For our 1-month anniversary recognize that gun violence is a public health problem.
For our 1-month anniversary recognize that gun violence is a public health problem.
Sounds Like Impact: A newsletter for audio and action - Vol. 5
I want to open this newsletter with a dedication to the families, friends and communities impacted by gun violence. A year ago the mass shooting in Buffalo, New York occurred. Here is a podcast episode that beautifully memorializes the victims. 🕊
Content warning: Various episodes featured in this curation will talk about violence, substance abuse, suicide and/or mental illness. Please take care when listening and Text / Call 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline if you or a loved one are in need.
Volume 5 of Sounds Like Impact is the heaviest edition* to date. In last week’s newsletter I mentioned that we would be talking about mental health, and we will, though perhaps not in the way you expected.
*Just a heads up that this edition will not have a Spotlight show or interview given how many podcasts are included in the curation this week to handle the subject matter with more care.
Announcements: 🥳 Sounds Like Impact is one month old! There are now 200+ people subscribed to this newsletter focused on turning our listening into action.
So far we have: covered weight stigma, environmental conservation & justice and environmental crimes; shared one guest curation; interviewed two creators (Ruxandra Guidi and Rekha Murthy); and received 20 podcast pitches!*
🧡 A special thank you goes out to Naomi, our most recent donor.
That said, none of what has been accomplished so far is possible without all of your continued support. Any action is appreciated, especially feedback. Even if it’s only saying happy month-iversary or sharing an action you took!
So many CTAs, just enough time for at least one 😉.
Psst 🗣: You can choose to email, soundslikeimpact [at] unofficialsocialchair [dot] com
*Update on pitches: Responses will be delivered by 5/16 to all who pitched in April, at the very least. I am but one though I speak in the plural, so please be patient. 🙏 If you didn’t realize you could pitch the newsletter, do so here.
🙌 Keeping the faith: The latest season of Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s, a podcast from Gimlet Media and Spotify, won a Pulitzer and Peabody! Journalist Connie Walker’s story is deeply personal and brings to the forefront the long-lasting impact of residential schools. With or without an award, Indigenous Stories Matter.
Congratulations to Connie and the entire team! Read more from For the Record.
🎧 #AudioForAction Theme of the Week
Cope, Contextualize, Act
Our country is sick and the illness is gun violence. The underlying cause is a complex web of social determinants of health that have been largely neglected in the political and mass media discourse when it comes to talking about violence that has occurred.
It’s important to state upfront that far more people die by suicide with a firearm each year than are killed with one (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, analyzed by Everytown for Gun Safety). This doesn’t change the fact that 2,878 people have lost their lives in 553 mass killings since 2006 (as of 10:46pm 5/8/23)*.
My hope is that we move away from politicizing this issue and move toward treating gun violence as the public health problem it is. “Thoughts and prayers” aren’t enough, and I want this newsletter to play even a small part in moving us toward action.
*You can find more data and visualizations about this epidemic in the Gun Violence Archive.
COPE
Notes from America with Kai Wright, Grieving Loss From Gun Violence
On Purpose with Jay Shetty, 5 Ways to Reduce Helplessness in Difficult Times & How to Improve Your Relationship with the News
For caregivers of children:
Teachers, social workers, parents, people with niblings, babysitters; anyone with a child in their life can benefit from these two short episodes:
The Savvy Psychologist’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Mental Health, How to Talk to Kids About Shootings and Gun Violence
CONTEXTUALIZE
Everything is Public Health, Gun Violence is Public Health - Community Violence Prevention
Our Children Can’t Wait, Redefining School Safety
ACT (Non-audio actions continue in the next section.)
For Everyone: Science Vs, Mass Shootings: How Do We Stop Them?
For Storytellers / Journalists:
Sound Judgment, Best Of: Emotional Bravery with Last Day’s Stephanie Wittels Wachs
Consider This from NPR, Changing the Way Media Reports on Gun Violence
For Medical Practitioners: The Short Coat, What Physicians Can Do to Reduce Gun Violence Harm
⭐️ Thank you to the following members of the #SoundsLikeImpact community for pitching their podcasts! Our Children Can’t Wait and Podcast Allies’ Sound Judgment
Get the podcast playlist on Spotify or Podchaser for wherever you may listen.
🚨 Calls to Action
Rally: On May 13th, Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action will be rallying for Congress to reinstate the bipartisan Federal Assault Weapons Ban. Find a rally near you.
Train: Get certified in CPR & First Aid. Why? Training increases your confidence in situations where you are under pressure and these are practical life skills regardless of what type of emergency you may encounter.
You can also consider becoming certified in Mental Health First Aid.
Learn: The Center for Gun Violence Solutions from the John Hopkins School of Public Health is a great resource for education and advocacy information.
Volunteer: If you are a student, you can start a campus hub of March for Our Lives and anyone can start a community chapter or join the national team.
Share: Your stories matter. If you or a loved one has experienced gun violence, Moments That Survive is collecting submissions here.
⏭ Coming Up
Next week focus on caregiving ❤️🩹 and interview producer / podcast host, Anita Flores.
🤗 An act of joy: Museums! I really cannot overemphasize how important cultural institutions are to my wellbeing. Last week I took one last tour of the Thierry Mugler exhibit with my friend who was visiting, and this week I’m heading to see the exhibitions at MoMA PS1 with another friend. I’m most excited about the Daniel Lind-Ramos portion. Please share any museums / exhibits you think should be on my radar.
Love the recommendations in this also happy-one-monthaversary!!! <3
Wanted to share another show you might like called The Ten News a show for kids that did a special two-part series on talking to kids about gun violence and hard things in the news. (here: https://pod.link/1514325670/episode/cca4abc918577ec5ef8f77c7625da507 and here: https://pod.link/1514325670/episode/73be399adb03d0a199dd0df4dec8350c)