Exchange for Change: What Happens when Police & Youth Come Together to Try to Bridge the Gap

Speaking for Kids host Matt Gillard, president and CEO of Michigan’s Children,

welcomes participants from Peckham - Flint’s recent “Exchange for Change” program,

the multi-week roundtable between law enforcement officers and court-involved youths.

Over four weeks, seven officers from the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department and

Flint Police sat down with seven youths enrolled in Peckham’s Youth Services Program

with the goal to find ways to “bridge the gap” between the community and police. They

explored difficult topics including trauma, implicit bias, policing practices, and individual

rights, and discovered a shared desire to improve their home community. In this

podcast, Matt talks with the guests about the impact the Flint Water Crisis had on youth

behavior and the distrust of authority th ...