friendship and community aren't the same thing?

the new buzzword everyone seems to be talking about is “community.” and though we keep hearing about the importance of community and how we have to create it, nobody really talks about what it actually is. is it friendship? is it a support system? a social circle? though the line of friendship and community blur, in this episode, we talk about how we differentiate the two, the steps we’ve taken to build both, and why everyone seems to be inconvenienced by them. Resources available: - Youth Mental Health Corps (youthmentalhealthcorps.org) - created by the Schultz Family Foundation and Pinterest - is a first-of-its-kind program that trains and places young adults as near-peer mental health navigators in schools and community organizations. These members expand access to care while building their own careers in the behavioral health field. Schools where they serve have seen fewer behavioral incidents, better attendance, and more students reaching out for support. The Youth Mental Health Corps is now in 11 states and growing. Learn more about the movement and how to get involved at youthmentalhealthcorps.org - The Broken Marketplace (https://www.brokenmarketplace.org/) - Highlights research to explore why the pathways from school to career are broken, leaving students and job seekers unprepared and unsupported. Explores some of the ways the system can change. follow us: @grownkld @gaelaitor @_kaylasuarez join our social club: https://form.typeform.com/to/eBSho4lE overshare with us: grownkid.com About our Partners: GrownKid is made in partnership with Joy Coalition where purpose driven content meets powerful storytelling. From 13 Reasons Why to Unprisoned, Joy Coalition projects are made to bridge generations and drive groundbreaking conversations. This episode is sponsored by the Schultz Family Foundation, whose mission is to create greater opportunity accessible to all. The Foundation supports young adults across the country, whether that’s building stronger career pathways, or investing in AI tools that make the job search more accessible and transparent - ensuring everyone gets a fair shot at success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

it's been a few weeks since we settled into new york and we're here to answer the big question everyone asks... does moving solve all your problems? and the short answer is: it solves some and creates others. so we reflect on how the move has felt so far, the problems it’s helped us leave behind, and the new challenges we’ve been facing. follow us: @grownkld @gaelaitor @_kaylasuarez join our social club: https://form.typeform.com/to/eBSho4lE overshare with us: grownkid.com About our Partners: GrownKid is made in partnership with Joy Coalition where purpose driven content meets powerful storytelling. From 13 Reasons Why to Unprisoned, Joy Coalition projects are made to bridge generations and drive groundbreaking conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

it’s no secret that everyone is applying for jobs but nobody’s hearing back… even the job market is ghosting us. in this episode, we get into the current school-to-work crisis, how our friends are dealing with it, and how we’ve been navigating it ourselves—kayla recently graduating debt-free from USC (thank you financial aid) and gael dropping out to take an entrepreneurial route. but whether you went to college or not, the result is the same: unemployment. is this a normal experience, is it just us, or is the job marketplace broken as a whole? so next time your unemployed friend asks you to hang out on a tuesday at 2pm, have some sympathy and maybe say yes, cause everybody's going through it.  Resources available: - The Better Marketplace (https://www.brokenmarketplace.org/better-marketplace) - Highlights research to explore why the pathways from school to career are broken, leaving students and job seekers unprepared and unsupported. Explores some of the ways the system can change. - Braven (https://braven.org/) - Braven’s mission is to empower college students by equipping them with skills, networks, experiences, and confidence to secure strong first jobs. - SkillUp (https://explore.skillup.org/) - Reviews and only shows career paths that don't require degrees and that can be trained for in less than 12 months for free or at an affordable cost. - Basta (https://www.projectbasta.com/) - Partners with universities, colleges, and youth-serving nonprofits to strengthen career guidance for first-gen students. follow us: @grownkld @gaelaitor @_kaylasuarez join our social club: https://form.typeform.com/to/eBSho4lE overshare with us: grownkid.com About our Partners: GrownKid is made in partnership with Joy Coalition where purpose driven content meets powerful storytelling. From 13 Reasons Why to Unprisoned, Joy Coalition projects are made to bridge generations and drive groundbreaking conversations. This episode is sponsored by the Schultz Family Foundation, whose mission is to create greater opportunity accessible to all. The Foundation supports young adults across the country, whether that’s building stronger career pathways, or investing in AI tools that make the job search more accessible and transparent - ensuring everyone gets a fair shot at success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

we have officially moved to new york!!! and with this big move, came a mix of emotions—excitement for what’s ahead, and reflection on what we're leaving behind. though we're risking a lot with this move, we talk about not letting fear, guilt, and anxiety overwhelm us because #yolo. we're just a pair of grownkids trying to make our dreams happen and this move is one step closer to it. follow us: @grownkld@gaelaitor@_kaylasuarez join our social club: https://form.typeform.com/to/eBSho4lE overshare with us: grownkid.com About our Partners: GrownKid is made in partnership with Joy Coalition where purpose driven content meets powerful storytelling. From 13 Reasons Why to Unprisoned, Joy Coalition projects are made to bridge generations and drive groundbreaking conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

we discovered something very empowering this episode, and that is painting our faces as clowns. something about it made us feel invincible and intimidating muahahah. but in our clown getup, we got to chatting about gael's worst fear (eating a dozen crumble cookies), the ozempic boom, and why we hate coffee raves. follow us: @grownkld @gaelaitor@_kaylasuarez join our social club: https://form.typeform.com/to/eBSho4lE overshare with us: grownkid.com About our Partners: GrownKid is made in partnership with Joy Coalition where purpose driven content meets powerful storytelling. From 13 reasons Why to Unprisoned, Joy Coalition projects are made to bridge generations and drive groundbreaking conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

we read your super secret overshares this episode and got to chatting about superstitions we have, kayla being psychic, and feeling protected by the universe. sometimes it’s hard to say for sure what we believe in, but there’s no denying the feeling that the universe is looking out for us. follow us: @grownkld @gaelaitor@_kaylasuarez join our social club: https://form.typeform.com/to/eBSho4lE overshare with us: grownkid.com About our Partners:GrownKid is made in partnership with Joy Coalition where purpose driven content meets powerful storytelling. From 13 reasons Why to unprisoned, Joy Coalition projects are made t bridge generations and drive groundbreaking conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

we held the world's largest freeze tag game with BeerSos!! it was a very eventful weekend hanging out with nico and derek and exposing them to LA. so of course, we had to take them to 4100 bar (iykyk) where somehow gael, nico, and derek were in a throuple? but as we hung out more and more, we realized... we had found our twin flames. follow us: @grownkld @gaelaitor @_kaylasuarez join our social club: https://form.typeform.com/to/eBSho4lE overshare with us: grownkid.com About our Partners: GrownKid is made in partnership with Joy Coalition where purpose driven content meets powerful storytelling. From 13 reasons Why to unprisoned, Joy Coalition projects are made to bridge generations and drive groundbreaking conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

we read your super secret overshares this episode and got to chatting about superstitions we have, kayla being psychic, and, of course, gay people in new york because they are very relevant and seem to pop up in every conversation we have. follow us: @grownkld @gaelaitor @_kaylasuarez join our social club: https://form.typeform.com/to/eBSho4lE overshare with us: grownkid.com About our Partners: GrownKid is made in partnership with Joy Coalition where purpose driven content meets powerful storytelling. From 13 reasons Why to unprisoned, Joy Coalition projects are made to bridge generations and drive groundbreaking conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

as you guys know we hosted a fight your evil situationship boxing rave last week and it went better than we could've thought. you guys showed up and showed out, THANK YOU! <3 we recap the event with some things that happened behind the scenes that you probably didn't know about and how we felt afterwards. follow us: @grownk1d @gaelaitor @_kaylasuarez join our social club: https://form.typeform.com/to/eBSho4lE overshare with us: grownkid.com About our Partners: GrownKid is made in partnership with Joy Coalition where purpose driven content meets powerful storytelling. From 13 reasons Why to unprisoned, Joy Coalition projects are made to bridge generations and drive groundbreaking conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

we hit a mini quarter life crisis and start questioning our names, how we look, and our age. is this how 22 is supposed to be??  follow us: @grownkld @gaelaitor @_kaylasuarez join our social club: https://form.typeform.com/to/eBSho4lE overshare with us: grownkid.com About our Partners: GrownKid is made in partnership with Joy Coalition where purpose driven content meets powerful storytelling. From 13 reasons Why to unprisoned, Joy Coalition projects are made to bridge generations and drive groundbreaking conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices