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Vermont's 'One Small Step': Kyle and Jason

Kyle Dodson and Jason McConnell headshots.
Kyle Dodson and Jason McConnell
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Courtesy
Vermont Public has partnered with StoryCorps' One Small Step to bring Vermonters together to find common ground.

Created by StoryCorps, One Small Step is an effort to remind the country of the humanity in all of us, even those with whom we disagree. The initiative brings strangers with different political beliefs together for a conversation — not to debate politics, but to get to know each other as people.

Vermont Public and StoryCorps partnered together once again to bring Vermonters together to find common ground.

Vermont Public logo. One Small Step powered by StoryCorps over a green background
Laura Nakasaka
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Vermont Public
One Small Step from StoryCorps is an effort to remind the country of the humanity in all of us, even those with whom we disagree.

Jason McConnell, 46, of Sheldon, and Kyle Dodson, 58, of Burlington, met up for a One Small Step conversation at the Vermont Public studios. They hit it off in a lively conversation that covered topics like religion, addiction, suicide, racism, politics, local government and president-elect Donald Trump.

They were inspired to keep in touch and think about ways to bridge the divide here in Vermont and beyond. This is just a short excerpt from their conversation, which will be archived in full in the StoryCorps online archive and at the Library of Congress.

StoryCorps’ One Small Step and the Radio Station Hubs are made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Karen is Vermont Public's Director of Radio Programming & Operations, serving Vermonters by overseeing the sound of Vermont Public's radio broadcast service. Karen has a long history with public radio, beginning in the early 2000's with the launch of the weekly classical music program, Sunday Bach. Karen's undergraduate degree is in Broadcast Journalism, and she has worked for public radio in Vermont and St. Louis, MO, in areas of production, programming, traffic, operations and news. She has produced many projects for broadcast over the years, including the Vermont Public Choral Hour, with host Linda Radtke, and interviews with local newsmakers with Morning Edition host Mitch Wertlieb. In 2021 Karen worked with co-producer Betty Smith on a national collaboration with StoryCorps One Small Step, connecting Vermonters one conversation at a time.
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