethics committee at Brigham and Women's, and helps to direct the Trust and Belonging Initiative at Harvard's Human Flourishing Program. He has studied politics, religion and philosophy at Gordon College, Oxford University, Yale University and Boston College, with an eye to the ways that deep human values function in the formation and evolution of human communities.At Harvard Medical School, he studies intersubjectivity, cognition and human flourishing. He is currently writing a book on belonging and world-making for Yale University Press. He has taught at a number of colleges and universities in the Boston area and published widely in venues such as the Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek, The Point and Plough. In a former life he founded and ran a contemporary art gallery in Boston's South End. Pete DavisPete Davis is a writer and civic advocate from Falls Church, Virginia.He works on civic projects aimed at deepening American democracy and solidarity. Pete is the co-founder of the Democracy Policy Network, a state policy organization focused on raising up ideas that deepen democracy, and is currently co-producing a documentary on the life and work of civic guru Robert Putnam. In 2015, he cofounded Getaway, a company that provides simple, unplugged escapes to tiny cabins outside of major cities. His Harvard Law School graduation speech, “A Counterculture of Commitment,” has been viewed more than 30 million times — and was recently expanded into a book: Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in An Age of Infinite Browsing. www.capita.org