35 episodes
UNDERCURRENTS Ken Ogasawara
-
- Society & Culture
We are well into the fourth season of Undercurrents! We explore the joys and challenges of refugee sponsorship, walk 200 km in a water ceremony, dig deep on affordable housing, and more!
For all of you who used Undercurrents in the classroom, Sunday school, or community event, we’re excited to be including a resource package with each episode complete with discussion questions and action items.
Thank you for joining us - please subscribe!
Sponsored in part by Kindred Credit Union.
Original music by Brian MacMillan.
Artwork by Jesse Bergen.
Mixed by Francois Goudreault.
-
Earth Day Special! - Imagining better futures with Dr. Sibonokuhle Ncube
Happy Earth Day, Undercurrents listeners! Today, we're sharing an episode from our sister podcast, Relief Development & Podcast, produced by my amazing colleagues Meghan Mast and Christy Kauffman. We hear from Dr. Sibonokuhle Ncube who says climate change chose her since she learned as a child that people in her rural village in Zimbabwe suffered from drought and hunger. But today she doesn't focus on all that is broken and what to fear, she focuses her energy on working towards a better future.
Undercurrents is produced with support from Kindred Credit Union.
Original music: Brian MacMillan
Artwork: Jesse Bergen -
Ep 25 - Affordable housing, part 2
In the second part of our mini-series on affordable housing, we hear from Beyond Housing executive director Dan Driedger - the single greatest challenge to building, the role of the private sector, stories from tenants, and more. Plus, a big life update from a previous Undercurrents guest!
Read the transcript.
Download the small group discussion guide.
Advocacy actions:
1. Say Yes to Fair Rents! - Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario - ACTO
2. Take Action: More Urgency on Housing Affordability - The National Housing Accord: A Multi-Sector Approach to Ending Canada’s Rental Housing Crisis
Provincial and federal governments waive HST on development of purpose-built rental housing - CBC
Produced with support from Kindred Credit Union.
Editorial support: Christen Kong
Original music: Brian MacMillan
Artwork: Jesse Bergen -
Ep 24 - (un)affordable housing, part 1
We sit down with MCC's Ontario advocacy guru Greg deGroot-Maggetti as he breaks down our affordable housing crisis: where we are, how we got here, and three (of many) solutions.
Advocacy actions:
1. Say Yes to Fair Rents! - Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario - ACTO
2. Take Action: More Urgency on Housing Affordability - The National Housing Accord: A Multi-Sector Approach to Ending Canada’s Rental Housing Crisis
Comprehensive explanation of rent control:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/how-does-rent-control-in-ontario-work-1.6978670
Produced with support from Kindred Credit Union.
Editorial support: Christen Kong
Original music: Brian MacMillan
Artwork: Jesse Bergen -
Ep 5 - David and Goliath (Palestine and Israel - re-release)
In light of the horrific ongoing violence in Palestine and Israel, we are re-posting this episode from Season 1, called “David and Goliath” featuring Palestinian Christian Tarek Al-Zoughbi and Israeli Jew Sahar Vardi.
What happens when David becomes Goliath? This is our only international episode in Season 1. We explore the tragic realities of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, and hear from those on both sides of the wall working for peace.
What can you do?
When confronted with the enormity of this story, we might feel angry, dispairing, or helpless. Here are a few action items for you to do to work toward Palestinian justice:
Advocate:
Sign this petition. Call for a ceasefire and end to violence in Palestine and Israel.
Sign this petition. No Way To Treat A Child Canada - "I urge you to prioritize human rights of Palestinian children and hold Israeli authorities accountable for widespread and systematic ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian child detainees. "
Donate:
Support MCC's humanitarian relief response in Palestine and Israel.
Pray:
Click here to read or download this beautiful prayer for peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
Links:
A Cry For Home - a rich resource of stories from Palestinians and Jews living in Palestine and Israel.
Wi’am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Centre, where Tareq Al-Zougbi works.
US Congressional Research Service report on Israel - detailing US military aid to Israel over the years.
Credits:
Theme song and other original music from Brian MacMillan.
Artwork by Jesse Bergen.
Licensed music from deWolfe Music.
Sponsored by Kindred Credit Union. -
Ep 8 - Home (Palestine and Israel - re-release)
In light of the horrific ongoing violence in Palestine and Israel, we are re-posting this episode from Season 2, called “Home” with Israeli Jewish filmmaker Lia Tarachansky and Palestinian poet Izzy Hawamda. It's a powerful story of shared humanity, shared land, and a challenge for all of us who live on settled land.
Urgent calls for a ceasefire in Palestine and Israel:
mcc.org/ceasefire (Canada)
change.org/ceasefirenow
A link to Lia Tarachensky’s feature film “On the side of the road” where she explores Israeli soldiers’ collective denial of their roles in displacing Palestinians.
https://vimeo.com/117772052
A link to Lia’s short film OCEAN which juxtaposed raw audio from her field recordings of the 2014 Gaza War, with images from her new life in Toronto: https://vimeo.com/181224988
MCC’s A Cry For Home campaign which is packed with stories, videos, fact sheets, and more:
https://mcccanada.ca/learn/where/middle-east/palestine-israel/cry-for-home -
Ep 23: Water Walking
"Water is life." Indigenous Water Walker Mary Anne Caibaiosai takes us on a 200 km journey of prayer, solidarity and celebration.
Transcript here.
To learn more about the Grand River Water Walk, go to grandriverwaterwalk.com
Produced with support from Kindred Credit Union.
Editorial support: Christen Kong
Original music: Brian MacMillan
Artwork: Jesse Bergen