 I'm so happy to be here today. This is Lauren Glendavidian and we're at the Alternative Media Conference that's been sponsored by Goddard College. There was a conference like this maybe 40, 45 years ago that was held by the founders of the Community and Alternative Media Movement who inspired our work here at CCTV Center for Media and Democracy. Then there was another conference in 2016. This is the 2022 version. Today, CCTV is really happy to host this particular panel with Allison Seger, who is the Project Director for Vermont Language Justice Project, and Dr. Jules Wetsche, who produces the African Variety Show. He is a producer on our 10 meeting television project, and he also we distribute that program all across the state on his behalf, and hopefully Bruce Wilson, who also is a community producer here, and a leader of Arts, so wonderful, which is a youth development program, so we're hoping that he will join us. We're going to talk about these projects and talk about how we are working together to reach people in all corners of our community, and not only that, but people across the globe. I'm going to start with Allison, who has brought the Vermont Language Justice Project to CCTV about a year ago after starting the project at her kitchen table, and Allison, now we're reaching 16 languages with public health and other kinds of messages for Vermonters of limited English proficiency. But why don't we start at the beginning of you at your kitchen table, and Bruce, welcome. We're so glad you're perfect. Time is perfect. Just unmute yourself, and we're going to start with Allison giving a little talk about how she started, and then we'll move on to Dr. Jules and yourself, okay? So glad you joined us. Fantastic. I know, so check that mute button, but you're good to be muted for the moment. Allison, tell us a little bit about how you started the Vermont Language Justice Project, and keep in mind our audience wants to learn about the value of alternative media and perhaps how to think about these projects themselves. Sure. Hi. Thanks for having me. The project started in March 2020 as the country was coming to a standstill and lockdown, and I'm a social worker by training and work a lot with refugees and immigrants. I was really aware that all the information about COVID was only going out in English for the most part, and I was really concerned about my friends and neighbors who really weren't getting the information in their language about what was going on. So I talked to a good friend of my Mohammed Jaffa who spoke Somali and some of my, we wrote a script and he made a video in Somali about COVID and what was going on. The very, right at the very beginning. We put it out on social media. We set up a YouTube channel. Mohammed sent it out to his Somali and my speaking friends. At the time, I was working with Spectrum Multicultural Youth Project. They were my downstairs neighbors. So between that project, they spoke probably about another eight languages. So we started making videos in as many languages as we could to make sure that people who needed the information could get it. We set up a task force which had a really long name because we just needed to do it. So we called it the multilingual coronavirus task force, right at the beginning. It had over 40 community partners, all people and organizations that were working with refugees and immigrants. Obviously, everything was online on Zoom at that point. We met twice a week and we really just were talking a lot about how to outreach to communities that just didn't have access to English, didn't have access to the internet or media, really. So we would, so I was working full time and doing this just at home. I'm a filmmaker by training as well. And over the course of the next year, we got some funding from the Vermont Department of Health to pay our translators for the work that they were doing. We got a group of 10 translators who spoke 10 of the most used languages in Chittenden County. And more than anything, I always really wanted to make sure that they got paid well. That was the most crucial thing because without them, we couldn't do what we were doing. And very quickly, our videos were going out all over Chittenden County, actually all over Vermont, actually all out over the country. We made links with Burlington and Winooski School Districts so that the sound files from our videos could be sent to the school districts through their robocall system. So when you know, when you get a message from from school saying there was going to be a snow day, you would also get a message in Burmese saying that there was a travel ban and you couldn't leave the state or you had to quarantine for 10 days when you came back. So we were really working with everybody in our community to just get the messages out as quickly and as efficiently as we can. What we saw that was really important was having local community leaders do the messaging so that they were trusted voices that people would relate to and and would feel comfortable with the information that was was giving out. I could we got funding a year ago and shall I leave it there for now? Shall I just finish? I'll leave it there. OK, I think that's a good introduction. And I think what's really important and unique about the project is what you just said, which is that the people who are translating the messages and communicating the messages on behalf of these public health information are trusted leaders in the community. Absolutely. As spokespeople, they have a role to play that you can talk about a little bit later in helping to distribute the messages as well. So Dr. Jules, why don't you thank you so much, Allison, for that start. And Dr. Jules, why don't you tell us about the African variety show and maybe there's maybe, yeah, tell us how you got decided to do this show, what led up to it and I'll show a little bit of the program while you're talking. OK, thank you so much for this opportunity. So first of all, when you had the pandemic, the COVID-19, so as a public health specialist and also MD as a background from Africa in Congo. So I did realize that it was a big lack of good communication to receive, to outreach the community. And also as a leader in the community, as they found and the president of France speaking out for the community. So there's one local radio, the community of Burlington, Behaviour.com. So they send a message to the priest to ask me if I was able to create one show which is going to help the community to have more training, education regarding the COVID-19. So I agree it was in 2020. So this is the reason I start the first radio show they call African variety show. So it's a kind of sharing the culture. I train people, give education, so the kind of health education and good health communication public health. So people, they should receive all information regarding COVID-19 in several languages. Because myself, I speak French, Swahili, Lingala, and also a little bit of Kikus and Kikongo. So I'm able to reach a large a large number of people in the community because we have most of immigrants here on the refugee. They speak Swahili, French, Lingala. Kikongo, so. So and then after that, I realized that it was good too. So people, when I'm talking, people, they can see me. So this is the idea I had to join the town mirroring TV with my TV show. So it's very, very important because most of people, they can they can follow me in a simple way. They can have a good, good health education and a good health communication because most of people they are unable to understand English or to read. So it isn't possible someone who moved to America like he's a 45 or 50 years to speak English. So as a leader, I understand because myself, when I was a general physician, I was to practice to the countryside. So African people, they prefer what they call the oral tradition. So to understand the leader is talking, everyone is hearing. And the chief is talking with the people that are listening. So this is the reason I said, no, I should create the one show, a radio show and TV show. So then I can I can leave the message and people that can listen because I select some kind of traditional music, African music and kongolism is when people are listening. And then I can leave the message and to the radio to the TV when they can see me, I try to do my best to explain to in the simple word. We know there is a lot of work here. They translate stuff, but people, they don't have time to read. They don't have the capacity to understand. It's like today, I just came to the radio. I should explain about the election, the election guide of 2020 to 2022. In French, it is easy, but in Swahili, there is many. There is like a five kind of Swahili people that they are speaking. It's not easy. So this is the, I will say, the core of of my show, my TV show to the town mirroring TV. Wonderful. Dr. Jules, thank you. Well, when we come back to you, we'll talk a little bit about and Allison also who's watching because you're making a show in a local setting, but it's actually also having a global impact. Bruce, if you can you take yourself off mute? Just get that little button in the corner. It says mute. Keep trying again. You see that in the bottom left corner. There should be a mute button. See it? You know, there you go. Awesome. So nice to see you, Bruce. Yeah, welcome. So glad. Thank you for joining us today at the Alternative Media Conference. Yeah, so you've been producing with CCTV for a long time and you have been working. I think first would be great to hear about your work with young people and why you think this is important for the future and how that you made the switch to doing interviews and working with them and others on TV. Yes, thank you. So first of all, I once apologize for being a little late and Allison, Dr. Jules and LG, you know, I'm so happy to be a part of this what we're doing right now. And so I think around 2002 or something, I started doing shows here on CCTV. And for me, I'm just going to talk about that for a second, one minute. It's so important that I do these shows because what I do is the outlet and the people that I represent or who I serve can hear about information about what I'm doing, as well as the guests that I bring on the show. So important that they know about all the things that they do and all the things that we do and I couldn't do. I just could not do without CCTV. I said a hundred times and I'm so happy to be a part of CCTV. So this youth that I work with primarily, I started working with youth in 1999, I worked at Canterbury Center and which side you run a real location. And I created a mentoring program for you, Bill Burlington. And and so I learned a lot about youth. And so most of the youth. Most of the youth that I work with, they all were saying that they want to be empowered, right? They want to be help with their goals and aspirations. They want to be on youth boards and commissions and do things in the community. And so I agree with them, you know, I agree with them. And so I created youth advisory board from primarily from before COVID. High schools and colleges around the state primarily Franklin County, Tinley County, Rubin County. And so youth always make decisions about programs, projects and this that we do and they still do. It's so important that they have a voice for everything we do in this world is so important. And so I'm very excited about working with youth and what we do. We created because you want to have some places that can be with themselves, some places that can hang out when they get educational, different systems of drugs and I call it tobacco, have funny events and things like that. I open up. It's a way because I open up first I open up youth centers and in the largest malls in the state called the Chilaw Center and Living Rooms and Lafayette and I. So youth, when they first gave the idea, it was an university mall. I first opened up the youth centers. They was like, yeah, we always hang in the mall. So we we need a place in this mall and I said, OK, let's go talk to the vice president of the mall. And sure enough, she said, sure, you're right. They should have a place and make decisions. So we open up a youth center and University Mall followed by the Burlington Mall. And then it's so weird because Rutland basketball team was in a youth center and University Mall. And they was like, God, we need some place like this in Rutland. And many people had asked me to do things in Rutland. I would call us two hours away. I want to do things in Rutland. And and and I and it was going to say, we need one is in Rutland. He's a basketball team. And I said, well, I'll try to get one open. If you guys build my youth advisory board, they say, yeah. So I talked to the owners of the university on Rutland Mall. Sorry, Rutland, Down Run Mall. And they say, well, certainly all the other malls agree that we're a good fit for any any mall or any place youth. And so we opened up that place in 2010 and you friend that place and and working with our community partners around the state. And it was an incredible event for them. Then it's funny. Castle and University came to the university. I mean, really, and they said, we love this idea. We need to open up. We have a grant to open up a youth center somewhere, you know, in Fairhaven. And so I said, first thing I have to do is I need to have a youth advisory board because I won't make a decision about anything until I especially about you until I created one. So we created one. Those are F 35s here coming over and we love them. But anyway, so we open up a fair haven. We open up a youth center in Fairhaven. It's called Loft 89 and you've ran that program and we're going with our community partners and Castle and University. And it's incredible for those youth. And we have the job, job, salary, mentoring, tutoring, job, internship, things like that, which we still do. And incredible. We have you. You can't believe you've had a work together or different types of youth working together. Normally, they probably wouldn't even be hanging out with each other, you know? But we have a 50 award for doing that. And now we kind of were my my board, one of my youth board members said, we need to change up. So now we have art galleries and University of Montreal Arts. So wonderful. And so I still work with youth. I still work with college students. I work with our community partners. And I'm so happy. That's the best I can. The best that I am, you know, is working with the community, our community partners and having an access like CCTV to be able to report what we do. We have a lot of types of shows. Chava Center, Loft 89, Straight Talk for Mod, United Commons Club, a lot of shows we we have on CCTV based on the programs that we have. And you for many of you for facilitating them. We have incredible guests who talk about what they do. And it's so important that they talk about what they do to the guests. So people, our audience or anybody can understand things they didn't know about housing or that just goes and UVM catamount dancers, whatever they just don't know. And so are we very so I'm so happy to be a part of the CCTVs. So I don't know what else you want me to say. I can talk about where I came from. Well, I think it would. I think it would be good. Why don't we this is amazing work that you do. And I think the role that CCTV and the community video plays is to amplify the work and expand the reach of the work and also to provide another set of skills for the young people because you see them even in the short segment, just the poise and the confidence that they gain by talking and presenting themselves on television is another skill set. So I think what I want when we come back to you, what I'd like to hear about is the programs that you've been doing recently, your own sets of interviews with people from the community and how you're using that as an outreach tool in and of itself. But let's hear from Allison next about the the reach and the role that these community translators play in helping to expand the audience and for the actual public health information that is useful to these populations in our state. Thank you. And Bruce, I wanted to set up that that youth center in the university more. So thank you for that. I worked with you and no many that went there. So thank you for doing that. That's awesome. I never knew it was you. I guess in about August last year, we were awarded some funding through CDC disparities grant and enough for me to quit my job at Howard Center, where I'd worked for way too long, probably 23 years and actually set up this project, the Vermont Language Justice Project. And it's just kind of funny. I was I didn't want to continue to work from home. I didn't know who could be a fiscal sponsor. And I was going to a birthday party and I was thinking, oh, my friend Megan's going to be there. And then I thought, oh, Megan works with CCTV. Oh, that would be a really good place to house this project. So over a bonfire on a Saturday night, the beginning of September, I just said to Megan who knew about this project and was actually posting the videos actually on CCTV throughout the whole of covid. It is said, you know, we're looking for a home. Could you be our home? And I'm not kidding within three days, the turnaround was, yes, please, we want you, which was just really so awesome. And it's it's such a great fit because, you know, we're making videos and our mission is to do outreach to the community. And it's it's it's and it's about democracy. It's about having everybody be part of the the the discussion of knowing what's going on. And so it just felt like a really great place to to to sit. And since I started in November, I started November the first. We've now had over one hundred and seven thousand views on our YouTube channel. And our reach is literally all over the world. But when when the rapid antigen test video, when the rapid antigen test came out, they were only in English, like you'd get your box of things and it would just be in English and maybe Spanish. So that meant you had to read one of those two languages. So we felt it was really important to do these how to videos of how to take a test. And there were so many different tests, some were like for five minutes. You had to stir it and shake it and stick it, you know, some were for 20 minutes. So we did we did 16. We did we did six different tests in 16 languages. And those have been viewed from Saudi Arabia to Costa Rica, all through South America, Europe and the Middle East. When the when the refugees from human proletes from Afghanistan started arriving, we increased our languages to include Dari and Pashto. We're now doing videos in Ukrainian with the new Ukrainian influx of people. We're now making really good connections with migrant justice and the clinics down in Middlebury. And we've also realized it's actually really important to do videos in English as well. You know, not everybody reads and writes and people need access to information in English. The videos are all put on the Vermont Department of Health website. And that's not a video that's about us. That's that's an ad. And we're now also doing videos in ASL as well. What's really, really awesome, two things is, well, you know, and the videos aren't complicated. This is my bathroom and this is my son, you know, it doesn't have to be like fancy big cameras and everything. It's it's just as important to get the message out as long as you can see what's going on. That's what is most important to us. What's exciting now is that with covid kind of disappearing a little bit, we're actually able to do different kinds of videos. We're just finishing up a series of videos about how to access a pharmacy, how to get prescription filled. We're doing videos on health insurance, what is health insurance? What are all the terminology used in health insurance? What's the deductible? We're doing a series of videos about. About mental health issues. We're going to do some videos about housing. So now we're actually branching out into doing what my dream is really, which is my dream is everything. I feel like we need to be doing videos about everything that we as. English speaking, when I say we speak for myself, but what I as an English person can just read about and access on the internet, which so many people that don't speak English or can't read or write in their own language don't have access to. That's that's where we're going next. And really, the world is our oyster. There's just so much more that we could be doing. I was recently at a refugee health conference in Cleveland and this doctor, who is the director of like 10 clinics in Seattle, came up to me and she said, oh, you're the language justice project. We've been using your videos throughout the 10 clinic centers in Seattle because the information just is not available in anything other than English or Spanish. So that's a little taster of what we've been up to and where we plan to be going. And also, I think you may have mentioned, but it was worth pointing out is that people all over the world are using these videos. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Saudi Arabia, it's like there was I I feel like I know which rapid antigens tests are being used in Saudi Arabia because we probably got about 8000 hits in one of our Arabic videos about one of our rapid antigens tests. It's kind of crazy, really. Yeah, all over the world. Thank you, Alison. Yeah. Oh, one other thing that we're doing on CCTV is that when Jules puts his show out, for example, after his show, we'll put a French video about COVID or whatever it might be to follow up. So they finish watching Jules show and then they'll watch the French version of our video or the Swahili version. There's a micro justice program that gets aired on CCTV. And after that program, we put up the Spanish the Spanish videos that we've been doing as well. I that's fantastic. It's smart programming. Yes, I'm glad we're doing that. Dr. Jules, you had talked about trying to share information with the local population about public health. And at the same time, you're covering really important issues that are happening in the Congo and political issues. And you have guests who come from your country and talk about what's happening, who have been working on democracy for a long time. So I wonder maybe tell us about those guests and the purpose of your show in promoting a pro-democracy agenda. OK, thank you so much. First of all, I want to thank Alison for the hard work. I know it's not easy, but it's a great job. And thank you. There is a good result in the community. Thank you. So your question is what I can say now when I'm doing my show, it's like from local to to global. Now it's like a kind of they call global communication because a lot of people they can follow me around the world, even Congo and everywhere. So last time I was in Congo, I want to visit my family for three weeks. So I think now, as I know, our TV, I never talk about the political situation to my show, but I have to next time I have to do that because most of the stuff I see in Congo, in Africa, the main problem came from here, United States of America, Canada, London, particularly for Congo situation. You know, everyone knows now there is like 20 years ago, they still fight people, sexual violence. Everyone had Dr. Mukwege who received the price noble. We don't we don't have a real democracy. You know, the big country, the multinational companies, they don't they don't they don't give us the opportunity for a good development, a good democracy. So they put to the power someone who may be never been university is not a good leader. So this is a big problem we have, particularly in the east part of the DRC. So no one, we don't have people, they speak up. Even to many, many, I say many channels like CNN, they never talk about Congo, but we saw now like the problem between Russia and Ukraine. Everyone is talking about Russia, Ukraine, but why not from Congo? This is not a good democracy. We need more assistance for like America, because America is a big power to Congo. We have a partnership relation. So for me, if we need to have a strong democracy, a good leadership and a good governance, they have maybe to to put someone who studied here and understand America culture. And when he go, he goes like in Congo. He gonna be a good leader. You know, because the problem is they used Rwanda and Uganda to destroy Congo and the multinational company. They took many, we have many, many militias and they took minerals and they fight people, women's in in my community here, we have some people who does to live there. They they had like a sexual violence between facing their kids, you know. So I think this is a best means to to I can maybe the future organize some kind of of show, maybe invite some political Congolese to come to talk about about Congo, because they they plan, we plan to have the election next year, 2023. What we have to do, we have some message, maybe Joe Biden, the president or our leader here. They they never know exactly what happened in Congo. It's a big problem. So I think I think we have to do our best to talk, to speak up. Because Congo is the biggest country in the world. We have a lot of wealth, minerals, but it's the poor, poor, poor population. It's the reason last time when I went with some kids, they were born without clothes. So my last show when we can see when I went in Congo, I brought some kind of clothes to the kids, often kids. So it's terrible, terrible. Sorry, you have people that are watching in the Congo, too. And I mean, you have a global audience. How do you get the word out to them? How do you share the link to your program? So in my my cell phone, I have I have like 10 groups of WhatsApp, like we have one group from physician, Congolese physician, they live in Congo. I share with them. I have some friends who used to study, who used to went to the high school with one group here, too. All Congolese, we have one one big group, so we shared information. So and sometimes through the radio, when I'm doing a radio show, I'm doing Facebook live, too. So, yeah, after after after my TV show, I'm able to to share with people around the world. Yeah, and maybe they can watch you, too. And I think it's a good feedback. It's I mean, it's amazing when we look at the numbers and where people are watching, you know, you have a global audience. And I think what's important for people to understand in this as alternative media makers is that. Activism is at the heart of. True alternative media, social change and improvement and support for people that can benefit is part of what we are. So we're really political activists first and we've we've found video and radio as a tool for getting the word out. It's one tool in the toolkit, it right of social change. And that's what makes us different than mainstream media. And actually, honestly, I think it's what makes us different from public media is that we are first activists. And we happen to have found video and audio as ways to activate. And so, Bruce, I wanted to ask you so you have again, you've used these the tool of video. You have made many different series over over the years. But most recently, you're doing your own interview show. And tell us about that program and how you're choosing your guests and why this is an important part of your work. Well, first of all, I want to say to Allison and Dr. Jules, you guys are doing incredible work. And I want to be a part of any ways I can help. And even once you think I can help you, please. Ask me, Dr. Jules, I want to come on your show. Yes, yes. You know, whatever, you know, whatever topics you want to talk about that you think it fits me, please let me allow me to come on your show. So yeah, so wow. So we have been having a lot of shows, but I keep saying, I don't know what year 2002 or something like that. But anyways, so I was just writing a little bit when you were talking. But so our shows normally from a lot from the beginning, I wasn't like hosting my shows. I would like you for, you know, the hostess show or people who are working because those are the people who I serve and those are the people who should really host the show. In this video you see right here some Elaine Wong. She's a city manager of City of Winnieski. And so she's she's there at the Battery Park with me doing a show with me. She's incredible. She she want to be she want to meet everybody, she says. And so I like her style and she's very she's very nice and approachable. So she's one of the people that on the show they lose head on the glass over here was on Lieutenant Governor Zuckerman and Vermont Public Radio, Vermont Public Now, Scott Finn, Vermont Federal Housing, Mara Collins, Winnieski Superintendent, Burlington Superintendent, Winnieski Superintendent of Schools, Principal, Burlington High School, Mayor Christine Lott. Bo Yang, Executive Director of the Aid, as it goes, my friend for many years. Bo Yang for the Human Rights Commission. So Charlie Baker from to the kind of regional planning, Brian Pines, CETO Director and in our shows are so wonderful. United College Club, Vermont Low Heart Music, Straight Talk, Vermont. We have a lot of different shows based on the programs that we we have. And the programs that we have like are so wonderful was programs created by youth, you know, you know. And so we just put it part of what we do. And and we still do them like United College Club is another one that we've been doing since 1999, it was created by the college students. Mariam Gramaski from Shumplain College. And she's been on that show that was like years ago. And her goal was to have UVM, St. Mike's and Shumplain working collaboratively together because they seem they wasn't really getting along. They weren't collaboratively. She thought that if they all work together, that they can get a lot more done and being someone kind of the largest, you know, recognizable colleges that people would support them. She was right. We should do United College Club. You know, it's incredible things we do at UVM. And now Norwich, St. Michael's, you know, we love it. And her goal was to bring college students together when they can have make with helping with their goals, dreams and aspirations while helping them with jobs, job selling, military and internships. Like before the COVID had six interns from all those colleges. And so we're building back up because, wow, they're the best that I can ever have around me. These college students and they do incredible work in the community. And we helped them with the things that they want to do, you know, in life. We just don't have them doing anything. We maybe they want to shop on our youth or something. But then if they want to be like, well, they're a doctoral or Indian chief. We know all those people. And so we help let them meet those people and help them with their goals. And that's what I'm so happy about about working with colleges and high school students. And like I said, we have over 50 awards for doing it, you know, you know, people know us, you know, and then all the art. So wonderful stuff you probably see around Burlington. Sixty percent of the murals in is through our so wonderful in Burlington. And you've we created so wonderful boxes, electrical boxes. You probably see them all around us in our community. Our partners who create these boxes. And the thing was by our so wonderful, we don't we don't our partners in South Burlington, they put murals over in credible boxes. But we don't put murals over places that don't have graffiti on them because we have a graffiti abatement program. And basically in my studies in 2002, if you put murals over graffiti, they seem to honor them code of ethics or and so they don't go bomb the what they call bomb the wall and so that so we don't. Arts are wonderful. Don't put murals over places that have don't have graffiti on them. So we, you know, when you see around Burlington, all those cool ones and behind hand is a graffiti art ones and all those places is through art. So you'll see you'll see our level and all of them. And so you go now let me just ask you this question. I I have the sense and I'm not sure if I'm right that one of the reasons that you choose the people you interview in service rendered, which is your most recent series, is as a way is as an organizing tool. Right. A way to remind them about what you're doing with the youth and to elicit their support. Am I right? Is that part of your thinking behind the people you choose to interview? Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. You know, yes, ma'am. And also let the others know exactly what they're doing because sometimes people just don't know about the public radio. They don't know about public. They don't know about how legislative work or how, you know, kind of my dancers, you know, and so we help them. They contact us and we hook them right up to those people. That's so important because a lot of people have goals and aspirations. They just don't know how to do it. They don't know how to get to that point. And so the people that we interview, they love us. They love service rendered corporate. They love our programs because they know about us. And they know that we are to help people for real and we need to help. And so, yes, ma'am, we definitely bring them on the show so we can get support as well, you know. And and they do support us for many, many years. I mean, many years, not just yesterday, you know. So I couldn't do this work without the people I serve, you know, no way to work and do what you know. And for me, this is the best thing I can ever do in this world. And I wish I was, you know, be better, be better, you know, perhaps with myself, but, you know, when I see people graduating from high school and graduation from college in part of our program, that's I can even tell you what the measurement that is for me. We also created youth home boards in 2003. You sit on Police Commission, Planning Commission School Board in the city of Bronson. We just redid the resolution and we're about to start on putting youth to be on these city boards. South Bronson adopted our adopted youth home boards, Wynuski and Essis. So now youth home boards is going to be expanded and we want youth home boards anywhere they can be. I talk to businesses and you need to, you got no youth on your board, you better get work. You know, you're trying to make decisions how to the world. Your project is going to look at five years. You got to talk to you first, I mean, because it's all about them. Yeah. Well, that actually is a good segue to our last question, which is looking ahead to the future. You know, where do you see your project going? And why do you think that it's a good example for the folks that are watching at this alternative media conference? Maybe Allison, you could respond to that as we start to wrap up. Where do I see it going? I just feel like there is nothing like what we're doing anywhere in the country. And we need to be everywhere. We need to be doing videos on everything, not just health. But if you just think about health, you know, if you what your doctor tells you, you want a colonoscopy, you know, if you don't read or write English, you can't follow the instructions on even how to do the thing, let alone what it is. We need to be doing videos on everything when you can't drink the water in Burlington because a pipe is burst. There needs to be a rapid response that send out messages, audio messages in all the languages spoken. So where do I want to be in five years? I want us to be on that journey to making us making it known that what we do is so important that it gets written into every aspect of local and city government, state government organizations that are helping people, social services, mental health. It needs to be everywhere so that everybody has access to the same information. I really feel strongly that, you know, Vermont does a good job in welcoming people into the state and they talk about encouraging wanting refugees and immigrants. But then if we're not talking to them, if we're not sharing our information, we're perpetuating a system of inequality and that that's just not OK in my book. So I don't know if I answered your question. That to me is where I feel we need to be going and we need to bring, you know, stakeholders to the table to make sure that what we're doing actually. Increases right now, our money runs out in a year's time. So that's what we're also doing is figuring out how to get sustainable funding for what we do. Well, can I say something to Allison? Yes, sir. Allison, thank you for saying that because I say that every day to somebody that we got to make sure that you just can't make decisions about people without, you know, without them being around and helping you put something, one word in what it is. What's their goals and aspirations? How do they feel? What's their dreams? What they need for themselves? Systemic stuff, right? People just can't do that without, you know, you just can't put together some of what I asked the people who so-called they serve, right? So thank you so much for saying that because this underscore everything I always, you know, say to people, I was saying that to the mayor today, I had a meeting with Mayor Christine today in City Hall and City Planning, because I'm on that board, blah, blah, blah. And I would tell them the same thing that we need to look over their mission statement from the chartered mission just in 17th or whatever that is. And that maybe we need to change some few words because Winooski has 25% of New Americans. And so I wasn't around when all these white people put together this charter about Winooski. So maybe everybody, when they first want to try to change something, they should look over their mission statement that goes in objectives when they created the organization. And so that that's got to change from first thing. So Allison, thank you so much. Yeah, thanks for saying that, Bruce. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And Dr. Jules, when you look ahead, I mean, you have any thoughts, any response to this question of including people in decision making? Certainly. And then tell us as you look ahead, where do you see the African variety show? And, you know, largely your work, we're going. So I think we need more support to continue our goals because it's very, very important that if I'm talking to some friend, they live in other states. But here I think Burlington now is the best place because because of diversity and what we are doing. So I think, as Allison said, public health is a big umbrella. Every, everywhere, touch or aspect of the life. So we need to work more. We need to have more support to extend to the other series. Why not all over month? Because it's very, very important people. They cannot live here, but they're not involved. They're not engaged. So this also used to talk because I'm also first community voice is a member of the city of Burlington. So we talk every day. So sometimes it's not good because this is our second country. This is our second life. People have to have more information to be involved, how they can improve their life. Instead of like they put stuff, they think like everyone knows English, you know, it's hard. But with the hard work now, I think Burlington it's more diverse than the other state, the other series. So yeah, we need more support and we're going to continue to work more to create many projects which are going to help immigrant community. Dr. Jules, thank you so much. I'm just speaking as a person here at CCTV who kind of in a way visualized this this project to be open for everyone. I'm so grateful for the work that the three of you are doing to blaze the trail into the future and the next generation of this work. It's it's vital and it's very inspiring for me. So thank you very much. And Bruce Wilson, services and all your other projects. Dr. Jules, what she of the African variety show and other projects and Alison Seeger of the Vermont Language Justice Project. Thank you so much for joining us here at the 2022 Alternative Media Conference supported in part and hosted by Goddard College. Thanks so much for joining us. Wait a minute. I didn't get to say about my part. What I think. No, I thought you did. But I wanted to know how I see how she goes. OK, first of all, so this is how I feel for me. So since the governor just appointed me to the Human Rights Commission, I'm a commissioner. I sit on it. I'm a commissioner for inclusion, belonging for the city of Winnowsky. I'm a commissioner for China County Regional Planning and I sit on the board for Justice Equal University for Green Mountain Transit. So the Winnowsky School District Anti-Racist Committee. And so for me, it's some other things I'm a part of. For me, it's about less diversity, equity, inclusion or justice equity, diversity and inclusion. So let's get the people who look like me, a part of making decisions about what's going on. So I'm very strong on on that. And that's for me. That's what I'm doing right now. And that's what I see my work supposed to be. This is the best I can be, you know what I'm saying? So I just want to work with everybody, you know, Allison, you got a hundred some thousand hits. Dr. Jules, you're around the country. Listen, you know, I'm always in L.G. will tell you I always open for opportunities to work with people, you know, like to synergize, collaborate and be proactive, you know, stand with everybody that I know. So I want to work with you guys and and she would also tell you that when I say it, I will be contacting you about it. So thank you. That's this one. Thank you, thank you, thank you. That's a great that's a great way to wrap up. I appreciate it. Yeah, thank you so much, Bruce, for your work and all of you. It's been a pleasure. Have a great afternoon.