[COMMUNICATED CONTENT]

Dr. Hindie M. Klein, OHEL Director of Clinical Projects

OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services has launched a new Podcast series of conversations entitled “Listen for a Change: Personal Stories that Strengthen our Community.”

The structure of each podcast is simple. Two people agree to have a conversation about a particular topic. There is no agenda, no rehearsal, no preparation, no special questions provided by us. We just invite them to sit and converse, and we record.

The podcasts provide an opportunity for sensitive and emotionally charged topics to be discussed. Podcasts that are presented thoughtfully and anonymously can provide a fascinating window into the rich, dramatic and extraordinary experience of everyday people faced with the most usual—or unusual—challenges of life.

OHEL’s Listen for a Change has already recorded many fascinating conversations. To cite a few – 1) Devora and Yonatan talk about their experience in getting divorced at a very young age, 2) Jason and Mark talk about their gambling addiction and recovery at a Jewish Gamblers Anonymous group, 3) Chani and Howard, share their thoughts on dating with a mental illness, and 4) Avi and Yitzchak talk about growing up as Second Generation Holocaust Survivors.

All have agreed to share their personal stories in the hope that their experiences and journeys through life will provide profound and evocative inspiration to those who listen.

Listen for a Change invites you to sit back and listen. It provides a healthily reversal of what we are most used to doing: talking more and listening less. Listening requires discipline and the commitment to the process of truly listening, processing and absorbing the conversations of others. We have been given only one mouth, but two ears.

Perhaps this means we should be exceptionally mindful of listening to others and learning and growing from their experience.

The Podcasts are available on ITunes and Google Play as well as at http://www.listenforachange.org and http://www.ohelfamily.org/podcasts

Perhaps you’d like to have a conversation with a particular person and you know that this topic could be helpful—even inspirational—to others. Contact OHEL’s Listen for a Change Team at [email protected]