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Blog Archives

A Little Policy for Not-So-Little Change

By Risa Wilkerson on February 25th, 2015

“Policy change” can seem intimidating and hard to achieve. Some folks feel like policy issues should be left to political officials, administrators or scholars, while others who are seeking change […]

Inevitables

By Risa Wilkerson on January 28th, 2015

It is 2015. “Back to the Future II” predicts we’ll have flying cars, self-lacing shoes and hoverboards by the end of the year. Flying cars and hoverboards do have working […]

Social Media’s Role in Building Stronger Community Connections

By Risa Wilkerson on December 10th, 2014

While debate continues about the implications of shorter and shorter content on social media, do we know anything about whether these channels help improve our networks or strengthen relationships? A […]

Ask a Dad: How to Raise a Partnership

By Risa Wilkerson on December 4th, 2014

Last week, my son turned 18 months old. This may not seem significant, but my partner and I are celebrating. We have reached this milestone together by navigating some frustrating […]

NPR’s Terry Gross on Connecting with Others

By Risa Wilkerson on October 22nd, 2014

If you want to know how to engage in a meaningful conversation with someone you’ve never met, listen to Terry Gross speak. I had the pleasure of hearing her perspectives […]

3 Advocacy Lessons from a Door-to-Door Salesman

By Risa Wilkerson on October 15th, 2014

“Hello, my name is Tim Schwantes. I’m a college student who was recently talking with your neighbors about these educational books for school-aged kids. They were really interested in hearing […]

Youth: Speaking Up and Being Seen

By Risa Wilkerson on August 27th, 2014

I’ve heard stories about a time when children were relegated to a separate dining table during large family gatherings. My father-in-law remembers eating last—leftovers after the adults enjoyed the best […]

Top Seven Ways to Attract and Keep a Great Intern

By Risa Wilkerson on August 21st, 2014

Ask anyone about their internship experience and you’re bound to hear an interesting story. Between Charla Hodges and me, we have had seven years of internship experience and many accompanying […]

Patience Pays

By Risa Wilkerson on June 20th, 2014

I first went to Wrightsville Beach and Wilmington in New Hanover County, NC when I was a young kid on spring break from school. I remember being so excited, because […]

Stepping Out of the Exam Room and Into the Community

By Risa Wilkerson on June 5th, 2014

When Active Living By Design’s (ALBD) graduate assistant, Stephen Krumland, goes back to Omaha this month for his final year of medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, […]