Changemaker Juliet Summers, Executive Director, Voices for Children in Nebraska

Improving child well-being requires more than addressing immediate needs. It requires changing the systems that shape children’s lives.

In this episode of Agency for Change, Juliet Summers, Executive Director of Voices for Children in Nebraska, shares how her organization uses research, policy advocacy, and community engagement to create equitable opportunities for kids across the state.

Juliet explains why policy and systems change matter, how data and lived experience guide their work, and what current issues—from food insecurity to behavioral health access—mean for Nebraska families.

Connect with Juliet and Voices for Children in Nebraska at: 

·       Website – https://voicesforchildren.com/

·       LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/voices-for-children-in-nebraska/

·       Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/voicesforchildreninnebraska

·       Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/voicesne/

·       Raising Justice Podcast – https://voicesforchildren.com/advocacy-hub/?terms=%5B%7B"category"%3A"14"%7D%5D

Transcript

Connect with Juliet and Voices for Children in Nebraska at: 

·       Website – https://voicesforchildren.com/

·       LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/voices-for-children-in-nebraska/

·       Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/voicesforchildreninnebraska

·       Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/voicesne/

·       Raising Justice Podcast – https://voicesforchildren.com/advocacy-hub/?terms=%5B%7B"category"%3A"14"%7D%5D

Juliet Summers: 00:01

Take one small action.

Announcer: 00:06

Welcome to Agency for Change, a podcast from KidGlov that brings you the stories of change makers who are actively working to improve our communities. In every episode, we'll meet with people who are making a lasting impact in the places we call home.

Lyn Wineman: 00:29

Hey everyone, welcome back to the Agency for Change podcast. This is Lyn Wineman, president and chief strategist at KidGlov. So today I get to talk with somebody who is working to advocate for equitable opportunities for kids in Nebraska through research, policy, and community engagement. My guest is Juliet Summers. She is the executive director of Voices for Children in Nebraska. And I can't wait for you to hear about her work. Juliet, welcome to the podcast.

Juliet Summers: 01:04

Thank you, Lyn. I'm so excited to be here chatting with you this morning.

Lyn Wineman: 01:09

I can't wait to dig in, Juliet, to the work that you're doing and everything that you've got going on. But I'd love to have you start first by telling us more about Voices for Children in Nebraska.

Juliet Summers: 01:24

Yeah, I'd love to. So Voices for Children in Nebraska. We are a homegrown nonprofit. We're a multi-issue child policy advocacy organization. And really our mission is we're dedicated to making Nebraska the best place to grow up. We do that through advocacy, and we do we advocate for equitable opportunity for kids in our state. We use research, policy action, and community engagement to move that mission forward. And we were actually founded almost 40 years ago. Our founding ED, Kathy Bigsby Moore, it was a FOS, she's incredible, incredible human. The least retired person you'll ever meet.

Lyn Wineman: 02:09

A hundred percent. I met Kathy Bigsby Moore, and I hope she listens to this. I'm gonna email her. I met her probably 10 years ago, and she was retired then. And I keep finding her in new and different places. The biggest advocate and champion for kids I've ever met in an individual human. 

Juliet Summers: 02:32

100%. Just an icon, certainly one of my role models. Um, and she was actually, she she founded the organization because she was a foster mom.

She and her husband had children coming through their home. They were working with families, and we're really seeing firsthand how so many of the issues that the kids were facing were systemic rather than necessarily individual. And that a lot of those issues were intersectional. So, you know, the child welfare system, the foster care system is so intersectional with the criminal justice system, intergenerational cycles of poverty and criminalization, historic racism, access to preventive care and health care and behavioral health care. And so she really founded Voices for Children from the idea that, you know, we need individuals doing direct service and case advocacy work, but we also need people who are committed to looking at the big picture and saying, what barriers is our system creating for lots of kids? And how can we address those barriers all at once through systemic change? And we do that, we do that still today. Yeah, using the power of quality information. So that's where the research piece of our mission comes in. We really believe in good data. You have to know where you are to know where you need to go. And so every year we publish the Kids Count in Nebraska report.

Lyn Wineman: 03:55

That is an amazing report. I mean, I had the printed version on my desk here until about a week ago. And it how many pages? It's like a hundred pages. There's a lot of great data in there.

Juliet Summers: 04:09

It's 80 plus pages, thousands, I think thousands, at least hundreds. I'll have to ask my research coordinator. Yeah, yeah, of indicators across different domains of child well-being. It's part of a national project funded by the Annie Casey Foundation. They have a wonderful kids count data center nationally. So you can look at state by state, states, and territories and really then use that data to go and say, okay, what gaps are there in our communities for kids? How can we work on addressing, you know, the issues that are rising to the forefront based on what the data is telling us? And we also, our organization is really committed to when I think about quality information, that's both, you know, the qualitative, the data piece, or the quantitative data piece, but also the qualitative, right? So we really believe in the power of lived experience, the um critical importance of engaging with children, young people, families who have experience of our child serving systems because they're best positioned to identify both what those barriers are and were, and also what the solutions should be for them. So we really, as we think go about our mission of trying to make Nebaska a great place to grow up, we use all of those pieces of information to, you know, to focus in on improving those systems, child welfare, juvenile justice, education, health, economic stability. And then we ask, okay, what policy levers can be pulled so that every child can thrive?

Lyn Wineman: 05:39

Yeah, Juliet, you've got me at the edge of my seat. Even though I'm familiar with your organization, I've worked with you, like you've got me at the edge of my seat. And when you speak to your mission about making Nebraska the best place to grow up, it gives me a little bit of a chill, actually, in a very good way. So I love that. But so we've talked on this podcast to a lot of nonprofit leaders who are in that direct service space. Can you talk to me a little bit more about, you know, why the policy and systems change work is so important?

Juliet Summers: 06:16

Yeah, thank you for this question. This is this is really the fundamental question of why we we do this work. And I'm gonna, I think I'll answer it by giving you an example. I love that. So we all know that nutrition is really important for learning. Oh, yeah. And that for students.

Lyn Wineman: 06:36

I mean, when I'm hungry, even when I'm hungry and I'm a grown-up adult, when I'm hungry, I get grouchy, I lose focus. It does not make it a very good day for me or those around me.

Juliet Summers: 06:50

Yeah, a hundred percent. And even more so for someone whose brain is still in development, right? Whose body is growing. So we know, you know, both common sense and, you know, of course, you know, scientific research, having a good, solid breakfast and lunch can make all the difference to student health and success. And I think we've also in our country and state also all probably heard of something called lunch debt. That there are students, even in Nebraska, who couldn't afford to pay for their school breakfast or their school lunch, and they're accruing debt. Well, over the years, schools have responded to this in different ways. Some schools have maybe given the student what students call the sandwich of shame. If you can't afford your lunch, you receive a different sort of cheaper lunch option, or you know, maybe stamping their hand to, you know, as a tangible reminder, go home and show this to your parent and they know they need to pay your lunch debt, or really other actions, you know, and schools have handled this in different ways, right? So any of those things, but to show that there's there wasn't money on the books to cover the cost of the child's meal. Uh, and then we've also, in in the way of our country, we love to tell positive stories, heartwarming stories. We've also all heard stories of of real generosity around, right? So people who raise money and then donate it to cover the cost of another student's lunch debt. And I this I'm telling you all this, I'm giving you this example as an example of kind of direct service, right? Identifying there is someone here who needs some support and we're gonna meet their immediate needs on the individual level. And that's critically important. And it's it's we need people and organizations doing direct service work to meet an immediate critical need. But what we do, the work of voices for children, instead is to take a step back and to ask the question why do we even have lunch debt in the first place? What if as a society we just said we're gonna feed students full stop? You know, what are the policy choices, the structural decisions, the system structures that we need in place to make sure that schools have the resources, that um every child is just simply fed. And there's never a question of whether this eight-year-old has enough money to pay the cost of their lunch, right? And so instead of addressing the idea of something like lunch debt post facto, we instead we work to support and move forward policies like universal free school breakfast or even community eligibility, which is where schools, if they're in a district that's been identified as high poverty zip code, that there's free school meals, you know, for every student without you know the paperbook requirements essentially. So these are system structures, policy changes that can be made to support every student. And that that benefits all students, right? So it's without regard to their individual family circumstances.

Lyn Wineman: 09:52

That is such a great example. And you're right. I've talked to other leaders on this podcast where you know the conversation is you want to serve and help immediate needs, but also we need to take a look higher up at what's causing the issues. And that is what you and Voices for Children in Nebraska is doing. And so I'm really curious, launch debt is a great example, but what are some of the other issues that you're seeing right now that impact the state of child well-being in Nebraska?

Juliet Summers: 10:29

Yeah, well, actually, honestly, I'd love to give a little positive grounding here, which is that Nebraska is already a pretty great place overall to grow up. So I mentioned the National Kids Count Project earlier. Uh, as part of that project, every year the Casey Foundation puts out a national ranking of states based on data indicators of well-being. These are across some different domains, but they're things like parental employment, housing cost burden, educational outcomes, health insurance coverage. And actually, Nebraska tends to rank very highly. We're usually in the top 10 of all states across different indicators. Yeah. So we're, you know, I like to have that grounding when I talk about our work because for me, it gives a lot of optimism that we're really in a great sort of base position to accomplish this mission of being the best place for every kid to grow up. But that said, when we dig deeper into the data and we listen to children and families who rely on our state systems, we know that there's a lot of room for improvement. So white, non-Hispanic, wealthier children are really carrying that high ranking. And then conversely, when we, you know, we dig into the numbers and we disaggregate them, we see that, you know, in Nebraska, nearly one in three black Nebraskan children are growing up in poverty. And overall, which is too many, which one in ten children is too many. Right, right. Um, but it's a number that we can get our arms around, right? We know that we have resources in our state, and it's making sure that um that the systems are structured in a way where every child can reap the benefit of it. I would highlight, we do have rising food insecurity. So, you know, I was talking about lunch debt, but um nearly one in eight families in our state experience food insecurity, which is defined as, you know, not knowing where you're always knowing where your next meal is going to come from. And 92 of our 93 counties have a shortage of behavioral health providers. And we also know that um mental or behavioral health concerns are on the rise among children and teens. So I'll say we are lucky to live in a state where we have lots of strengths to build on for kids. And we genuinely really do have an opportunity to make this the very best place to be a kid. And so the policy work that we're doing is to say, okay, how do we close that poverty gap? What steps can we as Nebraskans take to just say, you know, no child here grows up hungry or unhoused or without meaningful access to necessary medical or mental health care?

Lyn Wineman: 12:59

Yeah, so I know you are in the heat of it right now, Juliet, because we are recording this and this episode will air right in the middle of the Nebraska 2026 legislative session. So what does this work look like for you right now?

Juliet Summers: 13:16

Oh yeah, right now. Well, I was mentioning earlier, our state senators just identified their legislative priorities. And in a short session, that really defines everything because it's all about time and what gets her, what we have time to get heard and debated, as well as what we have the political will for. I would say a big part of our work right now is dealing with fallout from some federal decisions that were made last year in HR1 or aka the one big beautiful bill, particularly around food security and our nutrition programs. So, you know, we're working on some legislation around SNAP and making sure that we don't have administrative barriers to families being able to access nutrition assistance. I can't remember the bill number off the top of my head. That's my policy director's. But you know, Senator Kavanaugh has prioritized a free school meals bill that would essentially shift everyone who is currently in the category of reduced cost meals into the category of free school meals, which would be a huge benefit for children who are kind of on that cusp in our state. We’ve had some we've had some backwards momentum in the youth justice space over the last few years after you know a wave of really beneficial, safety-focused youth justice reform that has driven down youth arrest rates and kept our communities safer. So we're really keeping an eye on some efforts to make sure that we're not moving backwards in our youth justice space and that young people's rights are protected, but that also our system is structured in a way that's gonna help them continue to grow into healthy adults and not experience additional trauma that keeps them in a cycle of criminalization.

Lyn Wineman: 15:06

You know, Juliet, what I really appreciate about the examples that you have shared is that I think that people who are not working in the child serving space, whether it's in service or advocacy, they may not think of all of these issues as being the issues that you might deal with, right? We've talked about food insecurity, we've talked about juvenile justice, we've talked about, you know, a wide range of ages of kids across the state, across different demographics divide. It really is a wide span of work that not only impacts kids, but it impacts it impacts the kids, their parents, their parents' ability to work, which then impacts the workforce, which then impacts the economy. I mean, even if you think about this issue from your heart or you think about it from a standpoint of logic, this work is not just the right thing to do. It just makes a lot of sense for the state. Is that a is that a fair statement? 

Juliet Summers: 16:10

Yeah, you said it. You said I'm just gonna, I'll have you just come, you know, to my next meeting, right? Yeah, no, a hundred percent. What's good for kids is what's good for families, it's what's good for communities, and that's what's good for our state as a whole. Um, and so that is actually why our our vision statement is that we envision a Nebraska with strong communities where every child has all the need to thrive. Because even though a lot of our work is at the state legislature, at that kind of state level policy, it both trickles up from families, neighborhoods, communities, and it trickles down from you know decisions that are made at the state level. And it is. It what's good for kids is what's good for all of us. It's building a stronger Nebraska that's going to um, you know, that's gonna benefit all families uh over the next generations.

Lyn Wineman: 16:56

Right, right. Juliet, I'm really curious. I know you're in the thick of legislative sessions, so it might not be easy to look ahead right now, but what is ahead for Voices for Children in Nebraska? What's next on your radar?

Juliet Summers: 17:11

Yeah, well, it's actually a really exciting time for us. We have like many nonprofits, we experienced significant turnover during COVID and immediately thereafter. So we have been in a rebuilding phase as an organization, and I just could not be more thrilled with where our team is. We have this wonderful team. We're small. You just mentioned how big the work is, and it is only eight of us full-time doing this work, and everything on the team is a really remarkable advocacy.

Lyn Wineman: 17:44

I'm gonna give you a shout out. I know some of your team members, and I would say everyone I'm I've met is a great team. And doesn't as a leader, having a great team makes the work so much more fun and easier to do.

Juliet Summers: 17:58

Oh gosh, a hundred percent. A hundred percent. And um yeah, I mean, I there's been a couple of times in our conversation already where I've been like, oh, I I don't know the answer to that. I need to talk to so and so. And that's I I think that's for me, that's a really wonderful place to be at this point. Uh because when I first came back to the organization in 2022, it really was um, you know, is sort of the only one on the staff with institutional knowledge and memory. And now it's very much a shared venture. And we're going into our next strategic planning process and really thinking about okay, as an organization, this strategic planning is gonna take us across our 40th year as an organization. And we are certainly living and working in momentous policy times.

So it's an opportunity. We have this wonderful team, got a wonderful supportive board to really think about okay, where do we need to go next as an organization? Where do we need to grow and stretch ourselves? Where are we doing great work and just need to keep at it and keep consistent? I'm just full of it's challenging, it's really challenging work, and I don't want to understate that, but I'm also really full of optimism for the organization and what's on the horizon for us.

Lyn Wineman: 19:16

You know, I think that optimism is an important ingredient to carry us forward because I think if you don't have that, it's hard to look forward to the opportunity to make change. So I think optimism is really, really an important thing that we all need to have. It's what keeps us hoping and dreaming about the next better step, right?

Juliet Summers: 19:42

Absolutely. I I think it's a necessary quality to have to do policy work. Policy work is the work of optimistic faith that we can make things better.

Lyn Wineman: 19:52

I love it. All right. So I have a question for you then, because I, before we got on this podcast, I shared a story with you about I got to, on a volunteer basis, do some advocacy work from the with the legislatures, and I started feeling very intimidated, right? Intimidated, nervous, like, oh, what am I doing? What do I know? By the end of the day, it was like, hey, I'm just talking to people, and most of them want to listen to me, and I have important information to share. And it just really flipped a switch for me. But I'm really curious. I know we've got people listening who may be faced with doing advocacy work, but they're a little bit intimidated by it. Do you have any advice for that?

Juliet Summers: 20:37

Yeah. Oh gosh, absolutely. Well, first, thank you for your advocacy and then we know what you've done to show up. And I want, I think your story is a great example of nobody is an expert in lobbying to begin with, or or advocacy, you know, policy advocacy or even where to start. But what I would say is there are so many organizations. Obviously, I'm partial to Voices for Children and the policy issues around child well-being, but there are so many organizations that have resources and expertise in the how to share with folks. So if you are listening and you have a passion for a particular issue, whether that's child well-being and you want to follow voices for children, or you know, maybe it's animal rights or environmental justice, there are nonprofits like us out there that are working every day to support better policy on these issues. And they have the tools and the know-how and the here's what's needed right the second, here's what you can do, here's how you can reach out, all those resources and information and ways to get involved. So I would recommend, you know, find an organization that aligns with your interest that's doing policy work, and then get on their listserv, you know, follow their social media. And I would especially note that in Nebraska, we have such a special system with a really genuinely open democratic process.

Um, our nonpartisan Unicam. Legislature is a really special animal. Some days it makes us crazy, but um the fact that the fact that they're officially formally nonpartisan means that there's no party caucuses or whips that are driving what legislation has brought and moved forward. It's really each individual senator voting their constituency, voting their conscience. And it also means that combined with the fact that we don't have a second house, we only have the one house, that really means that the people of the state are the second house. And so senators really genuinely do have a very open door to hear from constituents on issues that matter to them. So I think if you feel disheartened by national politics, my recommendation is always to look closer to home. So that might be the state level and the legislature, but it also might be even more local than that. So there are policy choices being made every day about our school districts, you know, about our neighborhood associations, our immediate communities where we live and we work and our kids are growing up that you know that can create massive impact by showing up to those community meetings or, you know, to counting board or whatever it might be.

Lyn Wineman: 23:14

You know, when I think about just the range of topics we've talked about in this short conversation, it's impossible for any politician to be an expert on all of those topics, right? So you providing valuable information, data points, talking points, lived experiences, even personal opinions, that really does help inform them. And I think one thing I have learned in my past as well is if you wait until after the vote, it's a lot harder to make a difference than before the vote. So getting your voice, your opinion, your information in early would be important as well. I'd like to shift gears a little bit because we, KidGlov, had the privilege of partnering with Voices for Children last year to build a beautiful new website for you. I hope you're loving it as much as we are. Good, good. I am glad. I'm really curious through that process because one thing I know about building websites is it really does require you to examine your messaging hierarchy, like what's really important. And so, from your standpoint, through the process, what felt most important for you to communicate about Voices for Children and your mission?

Juliet Summers: 24:41

Yeah. Well, first I want to say what a joy and pleasure it was to be working with KidGlov on this massage, massive project. If someone out there is listening and thinking about a new website, just pick up the phone and call KidGlov. Julia, thank you. Easy and your team is so wonderful and creative and real listeners for what we needed and wanted. So that's so much shout-out. I will recommend KidGlov to everybody I know in this regard. Um, we, you know, I think the beauty of a podcast and a conversation is we're able to really hash out and talk through these nuances of why policy matters and how we do systems change and how we think about how these issues are intersectional. And it's a lot harder to communicate that in an elevator pitch or on a website.

Lyn Wineman: 25:36

You have mere seconds before people decide to abandon your page, right?

Juliet Summers: 25:42

And actually, a couple years ago, I was on a phone call with a potential funder who was on our old website, which very much needed redoing. And he said, I can't figure out from this what you guys do. What are you doing? And it's really important to us as we were, you know, going through this process of designing and building a new website, that the person who doesn't know anything about Voices for Children could come to voicesforchildren.com and see, you know, not just sort of the big, beautiful language of our mission, but really, you know, immediately, what are what are we doing right now? What are the advocacy things right now on the horizon? What events are we involved with that, you know, someone could come and join and you know make their voice heard or get involved in? And so some of the things we're really most excited about on the website are KidGlov came up with the idea of this advocacy hub where, you know, in addition to having our the issues that we work on sectioned out by issue area, there's also this hub where it's like you can just click over there and you can see what bills are happening right now, what events are coming up, you know, what activities is our youth council involved with that that folks are welcome to come join and really see, you know, not just the why of policy, but the nuts and bolts of how and how to get involved.

Lyn Wineman: 27:08

And your team's doing such a great job because part of that is creating it, but an almost bigger part is keeping it updated, right? And I think there's such a demand right now. People expect everything to be updated. So great job to your team for making that happen as well. So, Juliet, for everyone who's interested in finding out about your work, checking out that advocacy hub, looking at the data, let's give us your website address so they can find you.

Juliet Summers: 27:40

Yeah, so we are at www.voicesforchildren.com. It's all spelled out. Um, of course, yeah, the website is now the first place we want you to come because we we do. Our team is amazing at keeping that updated and you can see everything we're involved with. During the legislative session, we have a policy page that um we keep updated with all the bills that we're working on across our different issue areas and kind of where they stand. That also links back to the Nebraska legislative website. So it's easy to you know follow from our website and those bills to see the bill page and see what's going on with the bill at the legislature. We also have a wonderful, again, KidGlov built this wonderful data section. So it's very easily searchable, navigable, our most recent Kids Count in Nebraska report, and we're working on, you know, that the next one's gonna be releasing in April.

Lyn Wineman: 28:33

An 80-page report takes more than a minute to put together that.

Juliet Summers: 28:37

Yeah, it's a it's a full year process working with our state agencies and getting all the data. But if you're interested in some, you know, even more immediate updates or staying involved in action alerts, that kind of thing, of course. I'd suggest you get on our listserv. You can do that from the website. Um, but you can also follow us. We're on all the standard social media. Um, so Facebook and Instagram, we are Voices for Children in Nebraska. I think our Instagram and TikTok are both @voicesne.

Lyn Wineman: 29:05

We will get all of those links in the show notes. Tell us where you're at on LinkedIn too. I'm glad you have a LinkedIn because a lot of people who follow policy are on LinkedIn as well.

Juliet Summers: 29:14

That's right. And we also do have our own podcast. It's called Raising Justice. It's available on your all your podcast streaming platforms. And we we check in, we tried it, we we just hit our 10th episode. So if you're newer to the podcast game, but it is a chance to go a little more in-depth across these different issues.

Lyn Wineman: 29:34

I love that. It's a great, I've caught a couple episodes. It's a great podcast. So we'll get that linked in the show notes as well. Juliet, I'd like to switch gears just a little bit and talk about you. Like, how did you find yourself in this career? I know you're on your second round with Voices for Children in Nebraska. So it's something you did and you came back to. Tell us more about what your journey was like.

Juliet Summers: 30:01

I feel so lucky. I think I already said that. I feel so lucky to have found this work. I am actually a lawyer by background. I actually started my career as a teacher a long, long, long, long time. I did teach for America following college. I was on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, which was um an incredible experience, wonderful, challenging. So welcomed into the community and loved, loved, loved, loved my students and the families that I was working and living with, and did not have a passion for teaching. And you need a passion for teaching.

Lyn Wineman: 30:41

It's a special, special, special talent, personality type.

Juliet Summers: 30:48

A hundred percent. The people in the world I have the most respect for are teachers. So much heart and blood, sweat and tears and asks, and I will carry that with me forever. So, what I really learned from the experience is I knew I wanted to work with and for children, but in a perhaps a different regard. So I went to law school and after teaching law school felt very easy. And then I ended up actually at the Douglas County Public Defender's Office doing juvenile defense work. So I got my start representing young people accused of delinquencies or status offenses in juvenile court, also representing parents in child welfare proceedings. Um, so actually doing that kind of direct service frontline work that we were talking about at that center. There are wonderful people, wonderful advocates, social workers, lawyers, judges on the front lines, working with families. And I have, I think my heart will always be in juvenile defense in particular, and how incredibly important it is that young people are have access to quality counsel, quality legal advice, their due process rights and proceedings that can really impact their their growth, their development, the rest of their lives. Um, and then I found my way to policy, similar to Kathy's story, actually. From the front lines of the courtroom to, you know, every in the classroom, every student and in the courtroom, every client, you know, you might have that that win in court or, you know, that that great day, that success. And then, you know, the next client comes in and is running into the same barriers or challenges, often, you know, through no fault of their own. So, um, so finding my way to Voices for Children as at that time the policy coordinator for child welfare and juvenile justice was a chance to really put some of that experience to work in service of you know kids like my clients all across the state. And I was in the policy aspect of our work for six, seven years before I was I was part of the wave of moms who left the workplace during COVID. I was trying to trying to keep up with the legislature with uh Zoom kindergarten and I had twin three-year-olds running around.

Lyn Wineman: 33:17

I really admire the working parents who are just all parents who went through that time that was so difficult with kids suddenly and unexpectedly and unpreparedly at home trying to learn and thrive and survive. It was a really a what a time strange time.

Juliet Summers: 33:38

But anyway, so in I was able to find my way. I was back in the courtroom briefly in 2021 and then came back to the organization now as executive director. And like I said, I feel so lucky to get to do this work and to get to be part of this incredible team. It’s really amazing when you find when you find what you're supposed to be doing and um and are able to do it in community with people whose values truly align with yours.

Lyn Wineman: 34:09

I love that you have found that for yourself because that is my wish for everyone. That I I believe fully that we all have a calling and when you find it, it just makes your life, it makes your life so much better. Not just your work life, but your whole life, because we spend so much time at work that when you enjoy it and you're fulfilled, it makes such a difference. All right, I'm gonna ask you my favorite question next, and all of our listeners know what it is, but I am inspired by motivational quotes throughout this whole podcast. I've been collecting quotes and I would love a Juliet Summers original quote for our listeners.

Juliet Summers: 34:55

I don't know how original this is, but for me it is take one small action. Just take one small action. I think it's really easy to feel overwhelmed by an enormity of injustice or you know, to get online and just feel like you see a hundred ways things are going sideways or that cruelty might be winning. And it if you're in that headspace, it's really easy to think that there needs to be some superhero or like cataclysm to fix things. But if we give in to that, that kind of all or nothing thinking or that despair, then injustice wins by default. And I really believe that all injustice is interconnected, and so any little action we can take, any thread that we can pull on, um, is working to unravel all of it and to make something, weave something better and stronger. So yeah, take one small action. One small action always feels better than inaction.

Lyn Wineman: 36:02

That is it's a great quote and it's great advice. And I'm kind of sad that we're bringing this conversation to a close, even though podcasts are long form. I know there is a limit to how much time people will listen, and we're bumping up against that. But Juliet, as we wrap up our time together today, I'd love to end with what is the most important thing you would like people to remember about the work that you're doing.

Juliet Summers: 36:30

Yeah, well, I'll go back to something we chatted about earlier, which is just that this work is proactive and it's positive. It's based on a belief that we really do have the tools we need to build a better future for our kids. And no one of us can do that unilaterally, but all of us together can take those small actions to speak out and to make our communities stronger and healthier and fairer for everyone.

Lyn Wineman: 36:59

Juliet, what a great sentiment to end on. I'm gonna say I fully believe the world needs more people like you and more organizations doing the good work like Voices for Children in Nebraska. Thank you for taking time to talk with us today.

Juliet Summers: 37:15

Thank you so much. This has been such a pleasure, and I'm so appreciative of all that you and KidGlov do as well. 

Announcer: 37:25

We hope you enjoyed today's Agency for Change podcast. To hear all our interviews with those who are making a positive change in our communities, or to nominate a change maker you'd love to hear from, visit kidglove.com at kidglov.com to get in touch. As always, if you like what you've heard today, be sure to rate, review, subscribe, and share. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.