Episode 2.2 - Junlei Li - The power of simple interactions

Asking for help can be challenging in the best of times, but is often insurmountable for young people from marginalized communities. In this episode of Rooted in Relationships, Dr. Jessica Calarco, a leading researcher at the University of Indiana discusses inequities, why they persist, the role they play in building trust, and how teachers and other adults can turn the tables by offering unsolicited support to young people.

Families are unique and the relationships that form among young people and their family is a rich tapestry of experiences. These relationships are influenced by what Dr. Andrea Hunter describes as a, “complex web of social relationships and networks that fold across multiple contexts and generations.” On this episode of Rooted in Relationships, we hear from Dr. Hunter, a professor of human development and family studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dr. Hunter is particularly interested in the relationships formed among Black and African-American families and her work is shifting the paradigm in how social capital is perceived and the important role it plays in the development of relationships and wellbeing within the Black and African American community.

The mentor-mentee relationship can be particularly rich for both individuals. Mentors can connect mentees with opportunities and guide them through important educational, professional and personal stages in their lives. In this episode of Rooted in Relationships, former Search Institute CEO, Kent Pekel talks with Dr. Jean Rhodes. Dr. Rhodes is the Frank L. Boyden Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She will discuss the role that intergenerational relationships and mentorships play in the development of young people.

How do you implement relationships with young people and keep those relationships intact over a long period of time? In this episode of Rooted in Relationships we talk with Clay Cook, John W. and Nancy E. Peyton Faculty Fellow in Child and Adolescent Wellbeing at the University of Minnesota. Clay discusses the Establish, Maintain and Restore system of approaching intentional relationships with young people, and how something as simple as greeting students at the classroom door can have incredible effects on relationship-building.

There’s no question the Covid-19 Pandemic had a negative impact on young people and their relationships, but Karen Pittman, Partner at KP Catalysts, also sees it as an opportunity to prioritize relationships and the positive impact they have on learning and education. In this edition of Rooted in Relationships, Karen Pittman discusses how scaling relationship building among students and educators can lead to increased learning and student success.

Schools and educational institutions rely on big data for information about the students they serve, but what does that data truly tell us about student wellness? More importantly, how can you use data to effectively prioritize wellness and the role educators can play in student wellness to directly influence student success? On this episode of Rooted in Relationships, we talk with Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade about the innovative way he is measuring wellness among young people.

In this episode of Rooted in Relationships we discuss the importance of human relationships and how the fundamental need for connection exists across all cultures, but may look different depending on cultural norms and expectations. We are joined by Dr. Junlei Li Co-Chair of the Human Development and Education program and Saul Zaentz Senior Lecturer in early childhood education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Li discusses how regardless of the culture or context, meaningful relationships and positive development can occur through simple interactions.

In the first episode of season two of Rooted in Relationships, Search Institute CEO Ben Houltberg introduces Kent Pekel, education leader and former CEO of Search Institute. Season two of the Rooted in Relationships podcast will feature interviews conducted by Kent with a focus on how social capital – family, class, culture and other factors – influence relationship-building. In this episode, Kent talks with Richard Reeves, a senior fellow in economic studies with the Brookings Institute and director of the Future of the Middle Class Initiative. His research is focused on social mobility, inequality and the middle class.

I am so excited to end our series on character with this powerful episode with renowned scholar, Dr. Valerie Purdie-Greenaway. In this episode, Dr. Purdie-Greenaway breaks down her research on culture and intergroup relations in society into practical insights for cultivating contexts that create psychological safety and a sense of belonging for young people to thrive. There are so many powerful insights in this episode that you will not want to miss.

Today is a special episode for Search Institute as we talk with Dr. Peter Samuelson and Karen Kingsley about their amazing work with opportunity youth right here in Minnesota, where Search Institute is based. In this episode, we talk about the importance of shifting the narrative from a deficit-based approach to a strength-based approach that sees the potential in young people that are disconnected from the system, such as those who have dropped out of college, are unemployed, in foster care or are disconnected from societal support in some way. . We hear incredible stories of resilience and transformation from a program that focuses on gratitude, generosity and hope.