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Carol Cone:
I’m Carol Cone and welcome to Purpose 360, the podcast that unlocks the power of purpose to ignite business and social impact.
Carol Cone:
I’m going to share with you, in our next few podcasts, conversations that were recorded live at the Engage for Good conference that was held last April.
At Engage for Good, with almost a thousand attendees, you have individuals that are engaging for good in their organizations of all sizes, and from all geographies, and in all different industries—individuals coming together to share their knowledge, to gain more insights, to determine how, in this challenging economic and political and global turmoil that we’re experiencing today, how do we keep the work going forward? And why is it so important to do that?
Well, I’d like to share with you that I was so honored to be named the Lifetime Achievement Award from Engage for Good, amongst their renowned Halo Awards. The Halo Awards, that were held on the last evening of the conference, recognized all sorts of different partnerships and programs and individuals truly making this work work really hard and gaining incredible impacts, even though there are significant challenges.
So this is the first of two episodes that you’ll hear from leaders such as at companies like Mattel, or the Obama Foundation, OnPurpose Careers, Active Minds. You’re going to hear from all sorts of different segments of the purpose world.
Now these aren’t polished keynote speakers. They’re real conversations where I sat in corners of the conference with these individuals to share what’s working, what’s changing, and what it takes to build authentic impact that lasts. So whether you’re leading purpose inside a company, building partnerships, or shaping the future of social impact—I know you’ll find inspiration and practical insight in every one of these conversations. So let’s get started.
Carol Cone:
So I am so excited to bring to you Mattel, the Engage for Good Corporation of the Year.
And please give me your titles and your roles so that our listeners know the fabulous role you had in making this award.
Nancy Molenda:
Absolutely, I’ll start. I’m Nancy Molenda and I’m the Vice President of Global Philanthropy and Corporate Events at Mattel.
Brittany Cruickshank:
And I’m Brittany Cruickshank, manager for the Foundation and Global Philanthropy at Mattel.
Carol Cone:
But I love the impact and the longevity and the resilience, which then leads to this wonderful award — and of course the Barbie movie.
Carol Cone:
It was so thoughtful and it was mesmerizing.
Nancy Molenda:
Yes, it was. It was a great time for us at Mattel — as little girls and Barbie fans — coming to the company to work with the brand and then seeing that movie take off and bring generations together.
Carol Cone:
Yes. Mothers and daughters and even grandmothers.
Nancy Molenda:
Even grandmothers, I think. Dressing up, feeling together — it was a community effort. And our favorite part about it was that right from the start they were talking about what are we doing for social impact. So this movie and everything wrapped around it — their piece of that puzzle has to be what’s the campaign we’re putting out into the world to do good?
Carol Cone:
So how involved is Ynon — your CEO?
Nancy Molenda:
Yeah. He’s a good advocate because he’s the chairman as well as the CEO. And every year I have to go into the Mattel board and present our strategy — look back at last year, present our strategy for this year. Brittany and I work very closely on that. And he’s seen the evolution of what we’ve done really coming out of COVID. Especially him coming into the company, because things changed — we were needing to make some changes for the corporation and that trickled into our area as well. But we found that integrating more into our brands and our brand purpose, rather than operating in a silo as the CSR team, we now are embedded and a part of every single one of those brands.
Carol Cone:
That’s the way to do it.
Nancy Molenda:
And I actually want Brittany to talk a little more about that, because she really has been the one who said — I am pulling up a chair, you don’t need to offer me a seat — we’re coming in because we’re going to enhance all the work that you’re doing with ideas around social impact.
Brittany Cruickshank:
Yeah, we are so lucky to work with such iconic brands at Mattel — Hot Wheels, Barbie, American Girl celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. So there’s so much to celebrate consistently with our brands. And that global inclusion of the product they’re making is what has really given us that opportunity. So it starts from day one of design. We get in on those meetings and we say — okay, we’re creating a doll for T1D, or a doll with autism, or cars being developed for children who can’t get on the floor and play with cars but can have a car in their lap. So we are now connecting our design teams with our network of nonprofit partners to say, let’s get in on that design piece. And then we start the conversation at such an early stage that we can see it through development, and ultimately the execution — we bring those toys to life and they get to be in the hands of children. We are bringing that to every single stage of that process. And now we’re that reliable partner for our brands.
Carol Cone:
Reliable partner. So how did you earn pulling up that chair? What did you personally do? Because one of my themes for this conference is about mastery — you’ve gotta put in the time. So how did you pull up that chair? What gave you the groundwork, the foundation?
Brittany Cruickshank:
Well, we just celebrated our 80th anniversary, so obviously the legacy of the foundation and our philanthropic work. But similar to what Nancy was saying about coming out of COVID — innovating. We had to create: okay, we’re not doing events anymore, how are we giving back, how are we showing up? And being a small but nimble team, we’re able to make quick decisions and show up in authentic ways with our partners in the community. And what we started doing is highlighting that to our brands — that internal communication of saying, these are the stories that we’re telling. And now people come to us and say, the work we’re doing with you is why we’re at this company. This is why we stay here.
Carol Cone:
There you go. That’s the value creation.
Brittany Cruickshank:
Exactly.
Nancy Molenda:
Connecting a designer that’s just beginning to build the doll with the organization that they’re building it for.
Carol Cone:
That is a secret power. Yes.
Nancy Molenda:
Yeah, and they become absorbed in this world. They feel good about the work that they’re doing. And so they become another advocate to all of our other brand designers — hey, you’re starting this project? Call Brittany and Nancy and they’ll connect you to the organization to help you authentically design this product. And then it just bounces around. It’s not hard to want to feel good with the work that you do. It’s been a floodgate, honestly, and it’s a joy.
Carol Cone:
You’re part of the strategy team — an integrated strategy team.
Nancy Molenda:
Right. Strategy team. Yes.
Carol Cone:
You pulled up the chair. You didn’t have to earn it — you’re showing it. So that’s great. How do you prove the impact? What kind of measurement are you using?
Nancy Molenda:
Yeah, that’s a really great question. We’re lucky — at the heart of it, I’ve talked to many different corporate philanthropy teams, and I know there’s a difference in the way they have to prove their impact versus what we’re being asked to do, simply because it shows up in our storytelling, in our brands, in our fans. I’d say the measurement for us and our whole Play It Forward strategy — we’ve simply decided that if we affect one person today, that metric is enough, because you don’t know the ripple effect after that. And we’ve decided to say, in our storytelling and the way we talk about our impact, because it’s showing up in the toys landing on the shelf — there’s not much more a company like us has to show. When we see a little girl with autism with a doll she never expected to have. Or we have an amazing campaign called Brave Barbie and now Brave Ken — we’re debuting Brave Ken here at EFG out on the lawn tomorrow, so for all of you listeners, maybe that’ll show up on social media. And so since twenty thirteen they’ve manufactured — and it’s not part of the commercial world. All of these dolls get given to the foundation and we give them out. We manufacture a doll, and we’re the only toy company that does this, specifically to give away to a certain community. That’s enough impact for me.
Brittany Cruickshank:
Agreed. And when we show up in the community with our partners, with all of our brands and play experiences, it really is about that experiential moment. You see a child receive a first of something. We even talked about it this morning at the main stage — these effects that are happening to children and to young adults and to adult fans across the board. It can be so simple as just something that keeps them going, something that gives them light and gives them the courage to keep going. Maybe they’re having a hard day, going through a struggle or a crisis. Being able to live through a play experience — that is so powerful. Back to the power of one. If we’re showing up in a volunteer moment, if we’re working with a nonprofit partner, the fact that we’re able to be part of that is enough for us. We don’t have to be the owners, we don’t have to be the creators — we just want to be part of this.
Carol Cone:
That’s fantastic. I want to underscore the fact that you take your innovators and your designers into the field — they meet community members. Microsoft has done that with their adaptive controllers. IKEA has done it with their furniture. And it’s just brilliant. It’s embedding a needed social issue — something that makes total sense in alignment with what you do. There is no fakery there. It’s part of your soul.
Nancy Molenda:
Exactly. Well, no one in their right minds would think they know everything. For the first Barbie I remember them working on for a specific community, it was Barbie in a wheelchair. And they were like — okay, a wheelchair, we can just look at general designs. And we said, why don’t you talk to a children’s hospital? Because I just imagined there might be some nuances that would make it really authentic.
Carol Cone:
Go talk to Shriners, for example.
Nancy Molenda:
And it seemed like they were really seeing the community, and there were adjustments that they made. And to a designer, they were like, I don’t know everything about this — I should be talking to the organizations that do.
Carol Cone:
I love that we’re talking here about what authentic shows up as.
Nancy Molenda:
Yes. It shows up as not believing that you know everything — that you have to ask, you have to go.
Carol Cone:
It’s a humility.
Nancy Molenda:
Yes, absolutely. It’s a learning process for everyone. Go to the experts. We’re not the experts. We’re simply the givers.
Carol Cone:
So anything else about winning this incredible recognition? You must feel great.
Brittany Cruickshank:
Well, coming off the heels of our eightieth anniversary last year, we created a campaign called ‘80 Moments for Eighty Years.’ Going into it, we splashed a slide in front of our leadership team — here’s what we’re planning to do — and their jaws hit the floor. And we said, but guess what? This is what we do every year. We’re just giving you insight into it.
And so we had our work cut out for us with our global teams. Coming off a year like that, this is just the wind in our sails — let’s keep going, what’s next, how do we keep changing, how do we keep influencing? And also looking back and saying that was incredible momentum, and getting our leadership to really believe and be part of the purpose piece of things was game-changing for us and for many others within the organization too.
Carol Cone:
That’s fantastic. But any other insights or suggestions to other companies about how they can embed and be authentic and aligned?
Nancy Molenda:
Number one, don’t wait for the chair — pull it up yourself, and go maybe just that one extra moment forward. We’ve all sat in these meetings. So the philanthropy teams — just bully your way up in there. Usually we know everything about the business and all the brands. Just take it over and say we should really be thinking about everything we do and putting something impactful in it. It’s not hard. It’s all about the storytelling and I promise it pays off — maybe it’s employee retention, maybe it’s just a unifying moment. And then just keep going. Just keep showing up.
Carol Cone:
That’s great. Well thanks for being on the show and congratulations on your great award and your incredible energy and intentionality and pulling up the chair. That’s gonna be our new mantra.
Nancy Molenda:
Thank you so much.
Carol Cone:
Thank you so much.
Nancy Molenda:
Yes, thanks for having us. This is very, very special.
Interview 1 — Karoline Katus / Obama Foundation
Carol Cone:
Hi, Carol Cone here, and we are at Engage for Good, and I am just finding fabulous people to interview. So joining me is Karoline Katus. She is a Director of Principal Gifts at the Obama Foundation. And I love President Obama — so what a great job for you, Karoline. Welcome to the show, Purpose 360.
Karoline Katus:
Thank you so much. I’m so happy to be at the Engage for Good conference with you, learning about social impact and the great partnerships. As you know so well — one of the queens of great partnerships.
Carol Cone:
Oh, thank you. That’s very, very kind. I’m sure you run into him and Michelle. But what’s it like to work with them?
Karoline Katus:
Well, they’re incredible. They have an amazing vision for the Obama Presidential Center, which is opening on the south side of Chicago on Juneteenth. The 19-acre campus will include a museum, over 30 pieces of site-specific art from some of the most incredible artists, like Mark Bradford and Julie Mehretu, a branch of the Chicago Public Library, a fruit and vegetable garden, and an athletic center.
Carol Cone:
Basketball court?
Karoline Katus:
Yes — President Obama’s, NBA regulation size. So there’ll definitely be a lot of exciting games played on the court. And it’s really a gift to the South Side of Chicago and a gift to the United States. It will be a cultural institution, but an institution focused on uplifting democratic principles.
Carol Cone:
That’s beautiful.
Karoline Katus:
The museum will actually start with the history of the United States, and all of the people that have come before the Obamas and the shoulders of which they stand on. And they wanted to create that historical context, so people understand what democracy is and what democracy looked like when the country was founded two hundred and fifty years ago.
Carol Cone:
And it’s opening on Juneteenth.
Karoline Katus:
Yes, very special opening date. And so right now we’re starting to do previews of it for staff and friends and family and our community around town. So very, very exciting.
Carol Cone:
So tell me a little bit about your job, and we’ve been there about a couple of years now?
Karoline Katus:
I’ve been here for two years. I work on our individual giving philanthropy side of things — I work with our philanthropists around the country who are interested in investing in both the center as well as our programs. We have global programs where we train leaders for values-based leadership development, a six-month training. And we have cohorts in the United States, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Africa. These leaders come from all industries — we have about thirty percent in the public sector, thirty percent in the private sector, and thirty percent in kind of nonprofits.
Carol Cone:
Across different sectors.
Karoline Katus:
Exactly. And the framework for the leadership training is focused on values. The leaders are encouraged to identify their own values that drive them, and reflect on the values that the president and Mrs. Obama have created — that includes courage and integrity and hope — and how that tells their own story. Some of the modules are around that. And then there are modules around coalition building and making sure that your impact and programs are affecting a wide range of people, not necessarily just people who are aligned with your identities.
Carol Cone:
And it’s certainly the ripple effect that President Obama and Mrs. Obama always strive to do and they do so well, especially in a post-presidential role. Is there any special focus that you wanna call out right now?
Karoline Katus:
Just for people to come visit us in Chicago once the center opens after Juneteenth. The ticket sales have gone live, so anyone listening, go to our website and you’ll be able to sign up for a ticket soon.
Carol Cone:
Super great. Thanks for being so gracious with your time. I can’t wait to see the opening and the center, and again more great impact that the Obamas will have on us going forward and our values as a country, and also during our two hundred and fiftieth anniversary year.
Karoline Katus:
That’s right. Thank you so much, Carol.
Carol Cone:
Thank you.
Interview 2 — Navid Ladha / OnPurpose Careers
Carol Cone:
Carol Cone here at Engage for Good, and we are just grabbing wonderful people who are part of this community to share with us what they’re doing, who they’re advancing. So Navid Ladha — you are the founder of OnPurpose Careers. Welcome to the show and tell us about OnPurpose Careers and what the offering is.
Navid Ladha:
Thank you. OnPurpose Careers specifically serves nonprofit professionals or social impact professionals who are looking for a new opportunity. We offer job search coaching, career coaching, and we also have a job board that specifically highlights well-paid opportunities. Our mission is to help social impact professionals find opportunities that pay well. This idea that you have to take a pay cut to work in a job that’s mission aligned — basically, we want to help people find jobs that are mission aligned.
Carol Cone:
I love that. So name the numbers of these basic salaries, from X to Y, because they’re not inconsequential.
Navid Ladha:
Sure. To be posted on our job board, it has to have eighty K or more for the salary. But most of the jobs that we’re highlighting honestly are well into the six figures. So that’s great — it’s such an amazing thing to see for the sector that that type of pay exists. We also highlight a very specific slice of the market — we highlight remote opportunities. And so at any given time, if you go to our job board, you’ll notice there are right now one hundred and thirty-four jobs posted.
Carol Cone:
I was so impressed — it wasn’t like three or four, it was a lot.
Navid Ladha:
It’s a lot, and we’re refreshing them all the time.
Carol Cone:
And can you tell a story of a really successful match that was made?
Navid Ladha:
Sure. The most successful story I can think of is I was working with a woman who wanted to work in communications and she pivoted from the for-profit sector into the nonprofit sector. Her fear was, I want to do this mission-aligned work in health, but I’m afraid I’ll have to take a big salary cut. And what we found was that she was actually able to get a salary increase, remote flexibility, and be mission aligned. So that was a myth we were able to bust for her.
Carol Cone:
That’s really great. And what are the sectors that you’re supporting?
Navid Ladha:
We have opportunities that are purpose-driven — that can be so broad — but most of the time we’re looking at education, justice, democracy, social impact, public health. You name it, we have it.
Carol Cone:
That’s fantastic. So you’ve got to give advice — I know you’re a career counselor. What’s the advice you’re giving to young people, maybe a couple years out of school, who want a purpose-driven job and want to bring their values to work?
Navid Ladha:
My advice would be to think of it in two filters. The first filter is what is the field or topic of interest that you have? Where do you want to be working, what are you passionate about? And then the second part is what do you do well? Finding what it is that you want to do within this bigger area of impact. I think combining those two things really helps. Oftentimes people go for one or the other — either they’re too narrow in their focus or they’re too broad. Finding that middle ground is what’s helpful.
Carol Cone:
And what’s your advice about getting a leg up? Is it doing an internship or a fellowship, or working at a lower salary to get that first job on your resume?
Navid Ladha:
For entry-level job seekers, absolutely — internships are a must. If you can get that experience while you’re in school, that’s very helpful. And the good news is that if you haven’t been to a career center on campus, you have those resources to help you find internships, get connected to alumni, get connected to employers. Take that opportunity while you have it. Even if it is an unpaid internship, a lot of universities actually offer a scholarship that will pay you to take an unpaid internship so you don’t have to sacrifice that.
Carol Cone:
That’s awesome. I want to work together. Thanks for coming on the show and thanks for the great work you’re doing.
Navid Ladha:
Thank you so much.
Interview 13 — Jorge Alvarez / Active Minds
Carol Cone:
So welcome back to Purpose 360. Our next interview is with a marvelous superstar young guy who won a key award here. So please share your name and your organization and we’ll get into the award and your work.
Jorge Alvarez:
Yeah, thank you for having me here on the podcast — really appreciate it. My name is Jorge Alvarez. I am from Jersey City, New Jersey. But I am the senior manager of corporate partnerships and engagement at Active Minds. Active Minds is a national nonprofit specifically focused on mobilizing youth and young adults. What that actually means in practice is we have programs through which we distribute to our chapter network of over five hundred across the country — at different universities, high schools, and communities — a number of different resources. And in doing so we’re able to equip youth and adults with the skills, resources, knowledge, and education they need to then advocate for mental health and change in their communities. So we really try to give young people what they need to make the change they know is most needed, because often many organizations in this space are sort of guessing what they need — building for them but without them. And so we try to flip that model on its head.
Carol Cone:
You’re of the sector, for the sector — for your people. Talk really specifically about the award you’re getting. Let’s just start there.
Jorge Alvarez:
Yeah, I’m super excited. It is the Emerging Leader Award as part of the Halo Leadership Awards. Congrats to you as well.
Carol Cone:
Thank you.
Jorge Alvarez:
It’s the first time that they’re doing it. And something I was sharing with Muneer and others — I think it’s one thing to have awards and acknowledge progress and contributions to fields, and something that I also really appreciate is acknowledging the potential. And I think that applies to each of us — the three of us who are receiving different awards — and it’s especially evident in the context of the Emerging Leader Award. So really privileged to be acknowledged — of course — for what I’ve contributed so far, but also the potential and all that there is to be done in the years to come.
Carol Cone:
So what is your superpower?
Jorge Alvarez:
Mmm, relationship building.
Carol Cone:
Relationship building, and it’s been really effective for Active Minds.
Jorge Alvarez:
Absolutely. Absolutely. Relationship building is something I’ve had to do across all the work I do — whether it’s being an advocate in college, continuing to advocate for mental health in my personal capacity today, and especially in my nine-to-five. Really thinking about how you authentically build relationships that aren’t just one-offs, aren’t transactional. And it’s really about the longevity of the relationship and thinking about how you actually get to know the folks on the other side and evolve together.
Carol Cone:
So what else is your secret sauce in that relationship development?
Jorge Alvarez:
Not feeling the pressure up front to lead with a pitch or a sell. I know there’s great advice to say — hey, if you know what you want, lean into it and say it. It’s not that I’m straying away from any agenda that I have, for lack of better words. It’s more so just being selective with when I really put an ask out there, and also recognizing that there are other opportunities to build together in the space. And I think a lot of Gen Zers in this space lead with that from the very beginning of their careers. And that is something I’ve been carrying with me when it comes to the secret sauce you’re talking about.
Carol Cone:
Okay, so it’s something we call give to get. You’re not asking — you’re giving. You’re giving collaboration, insights, techniques, resources to develop the relationship.
Jorge Alvarez:
Hmm, well, I have a question for you. Where do you feel like the give-to-get can become challenging or can feel like a wall?
Carol Cone:
Well, the question is you could keep giving, giving, giving, and if the recipient takes and takes and takes and has no intention of ever moving things forward — at some point in time you can say, “Gee, I see that you might have a need in this area and, if appropriate, I’d love to talk with you.” And the question is, how overt is that conversation down the road?
Jorge Alvarez:
One more question for you. What would you suggest to me — I’ve been leaning into that strategy and so far it’s worked to an extent, in my short two-and-a-half-year career at Active Minds. But what could I do to better recognize when that point hits?
Carol Cone:
Well, if you’re very relational, you’re going to sense it — the door is opening. The more you’re giving of aligned resources and information that’s really helpful, there’s a cadence to the giving. And everybody loves a meal — I said that in my presentation. Have a meal, talk about your family, your friends, things that aren’t work related. You’re developing the relationship, and it’s gotta be authentic. I think you’re very profound and you’ve got an instinct, so you also want to lean into your instinct. And then — you do your homework before you even begin to create the relationship. What kind of partnership might they be? What are they looking for? What are their needs? Who have they worked with previously? It’s doing your homework. And I hate to say it — don’t have ChatGPT do all the homework. You’ve got it — maybe you know some of their current partners you could talk with off the record about, “Gee, there’s this issue in mental health and well-being for Gen Z, how can we advance this forward?” Or offer a panel at a conference that you could lead and invite them to. So again, giving to get, but something that’s authentic and real.
Jorge Alvarez:
Yeah, I was gonna also add to a point from earlier.
But I’m going to share some interesting context. Something that’s been — to this question of yours about my approach, the secret sauce, what’s been a strength of mine in navigating my role in building the corporate portfolio for Active Minds — a layer of what’s helped is that since I joined, Active Minds was going through this transition of actively figuring out: how do we make what we’re doing make sense to people, period? To the people we were working with, to our community partners. And then obviously my team was tasked with this big prompt: how do we make our approach of mobilizing youth and young adults make sense to funders? And having those conversations from the very beginning of my role has helped continue to evolve how I communicate what I do to the funder and ultimately make the other person on the other side of the conversation understand what we’re doing, which has been challenging — but it’s been an ongoing exercise for the last two and a half years.
Carol Cone:
So have you learned anything that’s really going to stick with you when you leave here and take home to your work?
Jorge Alvarez:
I know it’s so cliché. I’m sure everyone said it, but when Muneer at the beginning gave this speech where he was naming his scarcity mindset — being in the nonprofit corporate social impact space, there is inherently a lot of feeling like you need to protect your brand, protect the resources, especially right now given the political landscape and the landscape of the field and how it’s evolving. But I would say the humility that leaders like Muneer are leading with — and seeing also that there are so many ways I identify with Muneer and his journey — is a reminder that there are other people who are also trying to lead with that humility. And that’s a word I always bring up — leading with humility. Working with young people and leading with humility in that context is so important. Taking that back, and also knowing that there are folks who are excited to figure out ways to work together and share resources — this is just the beginning of many more conversations to come. A lot of folks feel the pressure to walk away and say, “Okay, who’s A, B, and C that I’m going to email and how can I convert those conversations?” But showing up to an Engage for Good is more of a long game.
Carol Cone:
Yeah, and you’re so young. I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you about AI and your generation and the angst — not coming out of school and not getting a job. And that’s gotta be part of Active Minds. Do you have any comments on that or programmatic support for that?
Jorge Alvarez:
Yeah, it’s really interesting because I’ve advised on boards where we’re working on Gen AI resources for parents and their children and people in their lives. AI is not a new conversation in the context of my career. Moving into this age of AI, it’s going to be important that we continue to know how we wield AI to support what we’re doing and how to operationalize it in a way that actually allows us to focus our energy on what matters. So for instance — how could I have all these admin pieces more automated so I can focus my energy on having these conversations? I’m thinking about it in a very practical sense, and I think a lot of young people are still thinking about it in a very practical sense. I’m not necessarily concerned, but I know that — because I’m not in a technical field where, in tech or software engineering or design, there’s AI that’s very aggressively and surprisingly able to accomplish certain tasks — I don’t have the same sense of panic. But I’m trying to maintain caution and awareness, as with everyone.
Carol Cone:
Ah, that sounds very wise for your years.
Jorge Alvarez:
Yeah. I think my generation has learned from social media. Growing up with social media — it’s gonna be a similar cycle.
Carol Cone:
So in closing — it’s a year from now, we’re back at Engage for Good wherever it’s gonna be. What do you want to see Active Minds accomplish in the next year?
Jorge Alvarez:
I would say something we’ve been working towards is mobilizing a hundred thousand youth and young adults by twenty twenty-eight. So it can sound vague to some, but to be more specific — we have a really interesting scale of a young person who’s not engaged in the mental health movement, and then we have a scale of what that looks like for someone to sort of progress onward to the point of engagement and advocacy in their communities. And so through some of our programs — whether it’s the Herman Health Advocacy Academy, which directly trains youth and young adults in high schools and colleges to have the skills they need to make the change they want — I would say it’s seeing that we’re actually progressing towards that goal. It’s a big fancy number, but what does it actually look like in practice? I would say we’ve really been able to work towards mobilizing more youth and young adults to take action.
Carol Cone:
That’s fantastic. Any last comments about the conference or your award?
Jorge Alvarez:
It’s been really exciting to be here this year. It’s my third time, but my first time leading two sessions — and it’s been really nerve-wracking. I need to lie down after this, that’s for sure. But what I’ve learned from those conversations is folks are really, really eager to continue the dialogue.
Carol Cone:
Great. Well congratulations on your award.
Jorge Alvarez:
Thank you.
Carol Cone:
And we’ll party on tonight. So thank you.
Jorge Alvarez:
Amazing. I’ll see you later tonight.
[Closing Purpose 360 statement]
