Community Cafe Bainbridge

Bainbridge Youth Services (BYS) and the Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island are working together to promote the social and emotional wellbeing of our adolescents and young adults. One way they do this is through sponsorship of a summer internship program where high school students get real world work experience with local employers. In 2017, the summer internship program had 25 employers and 35 interns, but this year, BYS and Rotary are looking to expand it significantly. Listen here as BYS president Tom McCloskey explains how the program is expanding and evolving to better accommodate the needs of both youth and their employers. The benefits for youth are obvious: whether their internships are paid or unpaid; whether they last just a few weeks or a whole summer; the young people who participate get meaningful job skills, build a strong work ethic and are exposed to a sector or industry of interest. Their experiences as interns in island businesses can help frame who they are and shape what they do with their li

Struggling with reduced eyesight? Bainbridge Island's VIP support group can help. Founded in 1992, the VIP has been helping Visually Impaired Persons for over 25 years. The VIP group offers a variety of resources, including help with medical issues, adaptive aids, and reading materials, access to social services and transportation, opportunities to socialize,and current information and training about the exciting breakthroughs in technology that can make it much easier to adapt to your changing circumstances. In this podcast BCB host Diane Walker speaks with Jerry Brader and Megan Hawgood, the current president and secretary of VIP.  Megan and Jerry (who is also known as Majick the Clown) are here to tell us about the group's monthly meetings at the Bainbridge Library, the speakers they provide, and all the services they make available to assist people who are dealing with loss of vision. For more information about the VIP, or to join the list of people who record their readings of the Review and the Islander

The community of Fort Ward is working together to restore the fort's historic bakery building for use as a community hall and gathering place. A collaborative effort of Friends of Fort Ward, the Fort Ward Youth Advisory Committee, the Bainbridge Island Metro Park and Recreation District, Kitsap County Sewer District No. 7, and residents of the Fort Ward neighborhood, the project also has the support of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation. In this podcast, BCB host and Fort Ward resident Christina Hulet talks with Friends of Fort Ward board president Douglas Crist about the project and the building's history. Listen here to learn more about these exciting restoration plans, the Fort Ward neighborhood, and the key historic role Fort Ward played in WWII. For more information about the project, visit https://fortwardhall.org/. Credits:  BCB host: Christina Hulet; BCB audio editor and social media publisher: Diane Walker.

What do a  kindergartner, a 12th grader, and a school bus driver have in common? Each has the potential to be awarded the Bainbridge Island School District's new BISD Strong Award. This award, created as part of a new initiative around raising social and emotional health, will be presented every fall, winter, spring, and summer to one person in each of the following categories: kindergarten-6h grade; 7th-12th grade; and BISD staff (teachers, transportation, technology, capital projects, food services, etc.) In this podcast, School Superintendent Dr. Peter Bang-Knudsen and Erin Bischoff, the district's public relations officer, discuss this award and its success, as well as the background philosophy and values around social and emotional health. Anyone (other than family members) can nominate a student or staff member who deserves recognition by going to the BISD website: www.bisd303.org . Nominations are ongoing throughout the  school year, but evaluated each quarter by a specially selected committee. The nex

In an inspiring example of community collaboration, the Battle Point Astronomical Association and Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network are teaming up to upgrade the BPAA telescopes and functionality. In December of 2017 the Bainbridge City Council, acting on the recommendations of the Cultural Funding Advisory Committee, awarded a grant of $20,000 to be used to repair and restore the Edwin Ritchie telescope, which is the largest telescope in Washington State and one of the very few publicly accessible telescopes in the Pacific Northwest. Using the skills and resources of the BARN facilities and volunteers, the main telescope will be retrofitted, the numerous smaller donated telescopes will be repaired as needed and made available to the public, repairs will be made to the observatory's leaky roof, cabinetry and furnishings will be provided to house and support educational activities, and video equipment will be developed to make it possible to transmit images from the telescope via the internet. Listen here as

'Net neutrality' is a value that helps to make the internet so valuable as a democratic and level playing field of ideas for one and all -- including those of us who use the world wide web or bring services and information to the public as BCB does. In a week when internet users across the country are taking action on July 12th to show that our current national policy of net neutrality continues to be desirable, BCB wanted to reach out to the manager who oversees Kitsap Public Utility District's public broadband activities to get his take. In this podcast, we meet Paul Avis, who is the superintendent of the KPUD department that has constructed and maintains our public high speed fiber optic internet backbone on Bainbridge Island and in other parts of our county. That backbone construction started over 15 years ago. KPUD makes their wholesale broadband services available to governmental, commercial and residential users through a variety of independent internet service provider (ISP) retailers. In this podcast

In this quick 9-minute podcast, City Communications Manager Kellie Stickney describes the new City program that offers you an opportunity to apply for funding for a project to benefit your neighborhood. Projects as small as $100 or as large as $5,000 can qualify for funding. She explains that applications are now being received at City Hall for the 2017 round of funding. It's a competitive process, based on written applications from residents who are willing to be a neighborhood project advocate. Final decisions will be made by vote of the City Council. Kelly points out that this is the first year of the program, and $10,000 has been budgeted for this year's applicant neighborhoods. Already, several neighborhoods have submitted funding applications for projects, so she encourages you not to miss the opportunity to apply. On the podcast, she offers several examples of promising projects for neighborhood funding. Kelly explains that the City's "matching" dollars can match 2-to-1 either the dollars raised by the

In this 26-minute podcast, we learn the pros and cons of 6 alternative sites for the proposed new building for the City's police department and municipal court. We meet the local Bainbridge architect chosen by the City Council to review and rate the potential sites, Matthew Coates, who is president of Coates Design. And the conversation is joined by City Communications Manager Kellie Stickney, who reports on the citizen engagement session at City Hall on April 12th, when about 100 citizens offered feedback on the sites under consideration. Matthew reports on the months of comparative analysis, and his findings, since he was appointed by the City Council last October. Kellie encourages citizens to stay engaged in this open process to identify the best site and eventually design a building that could embody green and sustainable design features, and offer public benefits for decades to come. Matthew describes the three sites that look least promising, in part because of inadequate size: - Yaquina Road, east of

This podcast provides insights into the caring, concerns and community values that motivated our City Council to adopt a Resolution Affirming Bainbridge Island as a Welcoming and Inclusive City. That action was intended to reaffirm our City's long history of supporting civil and human rights, and to protect targeted groups and vulnerable individuals. The resolution and an accompanying legal ordinance were unanimously approved by the Council less than 2 weeks after President Trump promulgated a ban on refugees and immigrants from any of 7 mostly-Moslem countries. That ban was promptly held unlawful by federal courts in a case brought by our State Attorney General with the strong encouragement of our Governor Jay Inslee, who himself is a resident of Bainbridge Island. The City's compassionate action occurs in this year in which we will soon mark the 75th anniversary of the forced removal of more than 200 Japanese Americans from their homes on our island to internment camps during World War II. In this candid an

Bainbridge Island is a community that loves its library, and library users have a treat in store when this year's "Refresh" project expands the library's meeting room and improves its facilities -- in keeping with their slogan "A vibrant space for everyone". In this 16-minute podcast conversation, Bainbridge Branch Manager Rebecca Judd and Bainbridge Public Library board president Eric Petersen describe how excited they are about the improvements that will be constructed this year, between March and this Fall. The Library will remain open throughout the construction project. Some services will move around the building as the project proceeds. To keep up with the changes, check the Bainbridge Library website and the KRL Bainbridge branch website that describes library services and events. They explain our Library's innovative working relationship -- a public-private partnership -- between the Kitsap Regional Library system for staffing and services that we support through local tax levies, and the private nonp

In this 19-minute podcast conversation, two Bainbridge women who are parents of local public school students explain their confidence in the importance of public education on our island, and why they support the two levies on the February 14th ballot that provide more than one-fifth (22%) of our local school budget. Erin Cyger and Anna Steen are two of the many volunteers serving in the Bainbridge Island Public Schools Supporters organization. They explain why they're voting "Yes" for each of the two levies that fund our local schools: the Educational Programs and Operations Levy and the Technology Levy. They point out that the levies are not new taxes. Instead, "yes" votes for levies this month would replace two school revenue sources approved by local voters three years ago, and which are set to expire this year. They distinguish this year's education levy from last year's school bond request that voters approved, by saying: "Bonds buy bricks; levies are for learning." And they urge that the levies provide 

In this 18-minute community podcast for this holiday season of generosity, we meet a high school student leader, a City employee and a street ministry volunteer who have made it easy for you to donate dry, clean, warm socks to the nearby homeless folks who need them in this wintry weather. Their "Boxes of Socks" donation program enables you to bring socks -- either new or freshly laundered -- to metal drop-off boxes that look like blue newspaper stands in numerous locations like: Bainbridge Island City Hall the Bainbridge ferry terminal Island Fitness, south of City Hall Wildernest, on Winslow Way Buckley & Buckley Real Estate, in Winslow Green, or Harley-Davidson in Silverdale The idea was hatched during a recent conversation between the City's Communications Manager Kellie Stickney and Steve Rhoads. As you'll hear on this podcast, Steve is a competitive cyclist and local volunteer for fundraising for good causes like Helpline House and Housing Resources Bainbridge. Steve has ministered to street peopl

From BCB... https://www.bestofbcb.org/cafe-052-healthy-youth-and-socializing/ How can we help our youth create and sustain positive, healthy relationships?   It’s an important question for all of us, adults and youth alike, and yet we all know how messy and challenging relationships can be. Who among us is able to navigate all of our relationships well? To be successful at relationships, we need a number of skills: active listening, compassion, boundary setting, collaboration, and the ability to regulate one's emotions and impulses. It is a lifelong journey. In this podcast, BCB host Christina Hulet explores this ability to create and sustain healthy relationships--what psychologists call sociability--with soccer coach Ballan Campeau of BIFC club soccer and the Bainbridge High School team, and two of his athletes, Tyler Moravec and Quinn Millerd. In sharing their experiences of creating solid relationships on the soccer field and beyond, they encourage us, as parents and community members, to think about wha

Madi Williamson is a young Bainbridge woman who, at age 21, took leave from her job for two weeks, and then for three months, to provide heartfelt hands-on care and comfort to Syrian refugee families in Greece. In this podcast, Madi shares with BCB's Barry Peters her remarkable and beautifully told stories of the experience of helping refugee families, and then realizing that she had come away with a level of understanding, meaning and insight she couldn't have gained in other ways. She talks about visiting the Greek island of Lesbos where boats with refugee families stream ashore, and her extended stay at the encampment with over 100,000 refugees at the Greece-Macedonia border village of Idomeni. Madi urged her step-dad, Andre Kamber, to take a break from his professional financial career for a similar experience of helping refugees. You'll want to sample the previous BCB podcast conversation with Andre, and with Alice Medoza and Ellin Spenser, who recently told BCB of their experiences helping refugees on t

From BCB... https://www.bestofbcb.org/cafe-50-healthy-youth-and-curiosity/ In this podcast, we hear directly from two of our very own Bainbridge High School students, Emma Russell and Maya Hathan, on how we as parents, teachers and community members help encourage or, in some cases, inhibit the natural curiosity among youth. Why is this so important? According to local developmental psychologist, Marilyn Price Mitchell, “research suggests that intellectual curiosity has as big of an effect on performance as hard work. When put together, curiosity and hard work account for success just as much as intelligence. Another study found that people who were curious about a topic retained what they learned for longer periods of time. And even more impressive, research has linked curiosity to a wide range of important adaptive behaviors, including tolerance of anxiety and uncertainty, positive emotions, humor, playfulness, out-of-box thinking, and a noncritical attitude -- all attributes associated with healthy soci

In this 13-minute conversation with Cezanne Allen, learn about the upcoming 8-month live and online campaign of the Bainbridge Healthy Youth Alliance, called: "Beyond the Report Card: Cultivating What Matters". Participation is being offered at no charge to parents, grandparents, coaches, teachers and anyone else interested in helping kids thrive. The campaign, which starts October 4th, includes a print booklet, weekly blog posts, relevant articles, weekly Facebook posts, monthly BCB podcasts, and handouts at events. In addition, on Nov. 9th, there will be a guest lecture by Michele Borba PhD, author of "Unselfie". The aim of the Alliance is to create an 8-month learning adventure leading to a community culture where every child has what they need to thrive, connect, contribute, learn and prepare for a fulfilling career. The Healthy Youth Alliance is a collaborative partnership of organizational leaders, teens, parents, teachers and individuals working together for positive youth development. For this project

In this 26-minute podcast conversation, we learn what's special and what's significant about the City's just-finished update of the Comprehensive Plan for the Island's 10-20 year future. The public is invited to attend either of two September open house and public hearing events to hear about the final draft or offer comments: (1) Saturday Sept 17th from 10am to 11:30 (plus a hearing), or (2) Thursday, Sept 22nd from 4:30 to 6pm (plus hearing). During this podcast, comprehensive planning expert and adviser Joe Tovar summarizes the salient features of the 10-element revised and rewritten document that represents two years of intense work by island residents, City staff and representatives of the Planning Commission. And Jennifer Sutton, the project coordinator and a Senior Planner for the City, is on hand to add her thoughts. As Joe Tovar points out, the report's main conclusions about land use are notable -- namely, that our City of about 23,600 people already has adequate zoning and infrastructure to accommo

In this 30-minute podcast conversation, we learn about ideas and strategies to enable participants of all ages to make the most of the remarkable new creative space for artisanry, learning, making and doing, called Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN). We meet Catherine Camp, the board member and vice president for operations at BARN, who introduces us to the new BARN project for engaging local youth in the activities and programs of BARN. With her in the studio are three local high school and college students who share their thoughts on the great value of having an all-ages creative space for learning and mentoring. Those podcast participants are: Maya Nathan: a Bainbridge High School senior, who is this summer's BARN intern; Finn Mander: a Bainbridge High School senior who is a long-time volunteer at BCB (which is soon to be part of BARN), and who is also a leader of the 2-year-old BHS Radio Club. In the coming school year, Finn will be a leader of the new student club for video news production, call

In this 20-minute podcast, Lara Hansen -- who is the co-founder, executive director and chief scientist of the Bainbridge-based nonprofit called EcoAdapt -- describes the Bainbridge Island Climate Impact Assessment report that she is presenting to our local City Council on July 26th. The report is the culmination of a year's work for a project that involved collaboration by the City, funding by Bainbridge Community Foundation, and cooperation with organizations like the Bullitt Foundation. The report assesses the impact that climate change is already having locally, how that impact will affect decision-making for public policy, business activity and actions by individuals for their home and daily living. The report goes on to make recommendations to the City, and to individuals, for actions that can now be taken to deal more effectively with those climate change impacts. Lara is a member of the board of directors of Sustainable Bainbridge, and has discussed climate change issues in prior BCB podcasts such as:

The Golden Rule, first launched in 1958 by a former U.S. Navy lieutenant commander and Quaker, with a mission to stop atmospheric nuclear testing, has only been recently restored after it fell into disrepair and sank in 2010. The vessel, slightly over 30 feet in length, is back in action  plying waters as a peace boat--but not after an improbable resurrection. This summer, the vessel is touring the Pacific Northwest. One of its stops was the City Dock on Bainbridge Island, July 15 and 16. It plans to participate in Fleet Week in Seattle in August. Helen Jaccard, who helped crew the vessel last year and is providing shore support this year, spoke with BCB’s Reed Price about the history, relaunch, and modern mission of the boat. To learn more about the vessel and its voyages, visit https://www.facebook.com/VFP-Golden-Rule-Project-221122271247448/,  http://vfpgoldenrule.org or email vfpgoldenrule@gmail.com Credits: BCB host and audio editor: Reed Price; publisher: Diane Walker.