Outside Perspectives Podcast

Two people working in youth development trying to make sense of what is happening to community, belonging, and the systems that once supported young people. Hosted by Nicky Wood and Lauren Humphrey of the nonprofit Outside Perspectives, this podcast explores the growing cracks in youth development across Connecticut and beyond: shrinking public programs, overwhelmed families, rising costs, fragmented communities, youth disconnection, and the quiet disappearance of spaces where young people once belonged. After 11 years of fighting to get young people access to meaningful outdoor and community based experiences, we started asking a bigger question: why has it become so hard to simply create spaces where kids can belong? These are not polished interviews or theoretical conversations. They are honest, evolving discussions from inside the work itself. Through stories, observations, and hopefully conversations with people across communities, schools, nonprofits, recreation, and youth services, we are trying to better understand what young people actually need, what communities are losing, and what it might take to rebuild sustainable relationship based youth development from the ground up. Because this feels bigger than one organization. And too important not to talk about.