Welcome back for Episode 6! Today's conversation is about how kids and families benefit from partnerships between the school and community organizations, and it features Sangeeta Bhonsale. Gayle and Bal sit down with her and talk about the role her organization plays in helping foster community in the Lower Mainland of BC.

Sangeeta Bhonsale comes with quite the unconventional resume for someone who works in a community setting. She started life in a middle-class family in India where her parents taught her the values of hard work and ethics while pushing her to achieve her dreams and financially extending themselves to put her through university in Michigan. She took those values and excelled at her academics at Michigan Tech University and kick-started her career working for a multinational corporation, Mercedes-Benz. Her journey from the corporate world to the nonprofit sector was greatly influenced by her experiences as a mother. Becoming a parent was a gift that gave her deep insight into some real-life lessons and has led her to her true calling, that is working towards building communities where every child can flourish and thrive. She has spent the last twelve years in learning and understanding the challenges and joys of raising healthy and confident children and the impact of community programs on parents, caregivers, and children.

RESOURCES:

- Association for Community Education in BC (ACEBC) http://acebc.ca/

- Alison Gopnik: Developmental Psychologist and Philosopher (http://alisongopnik.com/)

- Urie Bronfenbrenner: “Ecological Systems Theory” https://www.simplypsychology.org/Bronfenbrenner.html


QUOTES:

"The solution to adult problems tomorrow depends on large measure how our children grow up today."- Margaret Mead