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Speaker 1: The following episode was recorded before the WGA sag Aftra

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Speaker 1: strikes of twenty twenty three.

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Speaker 2: Since we taped this episode, sadly, a war is broken

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Speaker 2: out between Israel and Palestine and the Middle East, and

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Speaker 2: today's episode highlights the work of UNISEF in Egypt, where

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Speaker 2: they are currently at the front lines of trying to

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Speaker 2: advance humanitarian aid to the civilians who are in Gaza.

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Speaker 2: There are no words that can frame how deeply horrified

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Speaker 2: we are at the amount of lives lost in such

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Speaker 2: a short period of time throughout this region. We recognize

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Speaker 2: that we are a show people would want to turn

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Speaker 2: two to discuss such matters, but by the nature of

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Speaker 2: our pre recorded taping schedule, we are not able to

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Speaker 2: bring on a guest that can speak to this moment

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Speaker 2: at this time.

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Speaker 3: But what we do want to appeal.

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Speaker 2: To our audience to do today is to consider financially

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Speaker 2: supporting Egypt. There's so many displaced people, specifically children, who

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Speaker 2: decimately desperately need your help. So look to our show

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Speaker 2: notes for more information. You know, I didn't really travel

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Speaker 2: that much when I was a young man. My parents

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Speaker 2: they would travel, but they wouldn't take There were six

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Speaker 2: kids so they would take us with them. But when

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Speaker 2: I finally did travel, I remember being struck with a

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Speaker 2: couple of things. One was that even at feeling like

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Speaker 2: a worldly type person, you know, I really was living

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Speaker 2: in a bubble and I didn't really understand things outside

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Speaker 2: of this country that we live in. And I was

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Speaker 2: also struck with the fact that outside of the gates

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Speaker 2: of any resort community, there are a lot of people

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Speaker 2: that are living with very, very little, and you'll see

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Speaker 2: this pretty much anywhere you're gonna go. And it brought

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Speaker 2: me to a point of view that I had to

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Speaker 2: really look a little bit more carefully at everything that

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Speaker 2: I had and at the privilege that I've experienced in

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Speaker 2: my life, and to try to think outside of this

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Speaker 2: relatively small world that I have created here. Traveling across

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Speaker 2: the country also has allowed me to do that, you know,

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Speaker 2: as an actor, sometimes I'll go to places that are

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Speaker 2: not on anybody's tourist map, but they happen to be

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Speaker 2: places where we are filming.

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Speaker 3: And rather than just being there.

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Speaker 2: As a tourist, if you go as an actor, you

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Speaker 2: really have to stop and live someplace, and you know,

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Speaker 2: find yourself to the laundromat or the target or whatever

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Speaker 2: it is, a grocery store, and you know, it's really

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Speaker 2: really a great thing. First off, to see the commonality

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Speaker 2: between us in that we all have this desire to

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Speaker 2: be safe and take care of our children and have

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Speaker 2: food and shelter. And also the disparity between the haves

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Speaker 2: and the have nots has always been a really powerful thing,

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Speaker 2: which really leads me to this conversation that I'm having

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Speaker 2: today with Alyssa Milano. She's been involved with an Egyptian

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Speaker 2: organization that's sponsored by UNISEEF. It brought up a lot

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Speaker 2: of feelings about the lack of social support in many

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Speaker 2: parts of the world where people are just striving to

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Speaker 2: make a better life for themselves. So, Leana, I'm glad

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Speaker 2: you're here.

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Speaker 3: Alyssa Milano is here in person.

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Speaker 2: With me, very very excited to have this amazing actress, entrepreneur, activist, producer, writer, author.

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Speaker 4: This is why I'm so tired.

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Speaker 3: I mean, I was going to say.

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Speaker 2: What I was thinking was, how do you find time

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Speaker 2: to come down to hang out with me? I really

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Speaker 2: do appreciated the time time, and you're just coming from

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Speaker 2: a television appearance today. You got a lot I mean,

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Speaker 2: what a fascinating.

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Speaker 3: Career you've had. Well, first off, we do this dumb thing.

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Speaker 2: It is six degrees of may, not really may, but

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Speaker 2: six degrees in general.

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Speaker 3: And and so we do this thing.

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Speaker 2: But you know, I was thinking about a connection that

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Speaker 2: I don't even know if you're aware of this maybe, but.

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Speaker 3: Where the day takes you? Do you remember that one?

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Speaker 2: So the director of that, Mark Rocker. The next movie

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Speaker 2: I was in, was called Murder in the First and

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Speaker 2: Mark was a fantastic director. I mean I wanted to

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Speaker 2: do he did. Yeah, he sadly passed away. I guess,

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Speaker 2: you know, kind of a troubled guy, but really an

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Speaker 2: amazing director. And and I wanted to do Murder in

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Speaker 2: the First based on where.

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Speaker 4: They takes it.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, which if anybody hasn't seen it, that's a good

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Speaker 2: one to pull up.

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Speaker 4: Still incredibly relevant too.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, how did you end up? How did you end

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Speaker 2: up in that movie? It was a big cast.

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Speaker 4: I think I just auditioned. I don't remember. It was

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Speaker 4: a very long time, like the last years.

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Speaker 3: I know, I know, I know, that is a long

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Speaker 3: long time. Yeah, But you grew up in the city, right,

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Speaker 3: I was.

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Speaker 5: Born in Brooklyn and then we moved to Staten Island, okay,

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Speaker 5: because someone got shot in the front yard of our

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Speaker 5: apartment in Brooklyn. Oh wow, this was it was in Bensonhurst.

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Speaker 5: This was during the race riots. So what year was

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Speaker 5: regular seventy six? And then we moved to Staten Island,

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Speaker 5: you know, because that was like that was my parents

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Speaker 5: making it and giving us, you know, the life that

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Speaker 5: that a child deserved.

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Speaker 3: So that was moving on up to get the stand, yes.

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Speaker 4: Exactly, and lived in Staten Island.

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Speaker 3: Talk out who's the boss and what did your parents do?

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Speaker 5: My mom was a fashion designer and my dad was

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Speaker 5: in insurance. Okay, so not anywhere near the industry except

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Speaker 5: my mom and dad were.

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Speaker 4: My dad was a musician, so.

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Speaker 5: I grew up with incredible live music and my mom

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Speaker 5: sketching in her in her sketchbook. And she used to

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Speaker 5: do these fashion shows instead of doing them during fashion

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Speaker 5: week like you know, the normal way she she would

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Speaker 5: do them in clubs at night, like after a whole

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Speaker 5: day of fashion shows during fashion week. And one of

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Speaker 5: her dancers, slash Models, was.

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Speaker 4: An actor and had her equity card and used to

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Speaker 4: go in for open auditions all the time.

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Speaker 5: She was also my babysitter so she unbeknownst to my.

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Speaker 6: Parents, it's very convenient when your babysitter has an equity card.

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Speaker 6: She she took me up for an open anti audition

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Speaker 6: where she was auditioning for the ensemble.

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Speaker 4: And we got there.

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Speaker 3: Your parents didn't know this was happening.

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Speaker 5: Had no clue until the last round, which was like,

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Speaker 5: I don't know nine hours later.

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Speaker 7: Wow.

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Speaker 4: And she looked at me.

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Speaker 5: And I was, you know, looking at the stage, and

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Speaker 5: I didn't know what they were doing. I was seven,

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Speaker 5: but they were singing and dancing and I love to

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Speaker 5: do that, so I guess I was looking longingly and

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Speaker 5: she said, do you want an audition? And I was

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Speaker 5: like sure, I don't know what that means. There were

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Speaker 5: fifteen hundred kids that were there, and four were.

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Speaker 4: Picked out of the fifteen hundred.

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Speaker 3: Wow, and that's did you have a song prepared?

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Speaker 4: I mean sang happy Birthday? Because I didn't have a song?

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Speaker 3: Wow?

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Speaker 7: Wow?

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Speaker 2: Okay, well you had that? When did you bring the

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Speaker 2: sheet music for it?

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Speaker 3: He knew it? You know it? Okay? Okay.

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Speaker 2: So so I mean, I love this is the greatest

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Speaker 2: story because, for one thing, the idea that you're an.

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Speaker 3: Actress and a babysitter.

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Speaker 2: And you have to but you but you got an audition, right,

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Speaker 2: you got to go to the audition. You can't you

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Speaker 2: can't not go to the audition that that she drags

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Speaker 2: you along. So did you get you got this part?

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Speaker 4: I got the part?

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Speaker 3: And what was it? A bus and truck?

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Speaker 5: We tour a second natural national touring company for eighteen months.

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Speaker 3: Wow, And I'm assuming it's it's Annie.

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Speaker 4: I know I played July.

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Speaker 3: Oh, I don't know. I don't know that one, okay.

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Speaker 4: And I understudied for Molly, which was the Little One.

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Speaker 2: Okay, So I'm I'm not familiar with the show that one.

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Speaker 2: I don't know if I've ever saw it. But so,

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Speaker 2: what what does your dad play?

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Speaker 5: My dad plays everything, piano, guitar, He's just one of them.

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Speaker 5: And now he's a music editor for films. He started

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Speaker 5: that when he was like forty.

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Speaker 4: He just woke up and he was.

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Speaker 5: Like, you know what, I think would put my knowledge

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Speaker 5: of music to good and my love of film to

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Speaker 5: good use.

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Speaker 4: And he does Michael Mann movies and like he's.

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Speaker 3: So he's doing what he loves. He's doing its opposed

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Speaker 3: to insurance exactly, now was it?

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Speaker 2: I mean I don't know if anybody outside of like

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Speaker 2: the New York experience would quite understand this, because I

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Speaker 2: think we people just kind of tend to lump New

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Speaker 2: York into one sort of bundle, and but I would

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Speaker 2: think that benson Hurst to Staten Island might have a

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Speaker 2: certain level of culture. Shock or not so much? Did

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Speaker 2: they feel pretty similar?

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Speaker 5: I think I was so young, but I think the

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Speaker 5: thing that I recognized was that we were going from

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Speaker 5: an apartment to a house with backyard and you know,

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Speaker 5: all those.

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Speaker 2: Things that I'm sure the school was different, Yes, was

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Speaker 2: it public school or.

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Speaker 4: A public school? I went to PS thirty two and

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Speaker 4: twenty four until I.

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Speaker 5: Got into into acting, and then I was tutored on

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Speaker 5: the set, you know, for most of my academic career,

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Speaker 5: which I actually think was a very important thing for me,

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Speaker 5: because I am dyslexic, and so working with a teacher

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Speaker 5: or a tutor one on one enabled me to learn

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Speaker 5: at my own pace and also instilled this love of

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Speaker 5: learning that I still have.

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Speaker 2: As I always like to say, thank dog, I'm not

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Speaker 2: not dyslexic. But so you, uh, how old were you

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Speaker 2: when you started working in television?

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Speaker 5: So I was ten when I got Who's the Boss,

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Speaker 5: the pilot and eleven the first year, and we wrapped

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Speaker 5: when I was nineteen.

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Speaker 4: Oh my, what, yes, it was forever. It was my

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Speaker 4: entire childhood.

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Speaker 3: You so interesting? Go ahead, Sorry, Well it was wild.

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Speaker 5: Because you know, when you think about TV now, you know,

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Speaker 5: if you get a couple of million viewership because it's

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Speaker 5: so liquidated because there's so many options, that was a

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Speaker 5: big deal. But then there were there. It wasn't even Fox, right,

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Speaker 5: so it was ABC, NBC, and CBS, and to be

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Speaker 5: a top ten show meant that you were getting twenty

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Speaker 5: million viewers a week.

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Speaker 3: It's incredible you think about. Yeah, the difference in today.

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Speaker 5: And also the other difference is like when the first

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Speaker 5: year when we aired, we were up against Family Ties

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Speaker 5: and there was just no way and we were all

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Speaker 5: the way on the bottom of the Nielsen ratings, you know,

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Speaker 5: which actually meant something then. But ABC believed in the

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Speaker 5: show and just stuck with it and found a time

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Speaker 5: slot that worked.

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Speaker 4: This is so long ago.

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Speaker 5: Our second season, Happy Days was before our show, So

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Speaker 5: Happy Days was at eight pm, as The Boss was

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Speaker 5: at eight thirty, and because of that time change, we became,

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Speaker 5: you know, the number one show in the nation, which

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Speaker 5: which meant a lot at that point.

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Speaker 3: So how does that.

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Speaker 2: I mean, what's also interesting about that to me is

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Speaker 2: that boy talk about some formative years ten to nineteen.

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Speaker 4: I mean, that was the culture shock was not right, and.

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Speaker 2: You'd never lived in California. Obviously your whole family moved

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Speaker 2: out to California.

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Speaker 5: They didn't move the first year because I had my

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Speaker 5: brother and I are ten years apart.

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Speaker 4: My mom like, this is never going.

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Speaker 3: To go ten years old or younger, younger, I'm going.

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Speaker 5: To say here, you know, you guys come back. Television

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Speaker 5: shows don't make it. There's no way. So just my

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Speaker 5: dad and I went, which was amazing. I had a

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Speaker 5: whole year with my dad in California, and it was

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Speaker 5: that was a very formative point in my life because

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Speaker 5: I just wanted to do everything he did.

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Speaker 4: So my love for sports came from that era. My my.

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Speaker 5: Intrigue in politics and political activism was during that time.

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Speaker 4: I learned so much about.

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Speaker 2: Ten years old, you developed a feeling for politics and

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Speaker 2: political activism.

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Speaker 5: Yes, yes, but remember this was at a time that

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Speaker 5: was so it was eighty two, HIV aids started became

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Speaker 5: very prevalent. The quote unquote which now we see as

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Speaker 5: we're recognized as being super racist, the war on drugs.

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Speaker 5: I mean, there's pictures of me in the White House

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Speaker 5: with Nancy Reagan, like, you know, just say no at

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Speaker 5: that age, but I think, I think, you know, back

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Speaker 5: it was such a different time, and.

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Speaker 4: But not because I was. I was able to.

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Speaker 5: At a very young age, especially with HIV AIDS and

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Speaker 5: the fear surrounding it, I was able to recognize that

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Speaker 5: that fear was being.

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Speaker 4: Used for political purposes.

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Speaker 5: And the reason why I was able to recognize that

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Speaker 5: is I became friends with Ryan White, you know, Who's

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Speaker 5: the boss was so big, and the culture shock for

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Speaker 5: me was that I was a very introverted kid. I

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Speaker 5: was an artist. I grew up like not acting in

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Speaker 5: front of a live studio audience. That did not come

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Speaker 5: easy for me, and so the fame at such a

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Speaker 5: young age was very uncomfortable, very odd. Fame is weird

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Speaker 5: and at you know, twelve thirteen years old, when you're

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Speaker 5: going through puberty and then you're showing up on set

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Speaker 5: and there's a script called Sam's First Bra and you're

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Speaker 5: just like, you know, and you're you know, it's it's

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Speaker 5: it was, and being a young girl at that time

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Speaker 5: and the sexualization of young women.

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Speaker 4: And it was just hard. It was hard.

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Speaker 5: And I got a phone call just to give you

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Speaker 5: an idea of how obscure my life was, from Elton

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Speaker 5: John and he said, I'm friends with this little boy

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Speaker 5: named Ryan White, and he loves you and would you

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Speaker 5: meet with him? And now, Ryan, for those that don't know,

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Speaker 5: he was kicked out of school because he was HIV

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Speaker 5: positive from a blood transfusion and the the whole fear

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Speaker 5: around HIV at the time was that you could get

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Speaker 5: it from casual contact, which is why he was kicked

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Speaker 5: out of school. He fought for the right to go

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Speaker 5: back to school. He spoke in front of Congress and

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Speaker 5: he and I became friends after this meeting.

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Speaker 3: And how old were you at the time.

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Speaker 4: I was fifteen and he was fifteen.

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Speaker 3: Oh, he was fifteen, Okay, And the.

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Speaker 5: Two of us, I think really connected on feeling othered

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Speaker 5: and feeling like we didn't really fit in anywhere, and

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Speaker 5: I loved him dearly. I say activism is a great

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Speaker 5: love story for me because I started in love and

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Speaker 5: the moment was when Ryan asked me to go on

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Speaker 5: TV and kiss him to prove that you couldn't get

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Speaker 5: HIV AIDS from casual contact, and I did.

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Speaker 4: That moment changed everything for me.

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Speaker 2: I mean, for a fifteen year old to have that

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Speaker 2: kind of that kind of just a foresight to see

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Speaker 2: how powerful a moment this would be, and also to

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Speaker 2: be able to overcome what was clearly being fear message

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Speaker 2: to us at the time is just I mean, I

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Speaker 2: so admire you for doing that.

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Speaker 3: How did your parents feel about that?

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Speaker 4: Totally supportive? Totally supportive?

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Speaker 2: And what about the what about the show and the network?

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Speaker 2: I mean, would you have you gotten you know, push

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Speaker 2: back from from them? It was from the man, as

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Speaker 2: they say.

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Speaker 5: It was right around the time when Judith Light also

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Speaker 5: started really fundraising.

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Speaker 3: For HIV eight's so and Elton was on board.

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Speaker 5: And Elton yes, and so you know, I think I

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Speaker 5: think the public had a really hard time with it

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Speaker 5: because here was, you know, how I was always presented

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Speaker 5: was America's sweetheart, and those that believed were bought into

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Speaker 5: the fear mongering.

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Speaker 4: You know, I got a lot of hate mail.

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Speaker 5: So I always people say to me all the time, like,

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Speaker 5: how do you deal with the trolls on social media?

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Speaker 5: It's like I've been I've been trolled since I kissed

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Speaker 5: Ryan White on the Phil Donna You show, like that's oh, that's.

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Speaker 3: Where it was the Phil Donna.

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Speaker 4: So yeah, so and it changed my life. And I

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Speaker 4: got to tell you, I think more.

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Speaker 5: Than anything, I was like, oh, like I could be

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Speaker 5: uncomfortable being famous, or I could do this with my fame,

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Speaker 5: and I I gotta tell you, like, I think the

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Speaker 5: rebellion that young people go through, like that was my

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Speaker 5: fucking rebellion. I was like, I'm gonna piss people off.

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Speaker 3: M h, I'm.

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Speaker 5: Going to do things that change narratives. And so it

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Speaker 5: was it was Ryan that gave me that gift. And

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Speaker 5: you know, I've been an activist ever since. But they

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Speaker 5: were without social media. You know, people weren't aware of

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Speaker 5: of the philanthropy or what.

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Speaker 4: I was doing.

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Speaker 2: Sure, well, I mean I think that you know, we

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Speaker 2: always we always can find about a billion things that

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Speaker 2: social media is not good for. But when it comes

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Speaker 2: to activism and things of a charitable nature's nature, sometimes

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Speaker 2: it's really can be a very very powerful tool well.

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Speaker 5: And also like controlling your own content, right, like I

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Speaker 5: was able to say this is this is where I'm

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Speaker 5: going to volunteer my time, this week, whereas you know,

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Speaker 5: thirty years ago you had to be invited to do

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Speaker 5: an interview to talk about, you know.

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Speaker 4: Being.

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Speaker 5: A part a progressive part of the community, right you weren't.

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Speaker 5: You weren't handed those opportunities, And now those opportunities are

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Speaker 5: right in front of us. We can actually control the

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Speaker 5: content that gets out there. So that was a big change.

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Speaker 2: So I guess I guess what I'm wondering is that

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Speaker 2: from that point on, you're fifteen, you still have this

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Speaker 2: long road in front of you. But in terms of

351
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Speaker 2: the other stuff that you do, singer and an actress,

352
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Speaker 2: doing movies multiple subsequent I don't know how many series

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Speaker 2: have you done.

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Speaker 3: I probably I did.

355
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Speaker 4: Another one that went pretty years called Charmed I was Armed.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, So that's I mean, you have this like

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Speaker 3: kind of ongoing career. How do you well.

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Speaker 2: First off, in your heart, do you still like the

359
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Speaker 2: acting part of it or is it a way to

360
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Speaker 2: just be continued to be in people's awareness so that

361
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Speaker 2: you can do the activisim?

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Speaker 5: I do think that there is an element of one

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Speaker 5: feeding the other that I'm very aware of, because acting

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Speaker 5: is not what is fulfilling to men.

365
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Speaker 3: It's not okay and I.

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Speaker 4: Think the reason being is not. It's not because oh

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Speaker 4: I've been doing it for so long.

368
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Speaker 2: It's like, what for me, you can take that part

369
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Speaker 2: out if there's any casting director, No, I don't.

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Speaker 4: Mean they all know.

371
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Speaker 5: No.

372
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Speaker 4: For me, it's just, you know, I've worked really hard

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Speaker 4: to attempt to heal wounds inside of my being. So

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Speaker 4: to go in and have to like.

375
00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:28,359
Speaker 5: Pickt those scars, that's interesting. Like I fought really hard

376
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Speaker 5: to be the person I am today, and to have

377
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Speaker 5: to go back and like dredge up some kind of

378
00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:39,440
Speaker 5: heartache or trauma or pain for the sake of someone

379
00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:44,280
Speaker 5: else's vision and script and art just doesn't make a

380
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Speaker 5: whole lot of sense.

381
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Speaker 4: For me at this point.

382
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Speaker 2: That's so interesting because I actually have I mean, this

383
00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:53,040
Speaker 2: is not a judgment for me. It's sort of the

384
00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:57,000
Speaker 2: opposite in that when I do that, I find it

385
00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:01,520
Speaker 2: very therapeutic, you know, when I'm gods, when I'm able

386
00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:04,760
Speaker 2: to go to dark places, when I'm able to play

387
00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:10,440
Speaker 2: characters that act out on horrible impulses, it I come

388
00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:14,920
Speaker 2: away from it with a greater sort of understanding myself.

389
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Speaker 5: Do you do like closure exercises? I'm not sure what

390
00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:21,720
Speaker 5: that is, So like what I just do it. Like

391
00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:24,240
Speaker 5: I did a movie called Brazen for Netflix, and my

392
00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:27,320
Speaker 5: sister dies on page six. So the whole movie, I'm

393
00:21:27,359 --> 00:21:29,560
Speaker 5: like trying to find the killer and crying and the

394
00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:32,320
Speaker 5: whole thing. And this was the first first of all

395
00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:35,160
Speaker 5: we used an intimacy coordinator, not only for the love

396
00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:37,320
Speaker 5: scenes but also for the emotional.

397
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Speaker 2: Meanwhile, great idea, because a lot of times, well we've

398
00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:44,920
Speaker 2: we've come around to then maybe people that are listening

399
00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:47,040
Speaker 2: don't even realize what intimacy coordinator, but it is what

400
00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:47,639
Speaker 2: it sounds like.

401
00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:49,040
Speaker 3: If you're in a situation where you.

402
00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:52,960
Speaker 2: Have to be intimate with another actor, whether it's I

403
00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:55,320
Speaker 2: mean anything from a you know, a kiss or an

404
00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:59,240
Speaker 2: embrace to a hardcore sex scene, there's somebody that's going

405
00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:04,040
Speaker 2: to kind of walk everybody through that and discuss and

406
00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:08,800
Speaker 2: keep people feeling safe. But a lot of times, and

407
00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:11,639
Speaker 2: we have stuntmen and stunt coordinators that are supposed to

408
00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:14,040
Speaker 2: coordinate actions so that you.

409
00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:16,000
Speaker 3: Don't get hurt hurt, but a lot of.

410
00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:19,119
Speaker 2: Times there my daughter recently did a film where she

411
00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:23,399
Speaker 2: was just from in the entire movie, you know, in

412
00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:27,760
Speaker 2: terror or emotional crime, and it took a really big

413
00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:29,320
Speaker 2: toll on her and.

414
00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:31,399
Speaker 4: Your body doesn't know you're faking it.

415
00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:34,240
Speaker 3: Yeah, your body doesn't know you're faking it. Right.

416
00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:38,560
Speaker 5: So what this intimacy coordinator did and what I started

417
00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:44,360
Speaker 5: working with my therapist after, is you know, allowing yourself say,

418
00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:46,480
Speaker 5: you know, whether it be with the other actor, the

419
00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:49,280
Speaker 5: scene partner, or the director, I'm going to go to

420
00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:53,000
Speaker 5: a place and I hope you make me feel safe

421
00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,880
Speaker 5: in this place, and you're sort of opening yourself up

422
00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:58,520
Speaker 5: to the vulnerability that it's going to take to do

423
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Speaker 5: the scene.

424
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Speaker 4: But then you also.

425
00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:03,240
Speaker 3: Close it off, close it off after the.

426
00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:07,080
Speaker 5: Scene, you say, Okay, thank you for making me feel safe. Body,

427
00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:10,720
Speaker 5: I'm letting that go. And whether that be you know,

428
00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:14,240
Speaker 5: sometimes it's a smell for me, Like I'll say to myself,

429
00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:17,560
Speaker 5: when I smell the lavender that's on my wrist, I'm

430
00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:20,919
Speaker 5: going to know it's over. But just closing off that

431
00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:23,280
Speaker 5: emotion so I'm not bringing it at home, so I'm

432
00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:24,960
Speaker 5: not like a festering wound.

433
00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:26,200
Speaker 3: And that's very that's cool.

434
00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:28,360
Speaker 2: I got another word for it. It's called leaving your work

435
00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,760
Speaker 2: at the office. I mean, yes, yes, but I have to.

436
00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:34,480
Speaker 4: Say work is funky, it is, it's weird.

437
00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:36,399
Speaker 3: I mean, it's weird. I love it still, I mean,

438
00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:36,960
Speaker 3: I really do.

439
00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:39,880
Speaker 2: But but you know, the thing is is that what

440
00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:44,040
Speaker 2: I find is in the course of the shooting of

441
00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:47,560
Speaker 2: whatever it is, I can't turn it on and off

442
00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:49,200
Speaker 2: like a tap.

443
00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:52,520
Speaker 3: I'm good at saying, Okay, honey.

444
00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:56,080
Speaker 2: I'm home, how was your day, But it's always kind

445
00:23:56,080 --> 00:23:58,480
Speaker 2: of there, you know what I mean, underneath the surface.

446
00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,200
Speaker 2: When they say wrap on the whole movie, I'm done,

447
00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:02,360
Speaker 2: I say goodbye to that guy.

448
00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:03,720
Speaker 3: I don't want to see him. I don't want to

449
00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:07,480
Speaker 3: see the clothes. Like people take their clothes. It's like the.

450
00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:08,720
Speaker 4: Worst thing I've ever it.

451
00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:11,520
Speaker 5: Took one coat home and I actually still wear it

452
00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:13,560
Speaker 5: because it's like the greatest coat in the world.

453
00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:14,800
Speaker 4: But otherwise I agree with you.

454
00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:16,960
Speaker 2: But maybe maybe the character was in it was in

455
00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:18,440
Speaker 2: a happy place when you wore that coat.

456
00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:19,240
Speaker 3: Maybe I don't know.

457
00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:22,240
Speaker 2: Maybe yeah, So I mean that's that's the difference.

458
00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:26,840
Speaker 5: But I also think that there's a lot of actors

459
00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:31,640
Speaker 5: who you know, are of a caliber that I will

460
00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:34,359
Speaker 5: never be, which I'm totally fine with that.

461
00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:37,640
Speaker 4: Do have what you're talking about.

462
00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:42,439
Speaker 5: Which is this natural instinct to go to use the

463
00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:46,680
Speaker 5: places that already exist in them and kind of get

464
00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:49,320
Speaker 5: off on it, like kind of love that part of it.

465
00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:53,600
Speaker 5: And then there's actors that I know who go to

466
00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:56,560
Speaker 5: that place, can't shake it, and I mean, I'm sure

467
00:24:56,600 --> 00:25:00,640
Speaker 5: you know then go into a massive depression for six

468
00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:02,600
Speaker 5: months or a year afterwards.

469
00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:03,960
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, listen to Nana.

470
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:07,480
Speaker 2: I've been at that a long time, and there's I've

471
00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:10,320
Speaker 2: seen a lot of people fall off. You fall off

472
00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:16,359
Speaker 2: you you you, you know, somehow implode or or drugs

473
00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:19,520
Speaker 2: or alcohol or or whatever it happens to be that

474
00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:19,919
Speaker 2: it is.

475
00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:23,600
Speaker 3: You know, if if I don't want to turn this

476
00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:27,000
Speaker 3: into a poor us, it's so hard for us acts.

477
00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:30,760
Speaker 2: But but you know there there, it does have its challenges,

478
00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:32,760
Speaker 2: but you get such joy.

479
00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:35,320
Speaker 3: Well, well you tell me, do you get.

480
00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:39,280
Speaker 2: Joy from the activism and is it constantly feeding you

481
00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:41,440
Speaker 2: in the way that acting does not.

482
00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:46,040
Speaker 5: Yes, I do think that there's something incredibly fulfilling for me.

483
00:25:47,119 --> 00:25:49,800
Speaker 5: I'm also able to understand that it's not for everybody,

484
00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:53,760
Speaker 5: but for me in particular, it has given my life,

485
00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:57,960
Speaker 5: meaning that you know, I'm a girl from Brooklyn. The

486
00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:02,480
Speaker 5: fact that I'm an ambassador for UNICEF is mind boggling

487
00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:06,359
Speaker 5: to me. And I take the responsibility very seriously. But

488
00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:13,520
Speaker 5: also it's also really frustrating, right, because you're allowing yourself

489
00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:16,960
Speaker 5: to be vulnerable and to be impacted by these experiences.

490
00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:21,440
Speaker 5: And that's what I think makes someone a powerful activist,

491
00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:24,320
Speaker 5: is that you are boots on the ground, you are

492
00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:28,040
Speaker 5: putting yourself, you are getting arrested, you are putting yourself,

493
00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:34,040
Speaker 5: you know, on the protest line. But it's also really

494
00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:38,000
Speaker 5: frustrating because there are very few wins, and I think

495
00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:43,880
Speaker 5: I think the lesson has been is the the journey

496
00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:45,359
Speaker 5: is the win, right.

497
00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:49,920
Speaker 4: But I look at people like Alice Paul, who wrote

498
00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:50,679
Speaker 4: the Equal.

499
00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:55,600
Speaker 5: Rights Amendment in nineteen twenty died. You know, after Row

500
00:26:56,359 --> 00:27:01,960
Speaker 5: never saw the era implemented into our constitution. I'm still

501
00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:06,000
Speaker 5: fighting for what with those sixteen or sixteen words are

502
00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:08,800
Speaker 5: to be put in our constitution. Women have no protection

503
00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:13,159
Speaker 5: in our constitution other than the nineteenth Amendment, which is

504
00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:19,320
Speaker 5: the freedom to vote. So what that teaches me is like,

505
00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:23,480
Speaker 5: I can't be attached to the outcome because I might

506
00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:24,720
Speaker 5: not see it in my lifetime.

507
00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:26,720
Speaker 3: So you have to be attached to the process.

508
00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:30,760
Speaker 5: You have to love the process, and you have to

509
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:32,960
Speaker 5: be okay with incremental wins.

510
00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:37,160
Speaker 4: That's really hard, really hard. It's really hard, really hard.

511
00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:39,720
Speaker 2: Well, I would also think that it's at some point

512
00:27:40,119 --> 00:27:44,119
Speaker 2: when you spend that much of your time focused on

513
00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:48,440
Speaker 2: the ills of the world of the you know, the

514
00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:55,000
Speaker 2: lack of justice or you know, equality, or that it

515
00:27:55,119 --> 00:27:59,080
Speaker 2: starts to just become I don't know, just kind of

516
00:27:59,119 --> 00:28:01,879
Speaker 2: overwhelming after a while. I would think that when you

517
00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:04,159
Speaker 2: spend that much of your day really focused on it.

518
00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:08,040
Speaker 5: But what's interesting is is that the vastness of the

519
00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:13,840
Speaker 5: problem or problems that humanity faces for me personally, has

520
00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:18,600
Speaker 5: kind of made my world smaller interesting. It's made my like, well,

521
00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:22,680
Speaker 5: I have to do what I can and the acceptance

522
00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:27,080
Speaker 5: of not being able to change everything, as heartbreaking as

523
00:28:27,119 --> 00:28:29,800
Speaker 5: that can be sometimes and what I've seen is really

524
00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:30,640
Speaker 5: really traumatic.

525
00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:36,919
Speaker 4: But it's like I was listening to Richard Branson.

526
00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:39,520
Speaker 5: Speak once and he said the greatest thing, which is

527
00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:42,440
Speaker 5: that it just clicked in my head where I was like,

528
00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:46,440
Speaker 5: that's what it feels like. Everything is so big, it

529
00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:50,600
Speaker 5: feels like problems are so enormous and insurmountable. But if

530
00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:55,560
Speaker 5: we all focus on our own circles, then eventually all.

531
00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:59,520
Speaker 4: The circles hopefully will overlap and the world will be

532
00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:00,360
Speaker 4: a better place.

533
00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:02,960
Speaker 5: I love that and I love it too, and it's

534
00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:05,600
Speaker 5: part of you know, when I went to Egypt with

535
00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:07,880
Speaker 5: with UNSEF, it's part of what I loved so much

536
00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:12,960
Speaker 5: about the Dawi program because Dawi the word means a

537
00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:14,400
Speaker 5: voice that resonates.

538
00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:23,760
Speaker 1: If you are inspired by today's episode, please join us

539
00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:26,760
Speaker 1: in supporting six degrees dot org by texting the word

540
00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:30,960
Speaker 1: bacon to seven zero seven zero seven zero. Your gift

541
00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:34,120
Speaker 1: empowers us to continue to produce programs that highlight the

542
00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:37,480
Speaker 1: incredible work of everyday heroes, will also enabling us to

543
00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:40,480
Speaker 1: provide essential resources to those that need it the most.

544
00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:45,520
Speaker 1: Once again, text b a co n to seven zero

545
00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:49,880
Speaker 1: seven zero seven zero or visit six degrees dot org

546
00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:50,720
Speaker 1: to learn more.

547
00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:59,160
Speaker 2: We have Dina Heikeel here from Dowie Girls Empowerment Initiative

548
00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:06,720
Speaker 2: in Egypt, which is part of uniceffor or it's a it's.

549
00:30:06,560 --> 00:30:10,800
Speaker 5: A program that UNSEF is partners on that it funds,

550
00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:16,120
Speaker 5: and Dina is just you know, as being an ambassador

551
00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:21,040
Speaker 5: for UNISEF is amazing. But the unsung heroes are the people,

552
00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:24,200
Speaker 5: and there's thousands of them throughout the world that are

553
00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:28,800
Speaker 5: UNICEF field officers that are really giving up their entire

554
00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:32,160
Speaker 5: lives to make a better world for the children of

555
00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:32,560
Speaker 5: the world.

556
00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:34,360
Speaker 3: Dina, can we bring you on?

557
00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:39,600
Speaker 2: Elis was just going off about all the great work

558
00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:42,479
Speaker 2: that you do. Tell me how did you get involved

559
00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:52,200
Speaker 2: with UNSEF and specifically with diwy.

560
00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:52,920
Speaker 7: So Basically, I've been working in development for probably the

561
00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:58,440
Speaker 7: past eighteen years at Vacracy Gender and so I got

562
00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:03,880
Speaker 7: into UNISEFF and and gender really was my passion, and

563
00:31:03,920 --> 00:31:06,760
Speaker 7: I had the amazing opportunity to be part of this

564
00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:10,719
Speaker 7: girl's Empartment program from the very beginning and designing it

565
00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:15,440
Speaker 7: with different partners. But the true beauty behind it really

566
00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:18,239
Speaker 7: was that we didn't just sit in an office and

567
00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:21,600
Speaker 7: decide what to do. We actually went to the field.

568
00:31:21,680 --> 00:31:25,040
Speaker 7: We designed it with the girls, for the girls, by

569
00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:29,120
Speaker 7: the girls, and we got the real voices and what

570
00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:33,040
Speaker 7: their needs are, and we kind of try to design

571
00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:36,959
Speaker 7: something that is substantial to them more than anything, and

572
00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:43,480
Speaker 7: we try to get everyone involved, I mean institutions, governments,

573
00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:49,040
Speaker 7: civil society, organizations, communities, and it really was about how

574
00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:53,720
Speaker 7: do we create this movement, this echoed is something that

575
00:31:53,800 --> 00:32:00,840
Speaker 7: resonates with everyone. To have a program for girls where girls. Really,

576
00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:04,360
Speaker 7: the core of it is about choices, girls being able

577
00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:09,320
Speaker 7: to make these choices based on informed decisions, having access

578
00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:14,280
Speaker 7: to the right information, the right services, and really being

579
00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:18,160
Speaker 7: able to voice their opinions, to speak up, but in

580
00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:22,560
Speaker 7: a safe and supportive environment. So we get the parents involved,

581
00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:25,200
Speaker 7: we get the communities, we even get the decision makers.

582
00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:29,200
Speaker 7: You know, they're just saying that if you don't have

583
00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:31,480
Speaker 7: a place on the table, you grab a chair. Those

584
00:32:31,520 --> 00:32:34,440
Speaker 7: girls didn't just grab a chair. They built an entire

585
00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:38,280
Speaker 7: table and we just sat on it. And we try

586
00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:42,200
Speaker 7: to build with them something that is substantial and that

587
00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:44,240
Speaker 7: resounds with what their needs are.

588
00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:49,440
Speaker 5: And just to give some context, there are many positive

589
00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:52,960
Speaker 5: trends that are going on in Egypt right now, but

590
00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:55,160
Speaker 5: I do want to just say girls in Egypt, so

591
00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:59,840
Speaker 5: just to really give you context of how amazing Dinas

592
00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:03,640
Speaker 5: were is girls in Egypt are less likely to achieve

593
00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:10,080
Speaker 5: their full potential. For example, there are there are still

594
00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:15,800
Speaker 5: harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriage,

595
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:19,920
Speaker 5: and girls are five times more likely than boys to

596
00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:24,680
Speaker 5: be unemployed or receive any kind of education or training.

597
00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:29,160
Speaker 4: So you know, when you listen to Dina speak and

598
00:33:29,320 --> 00:33:30,200
Speaker 4: she speaks so.

599
00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:33,920
Speaker 5: Eloquently about this program that she created that is literally

600
00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:39,520
Speaker 5: hundreds of hundreds of thousands of girls amazing, and millions

601
00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:43,240
Speaker 5: of people from the online work are being reached. You

602
00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:46,840
Speaker 5: have to understand that this is a major, big deal.

603
00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:51,880
Speaker 4: This is not like, you know what, what we would.

604
00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:56,120
Speaker 5: Consider equity and empowerment, gender equity and empowerment in the

605
00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:59,959
Speaker 5: United States. This is there are barbaric practices that are

606
00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:04,440
Speaker 5: still going on in rural Egypt that needs to stop.

607
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:08,120
Speaker 5: And what they do in Dina's program, just to give

608
00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:13,040
Speaker 5: you specifics, there's these sharing circles where girls sit around

609
00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:16,680
Speaker 5: in a circle and a facilitator will read a story

610
00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:22,839
Speaker 5: about let's say, female genital mutilation, and the girls will

611
00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:25,840
Speaker 5: talk about how they feel, what they would do to

612
00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:29,240
Speaker 5: protect each other, how they would speak to their family

613
00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:33,200
Speaker 5: if it's something that they don't want, and it is

614
00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:37,680
Speaker 5: so incredibly powerful. And then you go next door in

615
00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:40,799
Speaker 5: the room right next door, and there's a sharing circle of.

616
00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:41,360
Speaker 4: All the boys.

617
00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:43,640
Speaker 3: Oh, I was going to ask about that, which I.

618
00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:47,240
Speaker 5: Find maybe even more important, where the boys are talking

619
00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:50,640
Speaker 5: about how they could be more supportive to the girls

620
00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:52,760
Speaker 5: and their family, to their sisters.

621
00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:57,600
Speaker 2: Is it hard Dina to get parents to allow young

622
00:34:57,680 --> 00:35:01,120
Speaker 2: people to participate in this when there is such a

623
00:35:01,239 --> 00:35:07,080
Speaker 2: history of just you know, this this point of view.

624
00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:13,480
Speaker 7: I mean, the thing is people fear what they don't know,

625
00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:16,920
Speaker 7: and if you go in with the mindset you know

626
00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:20,719
Speaker 7: that you're basically taking their girls away from them and

627
00:35:20,760 --> 00:35:22,600
Speaker 7: telling them what to do and what not to do,

628
00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:26,680
Speaker 7: they will definitely resist. And the beauty of Delwi was

629
00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:30,160
Speaker 7: that the community are part of the process. They're part

630
00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:34,920
Speaker 7: of that journey of change, you know, and whatever happens,

631
00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:40,640
Speaker 7: whatever these norms that may prevail, it's not out of hate,

632
00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:44,360
Speaker 7: you know. It's sometimes parents think that they're doing it

633
00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:47,240
Speaker 7: out of love because they think this is what's best

634
00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:50,480
Speaker 7: for them, and so getting them on board and involving

635
00:35:50,520 --> 00:35:54,160
Speaker 7: them definitely, like Alisa said, the circles are a huge

636
00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:57,440
Speaker 7: breakthrough because the girls find the safe space, but the

637
00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:00,960
Speaker 7: parents also find themselves involved in a dialogue with the

638
00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:04,560
Speaker 7: children later on, so that they also feel they're part

639
00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:04,919
Speaker 7: of it.

640
00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:05,239
Speaker 5: You know.

641
00:36:06,120 --> 00:36:08,640
Speaker 7: By the end of the day, as units have, we

642
00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:12,040
Speaker 7: believe parents do the best that they can possibly do

643
00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:16,600
Speaker 7: for their children. They just sometimes need to know how

644
00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:21,239
Speaker 7: and the training to do so. And navigating through this

645
00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:26,440
Speaker 7: there's so many difficult things out there, and and the

646
00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:29,279
Speaker 7: idea is that we all need to come together and

647
00:36:29,320 --> 00:36:32,560
Speaker 7: power through that We really is about the social movement

648
00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:36,920
Speaker 7: that everyone coming along and and girls will feel empowered

649
00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:39,920
Speaker 7: when they feel that they're not just hurt or listen

650
00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:44,680
Speaker 7: to that they are supported by allies. And whether these

651
00:36:44,719 --> 00:36:48,240
Speaker 7: allies are their own families, their own communities, the government,

652
00:36:48,840 --> 00:36:53,239
Speaker 7: everyone really has a role in this and and and

653
00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:55,239
Speaker 7: that is the powerful message behind it.

654
00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:59,399
Speaker 5: And there are generational conversations literal where the mother will

655
00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:03,560
Speaker 5: facilitator will ask a question like what is the biggest

656
00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:06,640
Speaker 5: hope you have for your daughter? And they will be

657
00:37:06,719 --> 00:37:11,319
Speaker 5: able to and sometimes you know, communicate looking at each

658
00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:14,799
Speaker 5: other in the eyes for the first time, having these

659
00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:19,600
Speaker 5: really deep conversations. And what I think Dina and UNISEF

660
00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:23,760
Speaker 5: we're so smart to do is as this process is happening,

661
00:37:24,239 --> 00:37:28,880
Speaker 5: they've educated and empowered members of the DOWI program to

662
00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:30,480
Speaker 5: then be facilitators.

663
00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:31,560
Speaker 3: I got you right.

664
00:37:31,600 --> 00:37:33,600
Speaker 4: So it is sustainable, all right.

665
00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:38,040
Speaker 2: So it's a ripple effect and it keeps spreading. Are

666
00:37:38,040 --> 00:37:40,160
Speaker 2: there any specific stories. I don't want to put you

667
00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:42,600
Speaker 2: on the spot, but that come to mind, Like any

668
00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:47,480
Speaker 2: specific stories you can share about how this affected someone

669
00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:48,480
Speaker 2: a young person.

670
00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:53,200
Speaker 7: I mean absolutely, we have hundreds of stories. Actually, the

671
00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:57,080
Speaker 7: way the slogan of Dewi is your story completes their story.

672
00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:00,880
Speaker 7: The idea that stories can be so relatable to us

673
00:38:00,920 --> 00:38:04,520
Speaker 7: as human beings is actually the core of Dewi. Where

674
00:38:04,640 --> 00:38:09,239
Speaker 7: Egyptians were storytellers from hieroglyphics on the wall, just conversing

675
00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:11,839
Speaker 7: with each other. So we kind of use that as

676
00:38:11,880 --> 00:38:16,480
Speaker 7: a way that people share their own stories and and

677
00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:18,799
Speaker 7: and in a way it resonates with others. It's not

678
00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:22,360
Speaker 7: something completely far away from the communities. And so just

679
00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:25,520
Speaker 7: off the top of my head, the village that actually, Uh,

680
00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:31,520
Speaker 7: Lisa and I visited in Egypt, there were child marriage

681
00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:36,040
Speaker 7: incidents and and and one of the girls, La actually

682
00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:38,319
Speaker 7: stood up to that. She decided that she wants to

683
00:38:38,360 --> 00:38:44,640
Speaker 7: continue her education, and her parents supported her massively. Uh

684
00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:46,880
Speaker 7: And not only l has become a role model for

685
00:38:46,960 --> 00:38:51,160
Speaker 7: other girls, but her parents were actually an inspiration to

686
00:38:51,239 --> 00:38:54,840
Speaker 7: other parents. You know that a girl can achieve so

687
00:38:55,400 --> 00:39:00,600
Speaker 7: much by not going through this horrible crime of child

688
00:39:00,640 --> 00:39:06,000
Speaker 7: marriage and and and while being supported. Ella actually not

689
00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:09,400
Speaker 7: only influenced girls in her communities, but Ella actually was

690
00:39:09,440 --> 00:39:12,960
Speaker 7: one of the Deli ambassadors that stood in front of

691
00:39:13,160 --> 00:39:17,120
Speaker 7: Egypt's first Lady and asked for the country's support to

692
00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:20,680
Speaker 7: Delwi and she got it for her and for all

693
00:39:20,719 --> 00:39:25,080
Speaker 7: the girls in Egypt in a huge I mean I

694
00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:28,799
Speaker 7: got goosebumps just sitting there and watching this, and it

695
00:39:28,880 --> 00:39:33,680
Speaker 7: was absolutely amazing. And it shows that the commitment here

696
00:39:33,840 --> 00:39:38,759
Speaker 7: that yes, UNICEF is definitely supportive, but it really is

697
00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:41,960
Speaker 7: about the girls. It really is about the communities and

698
00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:45,839
Speaker 7: the sustainability. Like Elissa said of this, that they will

699
00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:48,799
Speaker 7: carry this on. They will draw murals on walls with

700
00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:53,200
Speaker 7: girls instead of hiding their faces, and and and the

701
00:39:53,239 --> 00:39:58,160
Speaker 7: institutions of offering the right services, the right information so

702
00:39:58,280 --> 00:40:02,360
Speaker 7: these girls can really thrive and reach the potential.

703
00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:05,040
Speaker 5: So a beautiful part of us sharing circles too is

704
00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:07,640
Speaker 5: they take a piece of yarn and every time they

705
00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:11,640
Speaker 5: speak they wrap it around their arm. But it's all connected,

706
00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:16,200
Speaker 5: and it's to show the connection of the stories. And Dina,

707
00:40:16,280 --> 00:40:19,200
Speaker 5: you'll be happy to know that I was asked to

708
00:40:19,280 --> 00:40:22,200
Speaker 5: go speak at my brother's i mean my son's class

709
00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:27,919
Speaker 5: he's in fifth grade, on immigration, and I actually did

710
00:40:27,960 --> 00:40:32,360
Speaker 5: a Dowie circle with yarn where everyone I asked everyone

711
00:40:32,360 --> 00:40:36,160
Speaker 5: to share their immigration story and everyone was connected. So

712
00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:40,920
Speaker 5: your tools I used in the States, So thank you.

713
00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:46,320
Speaker 2: Tell us about it takes a village, the documentary, It

714
00:40:46,360 --> 00:40:48,440
Speaker 2: takes a village.

715
00:40:49,480 --> 00:40:52,640
Speaker 7: Yes, So I mean the idea of that we used

716
00:40:52,640 --> 00:40:56,040
Speaker 7: to also highlight the positive role models. I mean, we

717
00:40:56,160 --> 00:40:59,839
Speaker 7: understand there may be some setbacks, but we also want

718
00:40:59,880 --> 00:41:04,040
Speaker 7: to show the whole, right, So what we've decided to

719
00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:06,920
Speaker 7: do to kind of highlight these positive role models is

720
00:41:06,960 --> 00:41:10,480
Speaker 7: to actually have a documentary about three girls and their

721
00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:16,280
Speaker 7: families from three different, completely different areas in Egypt, and

722
00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:18,920
Speaker 7: and to kind of show their own journey throughout this

723
00:41:19,600 --> 00:41:23,680
Speaker 7: and how they not only stood against some of these

724
00:41:23,960 --> 00:41:27,560
Speaker 7: norms and practices, but how their families was there to

725
00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:32,040
Speaker 7: support them. And and the three girls are the one

726
00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:34,880
Speaker 7: that actually came from uh Fayum.

727
00:41:34,920 --> 00:41:36,399
Speaker 4: The visit the village, we.

728
00:41:36,360 --> 00:41:40,680
Speaker 7: Visit seme and and her dream was actually to become

729
00:41:40,680 --> 00:41:46,799
Speaker 7: a movie director and no and nod in Arabic means

730
00:41:46,920 --> 00:41:52,640
Speaker 7: light and and she she stood against uh female genital

731
00:41:52,760 --> 00:41:56,520
Speaker 7: mutilation in her own city. And and it kind of

732
00:41:56,560 --> 00:42:01,200
Speaker 7: walks us through the journey, and it shows how amazing

733
00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:05,000
Speaker 7: these girls are. If we just listen to them if

734
00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:10,319
Speaker 7: we give them the space, the amount of courage that

735
00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:15,520
Speaker 7: they have and the confidence. One of the girls, one

736
00:42:15,520 --> 00:42:17,400
Speaker 7: of the mothers of the girls in the movie, was

737
00:42:17,600 --> 00:42:20,440
Speaker 7: so moving. She was saying, you know, when I first

738
00:42:20,520 --> 00:42:23,640
Speaker 7: had I have three girls, and every time I gave

739
00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:26,319
Speaker 7: birth to one of them, people would say, you have

740
00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:32,359
Speaker 7: three girls, you don't have children, basically because you know

741
00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:34,759
Speaker 7: they're they're resonating the value that it needs to be

742
00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:37,200
Speaker 7: a male to to count as a child. And it

743
00:42:37,320 --> 00:42:40,080
Speaker 7: was so heartbreaking for her, and she was speaking so

744
00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:45,120
Speaker 7: wholeheartedly about this. But then she saw her daughter and

745
00:42:45,160 --> 00:42:49,160
Speaker 7: she was directing her own film and gathering the communities,

746
00:42:49,680 --> 00:42:53,319
Speaker 7: and the community was impressed by SAME's film, and the

747
00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:55,960
Speaker 7: mother stood there in the middle of the community and

748
00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:59,279
Speaker 7: she said, we actually, we're so fortunate to capture this

749
00:42:59,480 --> 00:43:02,000
Speaker 7: in the doking. She was like, this is my daughter.

750
00:43:02,719 --> 00:43:05,319
Speaker 7: I'm so proud of my daughter. I am the mother

751
00:43:05,440 --> 00:43:09,400
Speaker 7: of Cemeth. And of course we all burst into tears.

752
00:43:09,440 --> 00:43:12,799
Speaker 7: But the idea was how amazing it is when you

753
00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:17,719
Speaker 7: provide that space, and it's not only about Semet's lives,

754
00:43:17,760 --> 00:43:21,120
Speaker 7: but how many other girls lies can actually be changed,

755
00:43:21,200 --> 00:43:24,120
Speaker 7: how many other parents can look and say, I'm the

756
00:43:24,160 --> 00:43:26,880
Speaker 7: mother of La, I'm the mother of Nourah, I'm the

757
00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:30,600
Speaker 7: father of I'm the brother of And this is the

758
00:43:30,719 --> 00:43:33,600
Speaker 7: kind of a pril effect that we're looking for. Egypt

759
00:43:33,640 --> 00:43:36,799
Speaker 7: is a massive country. We have nineteen million girls under

760
00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:39,480
Speaker 7: the age of twenty. It's huge, and we want to

761
00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:40,399
Speaker 7: reach all of them.

762
00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:41,160
Speaker 3: Great.

763
00:43:41,760 --> 00:43:44,200
Speaker 2: Well, is there a call to action for both of you,

764
00:43:44,239 --> 00:43:47,040
Speaker 2: I mean, tell us the people who are listening to this.

765
00:43:47,120 --> 00:43:48,200
Speaker 3: I'm sure it would be interested.

766
00:43:48,280 --> 00:43:50,759
Speaker 4: Thank you so gry to help for that opportunity.

767
00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:54,960
Speaker 5: I would just ask everyone to go to UNISEFUSA dot

768
00:43:55,080 --> 00:44:00,000
Speaker 5: org slash act now Egypt and you'll find it if

769
00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:03,400
Speaker 5: information on how you can help, not only in a

770
00:44:03,480 --> 00:44:07,160
Speaker 5: SEF but the amazing Dina and her Dowie program.

771
00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:10,960
Speaker 2: Dina, thank you so much for for coming on at

772
00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:13,800
Speaker 2: eight o'clock at night, all the way from Egypt.

773
00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:16,440
Speaker 3: I can't believe that our connection is this good. It's good.

774
00:44:16,480 --> 00:44:19,239
Speaker 3: It actually works. Yeah, yeah, we don't even Yeah.

775
00:44:20,080 --> 00:44:24,520
Speaker 2: I've had much much worse zooms down the street than

776
00:44:24,560 --> 00:44:29,120
Speaker 2: I have, So something is working here. We're really appreciative

777
00:44:29,320 --> 00:44:32,040
Speaker 2: and Alsa, thank you so much for being here, taking

778
00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:33,919
Speaker 2: time out of your busy day. Oh my gosh, you're

779
00:44:33,960 --> 00:44:36,640
Speaker 2: so you're so busy. On top of everything else, you

780
00:44:36,680 --> 00:44:39,840
Speaker 2: have a Guardians of the Galaxy spaceship named after you.

781
00:44:39,960 --> 00:44:40,479
Speaker 3: Is that true?

782
00:44:40,640 --> 00:44:40,879
Speaker 2: True?

783
00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:41,239
Speaker 5: Yeah?

784
00:44:41,320 --> 00:44:43,359
Speaker 3: Yeah, well you know that that took a lot.

785
00:44:44,640 --> 00:44:48,919
Speaker 5: No, thank you for highlighting Dina's work, because I'm very

786
00:44:48,960 --> 00:44:52,360
Speaker 5: privileged to do what I do. But it's it's Dina,

787
00:44:52,719 --> 00:44:57,520
Speaker 5: it's the it's it's the unsung heroes. It's the grassroots

788
00:44:57,640 --> 00:45:00,600
Speaker 5: organizations that deserve all the credit.

789
00:45:01,080 --> 00:45:03,680
Speaker 4: And I love you very much, Tina, Thank.

790
00:45:03,480 --> 00:45:06,279
Speaker 7: You, thank you. I love you too. Thank you so

791
00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:09,640
Speaker 7: much for having me. And it really, it truly, in

792
00:45:09,760 --> 00:45:12,600
Speaker 7: all sense of the world, picks a village. So it's

793
00:45:12,640 --> 00:45:15,279
Speaker 7: not just me, it's the entire team that's behind this.

794
00:45:15,480 --> 00:45:18,319
Speaker 7: It's you. It's it's you, Alyssa, it's you, Kevin for

795
00:45:18,440 --> 00:45:20,520
Speaker 7: having us. Thank you so so much.

796
00:45:20,760 --> 00:45:28,560
Speaker 3: You heard of folks. It takes a village. Thank you, guys. Hey, guys,

797
00:45:28,600 --> 00:45:29,480
Speaker 3: thanks for listening.

798
00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:32,400
Speaker 2: If you want to learn more about the Dawi initiative

799
00:45:32,400 --> 00:45:38,000
Speaker 2: that UNISEF had to www dot UNISEF dot org slash Egypt,

800
00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:39,719
Speaker 2: you can find the link in.

801
00:45:39,719 --> 00:45:42,399
Speaker 3: Our show notes. And if you.

802
00:45:42,440 --> 00:45:44,719
Speaker 2: Like what you're here, you make sure you subscribe to

803
00:45:44,760 --> 00:45:47,520
Speaker 2: the show and tune in to the rest of our episodes.

804
00:45:47,800 --> 00:45:50,080
Speaker 3: You can find six Degrees with Kevin Bacon on the

805
00:45:50,120 --> 00:45:55,680
Speaker 3: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, well wherever you get your podcasts.

806
00:45:56,000 --> 00:45:56,839
Speaker 3: We'll see you next time.

807
00:46:00,040 --> 00:46:00,080
Speaker 4: He