Make It Make Sense Aims to Empower Neighborhoods and Amplify Community Voices

New Program Represents Partnership Between WGTE Public Media, Reinvest Toledo, and the Toledo Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement

WGTE Public Media is pleased to announce the launch of Make It Make Sense, a partnership with Reinvest Toledo and the City of Toledo’s Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE), with external evaluation provided by Joysten Group LLC. This new three-year initiative will amplify community voices, provide young adults with valuable job experience, and support resident-led solutions to neighborhood challenges. 

Through Make It Make Sense, young adults ages 18–24 (identified as at-risk or experiencing gun violence or who have been impacted by gun violence) will receive paid internships and coaching at WGTE, where they will be trained for potential media and communications careers by building their technical, creative, and leadership skills through storytelling and hands-on production opportunities. 

Participants will be integrally involved in the development of several town hall-style events in which residents participate in dialogue about issues facing their communities, including housing, neighborhood safety, and equitable development. Through these events, Toledo residents will be better equipped to understand the systems that shape their environment and how to influence positive change. 

“WGTE’s mission is to enable personal development and civic improvement by using technology in innovative ways,” said Shane Potgieter, Content and Creative Services Officer at WGTE. “Make It Make Sense is a perfect fit for us as we work toward that mission. We are very excited to work with Reinvest Toledo, MONSE, and Joysten Group on this groundbreaking project.”

In addition to gaining valuable training, the young adults participating in Make It Make Sense will also have the chance to make their voices heard. They will collaborate with WGTE staff and each other to create multimedia pieces through which they can share their lived experiences in Toledo’s historically marginalized neighborhoods. This emphasis on including insights from residents in community conversations has long been central to the mission of Reinvest Toledo. “For more than a decade, Reinvest Toledo has focused on building the capacity of residents and neighborhood leaders in low- and moderate-income communities to engage systems that directly impact their daily lives,” said Amelia Gibbon, Executive Director of Reinvest Toledo. “Make It Make Sense extends that work by creating a public platform where community members—alongside subject-matter experts—can break down complex and shifting policies and laws in real time. When people understand how these changes affect their families, their neighborhoods, and their futures, they are better equipped to respond thoughtfully, intentionally, and collectively. This project is about turning information into understanding—and understanding into action.”

The project will integrate civic engagement, advocacy, and youth workforce development in an innovative way, as it empowers young adults and town hall participants to share their stories and spotlight real-world issues in historically disenfranchised areas throughout Toledo. According to Malcolm Cunningham, Director of MONSE, “Make it Make Sense centers the voices, perspectives, and experiences of the community. We know that lived experience is expertise, and those closest to any issue are most equipped to develop solutions.”

The project’s impact will be evaluated by Joysten Group, an independent research and evaluation firm. Make It Make Sense was funded by a grant from Greater Toledo Community Foundation, and WGTE and its partners are seeking supplemental funding to complete Year One activities.