Our intern, Ayden, had an opportunity to interview Shabnam Nolan, Executive Director of the King St. Center. The two of them dug into the work King St. does with youth in the Burlington area, highlighting the service gap that the organization fills. Ayden and Shabnam also talked about equity frameworks and the value of diversity, particularly for their programming. But the biggest takeaways come from the conversation around community, acknowledging that a lot of the separation between different communities in need is nonsense. Shabnam powerfully says, at the end of the day “whether you’re in the Northeast Kingdom of VT or you’re in Burlington, people need resources. They need resources, they need community, they need support to be able to be a part of the community.”
Throughout the entire interview Shabnam shares meaningful thoughts from her perspective as the ED of a very successful nonprofit. This interview is a must watch for anyone in the sector; from the systemic challenges nonprofits face to the power of community, Ayden and Shabnam cover it all:
Fun Fact: Shabnam is a graduate of the Nonprofit Management Certificate Program. Applications for the 2022-23 cohort, kicking off on 10/7/22, are now open – learn more & apply today!