Talking to Grandma

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures. Over the past couple of years, we have been talking with families and educators of kids with bilingualism in their bones through this podcast and our work with Bilingual Generation on our mission to create resources for educators and families that help kids maintain a connection to their heritage languages and cultures. One of our latest resources that has been brewing is The Bili app, a visionary app crafted by our team at Bilingual Generation. Born from collaborations with bilingual educators and families, Bili is a response to the challenges communities face in finding dynamic, culturally responsive tools to support language learning at home and at school.  Over the next two episodes, I will be bringing you a collection of interviews with the people putting together the Bili App.  Today, you will hear from non other than the very Host of Talking to Grandma, Dr. Veronica Benavides as well as chief technology officer, Johnathan Chin and UX designer, Sarah Lynch. Follow Bili on Instagram: @thebiliapp

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures. Talking to Grandma host, Dr. Veronica Benavides is returning to SXSW Edu next week to lead a panel alongside Dr. Vanessa Santiago Schwarz called Sí Sabo: Children with Bilingualism in Their Bones Speak. Last summer Armando Orduña and his daughter Giuliana shared their vulnerable conversation about language, identity, and growing up bilingual in America. This conversation and other talks with kids with bilingualism in their bones sparked the inspiration for this panel discussion.  This week, we bring you these inspiring conversations from the archives of Talking to Grandma as we revisit this episode we published last summer. If you’re heading to SXSW EDU this year, be sure to stop by the panel on Tuesday, March 5th, at 11:30 AM! We hope to see you in Austin! 

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures. In this episode, we explore the vital connection between culture, language, and wellness with Jennifer Velasquez.  Jennifer Velasquez is an illustrator and the founder of Almadé,  a wellness company that provides BIPOC women with the tools to heal their inner child and break free from their generational curses. Using her background in adult education and love of neuroscience, Jennifer’s science-based and abuela-approved tools are used by therapists, social workers, and in classrooms across the country.   She creates in the Catskill Mountains of New York with her husband Jake and pup Ruthie.  For more on her work visit, www.almadeshop.com and connect with her on Instagram @almadeshop. Join us as she shares how her health led her to discover a side to her heritage language she had yet to uncover and how she plans to bridge generations through her work. 

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures. In this episode, join us as we delve into the enriching conversation with Dorenyse Díaz, exploring the intricate dynamics of language loss and preservation within the context of her Nicaraguan heritage. Díaz sheds light on the challenges and triumphs of maintaining a connection to our cultural and linguistic identities. Dorenyse Díaz self identifies as a Nicaraguan queer fat femme based out of the ancestral lands of the Tongva and Gabrielino peoples (Los Angeles). She’s a former school leader, first in Northeast LA and then in the Macarthur Park/Pico Union area of Los Angeles. She’s worked as a consultant, teacher, and community organizer and her work has focused on supporting educators, leaders, and entrepreneurs in anti-racism and transformative justice, language justice, disability justice, and inclusive practices. Dorenyse is passionate about decolonizing mental health and healing work, spirituality, queerness, radical body love + acceptance, combatting fatphobia, and addressing anti-Blackness in Latine communities. She is the proud dog mama of Pofi (his name means “best friend” in Nicaraguan Spanish), a 2-year-old Shih Tzu/Terrier mix who loves doing zoomies, playing in the sand but never in water, listening to songs from his favorite show Bluey while on long drives, and taking trips to the fascinating drive-thru car wash. Dorenyse is also a loving tía to her wonderful niece and nephews: Eddie (15), Liam (13), Everly (9), and Ian (5). Tune in to explore the intersections of language, identity, and healing as we navigate the journey towards affirming and valuing our language and culture. You can find Dorenyse on Instagram at www.instagram.com/dorenyse You can learn more about her work at NewSchools Venture Fund here. 

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures. In this episode, Carmen Kynard discusses her journey of embracing and maintaining Black language throughout her life, despite the challenges she faced in academia. Carmen Kynard is the Lillian Radford Chair in Rhetoric and Composition and Professor of English at Texas Christian University. Her award-wining research, teaching, and scholarship interrogate anti-racism, Black feminist pedagogies, AfroDigital/Black cultures and languages, and the politics of schooling with an emphasis on composition and literacies studies. She traces her research and teaching at her website, “Education, Liberation, and Black Radical Traditions” which has garnered over 2 million hits since its 2012 inception. Listen to hear Carmen's message of resilience, joy, and the pursuit of a more inclusive and equitable education system. Here is a link to her current course: http://www.funkdafied.org/ You can also find her on Instagram at: @ckdigidesign

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures. Today’s episode of Talking to Grandma, we chat with Carlos Torres about Yo Sabo The game and how it has brought together generations and made language learning fun!  Carlos and his partner Jess are the creators of Yo Sabo The Game. They are first generation Mexican - American College graduates from the University of California, Riverside. They both grew up in Latino households but had different experiences growing up. They both continue to want to spread the Spanish Language and to engage those who feel like they need help to learn (or relearn) the language. They both have STEM backgrounds. Listen to hear about Carlos’ journey and how you can make language learning fun in your home, gatherings and classroom! Buy Yo Sabo The Game: www.yosabothegame.com NBC Article: The 'no sabo kids' are pushing back on Spanish-language shaming

Welcome to Talking to Grandma, a weekly podcast that elevates stories, science, and strategies to help you raise and teach multilingual and bilingual children. Hosted by Dr. Veronica Benavides, founder and CEO of Bilingual Generation, an organization that helps children with bilingualism in their bones stay connected to their heritage languages and cultures. Today we hear from Zara Child, a 17-year-old student and the author of a Singaporean Hokkien language learning book. Although her first language was Mandarin Chinese, and she has formally studied French and English, it is Singaporean Hokkien that has captured her imagination. Through her work, she strives to protect linguistic diversity. Listen to hear Zara’s inspiring story and learn about the book she created, Jiak Ba Beh? A Taste of Singaporean Hokkien: An Introduction to Spoken Singaporean Hokkien. Learn more about Singaporean Hokkien  at Save Sg Hokkien or www.learndialect.sg  You can purchase her book here.

Nawal Qarooni, an expert in bridging home and classroom environments for linguistic development, discusses the importance of cultural and linguistic preservation in education. She explores strategies for raising multicultural children, bridging family dynamics with classroom practices, and emphasizing collaborative literacy to enhance language development.

In this episode, we chat with another grandma, Sonia Bu, who, in addition to being an amazing grandma, plays a special role as a board member and mentor to Bilingual Generation.  In this conversation, we dive deep into her experience with her multiracial background, the complexities of identity, and how language and culture intersect to shape one's sense of self. You are in for a treat today. Sit back, relax, and join us as we dive into this conversation! If you are a grandmother or know of a grandmother who would like to share their story of language and cultural preservation, please reach out to us at hello@bilingualgeneration.com - we would love to feature them on a future mini-season of the podcast! Learn more about the Brillando Bilingüe: The Bilingual Generation Alumni Speaker Series here: https://bit.ly/BGspeakerseries

On this bonus episode of Talking to Grandma, our host, Vero, had the honor of interviewing her mother about how she went from only teaching her children English because she was made fun of for her accent to finding joy in her grandson’s accent.  Irene is a mother of four children, grandmother of five children, and has been married for 46 years. Her story has inspired our work at Bilingual Generation, and we can’t wait for you to hear and be inspired by her story!  If you are a grandmother or know of a grandmother who would like to share their story of language and cultural preservation, please reach out to us at hello@bilingualgeneration.com - we would love to feature them on a future mini-season of the podcast!  Learn more about the Brillando Bilingüe: The Bilingual Generation Alumni Speaker Series here: https://bit.ly/BGspeakerseries