Episodios

  • S3 Ep32: “Two Languages, Twice the Opportunities” Bilingual education advocacy with Gina Rodriguez & Carolyne Crolotte

    S3 Ep32: “Two Languages, Twice the Opportunities” Bilingual education advocacy with Gina Rodriguez & Carolyne Crolotte
    Apr 2 2024
    Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures.

    Today, you’ll hear from the passionate duo Carolyne Crolotte and Gina Rodriguez as they explore the impact of Proposition 227 on bilingual education in California and their work to shift the narrative through the Two Languages, Twice the Opportunities campaign.

    Listen as we dispel common myths and share tools and strategies to communicate the many benefits of bilingual education.

    Two Languages, Twice The Opportunities Materials
    English / Spanish Brochure
    English / Chinese Brochure
    English Social Media Toolkit
    Spanish Social Media Toolkit
    Chinese Social Media Toolkit

    Learn more:
    First5la.org
    EarlyEdge California
    CAMPAIGN LAUNCH ENCOURAGES DUAL LANGUAGE LEARNING ACROSS L.A. COUNTY Reading by 9: 3 reasons why language is your child’s secret superpower
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    43 m
  • S3 Ep31: Advancing Equity in Multilingual Education with Dr. Conor P. Willams

    S3 Ep31: Advancing Equity in Multilingual Education with Dr. Conor P. Willams
    Mar 26 2024
    Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures.

    In today’s episode, we speak with the insightful, witty, and humble Conor P. Williams. In our conversation, he shares his research on expanding equitable and multilingual learning opportunities for young, linguistically diverse children in the United States.

    Listen to hear us discuss the colonization of dual language programs and the importance of equity and access in these spaces.

    Check out these articles:
    • The Intrusion of White Families Into Bilingual Schools
    • Ensuring Equitable Access to Dual-Language Immersion Programs: Supporting English Learners’ Emerging Bilingualism
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    45 m
  • S3 Ep30: Language, Media Representation, and Parenthood with Mike Alfaro from Sí Sabo Kids

    S3 Ep30: Language, Media Representation, and Parenthood with Mike Alfaro from Sí Sabo Kids
    Mar 19 2024
    Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures.

    Today, we speak with the brilliant and funny Mike Alfaro about the impact of assimilation on identity and explore his inspiration for the creation of Millennial Loteria and Sí Sabo Kids.

    Mike Alfaro is a Creative Director, Content Creator, and Children’s Book Writer with over 370k followers on social media (@millennialloteria). Recognized as one of TikTok's 2023 Latinx Visionary Voices, he also earned a spot in the inaugural class of the LA Time’s 2022 Vanguardia List—celebrating Latino innovators, instigators, and power players breaking through barriers. His influence extends beyond social media, having been profiled by The New York Times, the Today Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Time Magazine, Oprah Magazine, Telemundo, and many more outlets. Originally from Guatemala, he now resides in Los Angeles with his wife Amy, baby Mya, and dog Bugsy.

    Tune in to hear Mike emphasize the importance of breaking stereotypes and showcasing the diversity and modernity of the Latine community.

    Learn more about Si Sabo Kids on instagram @sisabokids
    Learn more about Millennial Loteria on instagram @millennialloteria
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    37 m
  • S3 Ep29: Language learning that is Abuelita and science approved with the Bili Team Part 2

    S3 Ep29: Language learning that is Abuelita and science approved with the Bili Team Part 2
    Mar 12 2024
    Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures.

    Over the past couple of years, we have been talking with families and educators of kids with bilingualism in their bones through this podcast and our work with Bilingual Generation on our mission to create resources for educators and families that help kids maintain a connection to their heritage languages and cultures. One of our latest resources that has been brewing is The Bili app, a visionary app crafted by our team at Bilingual Generation.

    We are back with another episode with the Bili team, who helped bring the visionary app to life. If you missed last week’s episode, make sure you check it out after this!

    Today, you will hear from Project director Maried Rivera Nieves, Intern developers Aleksandra Makhrova and Fernando Perez Gutierrez, and Artist Graciella Delgado.

    Learn more about Bili and join the waitlist to download later this year: www.thebiliapp.com
    Follow Bili on Instagram: @thebiliapp
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    16 m
  • S3 Ep28: Language learning that is Abuelita and science approved with the Bili Team Part 1

    S3 Ep28: Language learning that is Abuelita and science approved with the Bili Team Part 1
    Mar 5 2024
    Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures.

    Over the past couple of years, we have been talking with families and educators of kids with bilingualism in their bones through this podcast and our work with Bilingual Generation on our mission to create resources for educators and families that help kids maintain a connection to their heritage languages and cultures. One of our latest resources that has been brewing is The Bili app, a visionary app crafted by our team at Bilingual Generation.

    Born from collaborations with bilingual educators and families, Bili is a response to the challenges communities face in finding dynamic, culturally responsive tools to support language learning at home and at school.

    Over the next two episodes, I will be bringing you a collection of interviews with the people putting together the Bili App.

    Today, you will hear from non other than the very Host of Talking to Grandma, Dr. Veronica Benavides as well as chief technology officer, Johnathan Chin and UX designer, Sarah Lynch.

    Follow Bili on Instagram: @thebiliapp
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    31 m
  • S3 Ep27: The Father/Daughter Bilingual Journey with Dr. Armando X. Orduña & Giuliana Sol Orduña

    S3 Ep27: The Father/Daughter Bilingual Journey with Dr. Armando X. Orduña & Giuliana Sol Orduña
    Feb 27 2024
    Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures.

    Talking to Grandma host, Dr. Veronica Benavides is returning to SXSW Edu next week to lead a panel alongside Dr. Vanessa Santiago Schwarz called Sí Sabo: Children with Bilingualism in Their Bones Speak. Last summer Armando Orduña and his daughter Giuliana shared their vulnerable conversation about language, identity, and growing up bilingual in America. This conversation and other talks with kids with bilingualism in their bones sparked the inspiration for this panel discussion.

    This week, we bring you these inspiring conversations from the archives of Talking to Grandma as we revisit this episode we published last summer.

    If you’re heading to SXSW EDU this year, be sure to stop by the panel on Tuesday, March 5th, at 11:30 AM! We hope to see you in Austin!
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    56 m
  • S3 Ep26: Infusing “Wellness Con Cultura” into Healing with Jennifer Velasquez

    S3 Ep26: Infusing “Wellness Con Cultura” into Healing with Jennifer Velasquez
    Feb 20 2024
    Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures.

    In this episode, we explore the vital connection between culture, language, and wellness with Jennifer Velasquez. 

    Jennifer Velasquez is an illustrator and the founder of Almadé,  a wellness company that provides BIPOC women with the tools to heal their inner child and break free from their generational curses. Using her background in adult education and love of neuroscience, Jennifer’s science-based and abuela-approved tools are used by therapists, social workers, and in classrooms across the country.   She creates in the Catskill Mountains of New York with her husband Jake and pup Ruthie.  For more on her work visit, www.almadeshop.com and connect with her on Instagram @almadeshop.

    Join us as she shares how her health led her to discover a side to her heritage language she had yet to uncover and how she plans to bridge generations through her work. 
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    39 m
  • S3 Ep25: Nurturing Language, Identity, and Connection with Dorenyse Díaz

    S3 Ep25: Nurturing Language, Identity, and Connection with Dorenyse Díaz
    Feb 13 2024
    Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures.

    In this episode, join us as we delve into the enriching conversation with Dorenyse Díaz, exploring the intricate dynamics of language loss and preservation within the context of her Nicaraguan heritage. Díaz sheds light on the challenges and triumphs of maintaining a connection to our cultural and linguistic identities.

    Dorenyse Díaz self identifies as a Nicaraguan queer fat femme based out of the ancestral lands of the Tongva and Gabrielino peoples (Los Angeles). She’s a former school leader, first in Northeast LA and then in the Macarthur Park/Pico Union area of Los Angeles. She’s worked as a consultant, teacher, and community organizer and her work has focused on supporting educators, leaders, and entrepreneurs in anti-racism and transformative justice, language justice, disability justice, and inclusive practices. Dorenyse is passionate about decolonizing mental health and healing work, spirituality, queerness, radical body love + acceptance, combatting fatphobia, and addressing anti-Blackness in Latine communities. She is the proud dog mama of Pofi (his name means “best friend” in Nicaraguan Spanish), a 2-year-old Shih Tzu/Terrier mix who loves doing zoomies, playing in the sand but never in water, listening to songs from his favorite show Bluey while on long drives, and taking trips to the fascinating drive-thru car wash. Dorenyse is also a loving tía to her wonderful niece and nephews: Eddie (15), Liam (13), Everly (9), and Ian (5).

    Tune in to explore the intersections of language, identity, and healing as we navigate the journey towards affirming and valuing our language and culture.

    You can find Dorenyse on Instagram at www.instagram.com/dorenyse
    You can learn more about her work at NewSchools Venture Fund here. 
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    42 m