By Jack Brittle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
In the fall, Community Development Halton (CDH), a non-profit organization dedicated to regional development and community engagement, released the premiere episode of their podcast “Community Data Watch
The monthly video podcast, hosted by Steven Barrow, a social planner at CDH, tackles topics discussed in CDH’s research publication of the same name. Barrow interviews members of community organizations related to these topics such as Caroyln Rankin-Boutin of the Centre for Diverse Learners and Nancy Romic of Shifra Homes.
Barrow said that he also occasionally chooses topics that coincide with other CDH projects as well.
“A few months ago, when we facilitated the nonprofit forum for the region, we made a podcast episode about the state of the nonprofit sector that involved chatting with folks at that event, and this upcoming weekend, we’re going to Acton to learn about the Acton community,” Barrow said.
“It’s meant to reinforce the work that we’re doing, adjacent to that, as another form of knowledge translation, but also a way of engaging and really tapping into those relationships that we have in the community,” Barrow continued.
Rishia Burke, executive director of CDH, said that the podcast acts as a balance to the research papers.
“Data can be dry,” Burke said. “And the storytelling will resonate more with folks. It’s [the podcast] about what is strong in our community versus our papers, which are sometimes about all the things that are wrong.”
Barrow said that the podcast aims to contextualize the data in the research papers and is based in generative journalism.
“The questions are really quite broad and open-ended,” Barrow said.
Barrow said that the questions are designed to let the interviewee lead the discussion. He said that they often share anecdotal stories that can help viewers connect with the organizations and issues on a more personal level.
“[We’re] really just trying to show that human side to the data,” Barrow said.
Burke said that the show also acts as an opportunity to put out a call to action and challenge the way the public views certain issues. Burke also said that CDH is funded by the United Way Halton and Hamilton and that the podcast would not be possible without them.
It was Barrow’s idea to do the podcast as he had previous experience with radio broadcasting, but he notes that every episode is a learning opportunity for him.
“I always learn something new in every episode,” Barrow said. “I’m not actually sure if any single episode stands out to me because each one feels like its own kind of world.”
Barrow said that the first episode with Rankin-Boutin was the one that he connected with the most.
“I think I related the most to that one on a personal level,” Barrow said. “Just because she and I both talked about our own neurodivergence and so that conversation, I found really interesting and helpful for myself. It’s interesting when I’m able to kind of connect to or relate to the topics on a personal level.”
Barrow said that when talking about something that he is not familiar with, an open-minded approach is necessary.
“Coming in with a degree of humility is important,” Barrow said. “And I think that a lot of what I heard in those interviews was new to me.”
He spoke about some of the things he has taken away from the show so far.
“Learning a little bit more about that combination of factors and the ways in which people fall through the cracks in our systems, services, and supports is always very eye-opening,” Barrow said. “And that there are these organizations that make up our community safety net that really pick people up when there really isn’t any other option.”
To watch all the episodes of Community Data Watch, click here.
Barrow said that he hopes to get the podcast on Spotify and other platforms in the future to make it more accessible to all.
