Peace Talks Radio Paul Ingles

On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we explore solutions to gun violence in the U.S. from three perspectives - academic, policy and on the streets. Since 2020 firearms have been the leading cause of death in the US for youth. One of the most promising models to address gun violence is Community Violence Intervention (CVI). CVI programs use a localized approach, identify those who are at the highest risk and work to reduce violence through targeted interventions and peer outreach.


Emily Cohen speaks with Chico Tillmon, PhD, of the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab and a leader in the CVI field, as well as Nick Wilson, a senior director for Gun Violence Prevention at American Progress, where he leads the organization’s efforts to reduce gun violence and shrink the footprint of the criminal justice system while improving public health and safety. Also featured are outreach workers Billy Deal, Rodney Phillips, James Mitchell and Nyedra Turner of the Metropolitan Peace Initiatives on their new podcast Streets, Beatz and Peace.

In this program, correspondent Julia Joubert, explores what it could look like if we harnessed these differences instead of letting them divide us and how we can tap into the knowledge and resources from people of all ages to create effective and lasting positive change.

Guests Eunice Lin Nichols, Maria Banks and Kierstan Belle join Julia to explore their own experiences with people from different generations, how societal structures can be improved to foster connection, and how as individuals we can move beyond our anxieties of intergenerational conflict to build fruitful relationships with older and younger peoples.

In this program, correspondent Julia Joubert explores the contributors of negative body image and the rise of the slightly flawed body positivity movement in response to these standards. Guests Cate Navarrete, Kelvin Davis and Alishia McCullough join Julia to explore their own body image, how larger systems contribute to body dissatisfaction, the role that language plays and if the body positivity movement needs improving, how do we truly honor all bodies?

On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we explore political division. Research shows that polarization isn’t just something we see in politics or with elected officials, but that it is affecting our relationships with family members, neighbors, and coworkers. 

On this edition of Peace Talks Radio, we’ll take a look at hostage negotiations. From criminal kidnappings to political pawns, hostage taking is a tragic business that captivates news readers and fills the plots of thrillers, and - as we've seen recently - it's often a core element between nations at war. But far from the dramatic scenes played out in movies and series, what is actually happening behind the scenes? How do hostage negotiators build rapport and trust and come to agreements with kidnappers? And how are these same tactics useful in lower stakes negotiations? Recent research supports the common sense hypothesis that some people have personality traits that make them better negotiators than others. Individual differences matter. But these traits are possible to change or develop through practice. We’ll hear about this research and how we can use it to improve how we perform in and feel about negotiating. We’ll also hear how a hostage negotiator and former hostage used these tactics in real life. Danielle Preiss talks with three guests who are deeply familiar with hostage situations and negotiations from three different perspectives. Dr. Hillary Anger Elfenbein, is a professor at the Olin School at Washington University and researches negotiation from the level of buying a car to negotiation for release of hostages. Sue Williams is a hostage negotiator who led the Kidnap and Hostage Negotiation Units for the Metropolitan Police in London. And Thomas Olsson was held hostage by Jabhat Al-Nusra, the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, for one and a half years.

It's a compendium of highlights from just one season in the long-running award-winning PEACE TALKS RADIO series. You'll hear clips from our series about "Reconciling Estrangement", "Homelessness Through a Peacemaking Lens", "Flipping Extremists to Bolster Peace", "Peacemaking in Relationships Amidst Health Challenges", "Truth and Reconciliation Commissions", and more.