Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world. Father Greg, an American Roman Catholic priest of the Jesuit order, witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence on his Los Angeles community during the so-called “decade of death” that began in the late 1980s and peaked at 1,000 gang-related killings in 1992.  In 1986, Fr. Boyle was appointed pastor of Dolores Mission Church, a Jesuit parish in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of East Los Angeles that was then the poorest Catholic church in the city. At the time, the church sat between two large public housing projects and amid the territories of numerous gangs. He is also the author of the 2010 New York Times-bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion and the 2017 Los Angeles Times-bestseller Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship. Fr. Boyle has received the California Peace Prize and been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. In 2014, the White House named him a Champion of Change. We are so pleased to be in conversation with Greg Boyle in this episode.

• Learn more about Homeboy Industries: https://homeboyindustries.org

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This episode of the Mission Innovation Podcast is in conversation with Paul Schroeder, who is a social entrepreneur, award-winning author, teacher, former Greek Orthodox priest and a coach. He has led diverse purpose driven organizations over the past 20 years with two recent examples being the New City Initiative in Oregon focused on issues of homelessness and employment as well as HourCar, a non-profit car sharing company focused on environmentally sustainable transportation in Minnesota. His book titled: “Practice Makes Purpose: Six Spiritual Practices that will Change Your Life and Transform Your Community.” offers a simple method for compassionate living.

Resources referenced in this episode:

• Practice Makes Purpose: Six Spiritual Practices that will Change Your Life and Transform Your Community, by Paul Schroeder
• C. Paul Schroeder Website

 

 

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In January of 1995, Ples Felix’s 14-year-old grandson murdered Azim Khamisa’s son in a gang initiation. But the story does not end there. From this tragic murder emerges a story of understanding, reconciliation and the beginning of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation which is devoted to stopping teen violence. Listen to the latest episode of The Mission Innovation Podcast where we interview Ples and Azim.

Resources referenced in this episode:

• TED Talk featuring Azim Khamisa and Ples Felix
• Tariq Khamisa Foundation

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Elizabeth McLeod, a millennial and cum laude graduate of Boston University, is the author of a letter that went viral on LinkedIn. She wrote the letter on behalf of millennials everywhere to “Management” everywhere. The letter was about the need for meaning at work. At the end of the letter, Elizabeth stated this, “I was raised to believe I could change the world. I’m desperate for you to show me that the work we do here matters, even just a little bit. I’ll make copies, I’ll fetch coffee, I’ll do the grunt work. But I’m not doing it to help you get a new Mercedes. I’ll give you everything I’ve got, but I need to know it makes a difference to something bigger than your bottom line.

We are pleased to be joined by Dr. John Izzo, a leading business leadership expert, community leader and author – beginning with his book in Awakening Corporate Soul (1994) to more recently, The Purpose Revolution (2018). John has been an advisor with such companies as IBM, McDonalds, HP, Verizon, and Coca Cola as well as being a teacher, researcher and coach on leadership and workplace values. He joins us today on the Mission Innovation podcast in conversation, on meaning at work.

Resources referenced in this episode:

• Dr. John Izzo Website
• LinkedIn Post: Why Millennials Keep Dumping You: An Open Letter to Management

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In this episode of the Mission Innovation Podcast, we are in conversation with Angela Blanchard. Angela is President Emerita of BakerRipley, is a globally recognized expert practitioner in community development, disaster recovery, and effective long-term integration for immigrants and refugees. Blanchard’s breakthrough strategies have successfully revitalized neighborhoods by leveraging Houston’s diversity, while providing a powerful model for cities across the globe facing the complex challenges of community transformation.

Blanchard’s genuine reverence for people and her unique ability to bring them together in unprecedented ways have played a pivotal role in the growth and impact of BakerRipley Her innovative, strength-based framework—Appreciative Community Building—has set the new standard for integrating diverse populations into thriving communities. The success of her approach in the country’s fastest-growing, most ethnically diverse city positions Blanchard as a visionary leader for evolutionary change. She has been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Fast Company, CNN, NPR, Associated Press, among many others. She was recently appointed as a Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Centennial Scholar Initiative at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

Resources referenced in this episode:

• Baker Ripley
• Investing in What Works for American Communities
• The Metropolitan Revolution
• Storm Warnings, by Adrienne Rich

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