We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits 403. The Superpower of Listening + Centering Community - Alia Whitney-Johnson
Meet Alia. While studying engineering at MIT, she traveled to Sri Lanka for tsunami relief work. It was there that her world unexpectedly changed when she met an 11-year-old girl who would change the trajectory of her life forever. This encounter led her to found Emerge Global, an award-winning nonprofit that supports survivors of child sexual abuse in Sri Lanka in healing and developing their self-sufficiency. In her work with children who’ve endured trauma, sexual abuse, and exploitation, she’s centered her work on community, listening and ethical storytelling. Tune-in for an episode that’s heart-wrench and heart-warming
💡 Learn
- About Alia’s work in global youth leadership development
- The importance of centering community + ethical storytelling
- How to listen and the role of listening in developing community
Today’s Guest
Alia Whitney-Johnson, Chief Operating Officer, Latina American Leadership Academy
For more information and episode details visit: weareforgood.com/episode/403.
About our Sponsor Bloomerang
Support for this show is brought to you by our friends at Bloomerang. Bloomerang offers donor management and online fundraising software that helps small to medium nonprofits, like First Tee of Greater Akron, a nonprofit empowering kids and teens through the game of golf.
After just one year with Bloomerang they doubled their unique donors, improved donor stewardship, and raised more funds. Executive Director Josh Smith said, “We love Bloomerang. It saves time. It’s helped us raise more funds.” To listen to the full interview with First Tee of Greater Akron visit bloomerang.com/weareforgood.
📅 Don't Miss These Free Upcoming Events! 👇
APRIL 29: Working Session Live: Forecast Your Monthly Giving Growth in 2026 with Dana Snyder (and the pathways to get you there!)
MAY 14: ImpactUp: Story This quarter, we're going deep on your most powerful (and underused) tool - Story. Local meetups happening worldwide. Find one near you.
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