Podcasts
At The Cares Family, we use our national presence to inspire more people to connect with one another and believe in the power of community. Here, you can listen to our own series of podcasts, Building Belonging, as well as other podcasts featuring members of our team exploring how we can build more socially connected communities.
Building Belonging
Building Belonging is a new podcast from The Cares Family and Onward. The podcast showcases the work of some of Britain’s most inspirational civic innovators and tells the stories of the community institutions which they’re building to bring us together in an age of disconnection. In each episode, hosts Alex (Founder and CEO at The Cares Family), Will (former Director at Onward) and their guests explore the relationship between civic innovators and those who hold political and policy power; and how government might work differently to unlock the power of communities and to create the conditions required for connecting institutions to flourish.
- Episode 1
Will Tanner and Alex Smith
In this very first episode of Building Belonging, Onward Director Will Tanner and The Cares Family Founder Alex Smith discuss their own work building belonging at a national and local level, bringing about change in Westminster and in communities, and the entrepreneurialism need to take big ideas and turn them into reality.
- Episode 2
Jon Yates
In this episode of Building Belonging Will and Alex speak to Jon Yates, a social entrepreneur and author who founded the National Citizen Service and worked as a Special Advisor to the Education Secretary. He now runs the Youth Endowment Fund.
- Episode 3
Kim Leadbeater MP
In this episode of Building Belonging Alex and Will speak to Kim Leadbeater, MP for Batley and Spen, about her work with the Jo Cox Foundation and More in Common, her campaigning in the House of Commons and the differences between being an MP and a community activist.
- Episode 4
Ivo Gormley
In this episode of Building Belonging Will and Alex speak to Ivo Gormley, the CEO and Founder of Good Gym - a community of people who get fit by doing good - about where the idea came from, their work combating loneliness, and their plans for the future.
- Episode 5
Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang
In this episode of Building Belonging Alex Smith and Will Tanner speak with Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang, Director of Lighthouse - a charity that transforms the lives of children in care - about where his inspiration for the charity came from, its scalability and children's policy.
- Episode 6
Sophia Parker
In this episode of Building Belonging Will and Alex speak to Sophia Parker, founder of Little Village, a charity providing young families with clothes, toys and a supportive community. Little Village is based in London with hubs in Camden, Wandsworth, Southwark, Brent and Hounslow. Since it launched in 2016, it has supported over 17,000 children across London and is now headed by Sophie Livingstone.
- Episode 7
Matt Hyde
In this episode of Building Belonging Will and Alex speak to Matt Hyde, Chief Executive of The Scouts about the founding of the organisation by Robert Baden-Powell in 1908, why the organisation has stood the test of time and remained relevant, and how to get more young people involved in volunteering.
- Episode 8
Ruth Ibegbuna
In this episode of Building Belonging Will and Alex speak to Ruth Ibegbuna, founder of the RECLAIM Project, The Roots Programme, and Rekindle, about empowering working class young people, building social connections and why she thinks we should abolish private schools.
- Episode 9
Russ Jeffreys
In this episode of Building Belonging Will and Alex speak to Parkrun Chief Executive Russ Jeffreys about its growth, how it fared the pandemic and the power of exercise in building social connections.
- Episode 10
Gemma Mortensen
In this episode of Building Belonging Will and Alex speak to Gemma Mortensen, co-creator of New Constellations about her work bringing people together and building a better, more beautiful future.
Other Podcasts
At The Cares Family, we use our national presence to inspire more people to connect with one another and believe in the power of community. Here, you can listen to podcast episodes that feature members of our team exploring how we can build more socially connected communities.
- Common Sense
How social media is making you lonely
- Nesta Ideas
Grassroots innovation and the COVID crisis: The Cares Family
- Do Good Podcast
Ep 24: Lauren & Jess (The Cares Family) on bringing the young and old back together
- The MUNAlogues - Hello World. Hello Change.
EP13: Tackling Loneliness & Building Intergenerational Connections - The Cares Family, England