Tune in as East Jordan Middle School students have inspiring conversations with amazing individuals - exploring how setbacks and failures have shaped their journeys to success.
With a perfect blend of insightful questions and lighthearted moments, these interviews are as entertaining as they are inspiring.
Listen on Spotify below or find "If Shoes Could talk wherever you get podcasts.
What is the East Jordan Shoe Club?
We’ve all heard the phrase “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” before you judge them.
The East Jordan Shoe Club takes that phrase almost literally and is built on the idea that respect is built on understanding where people came from.
Started by middle school social studies teacher Matt Hamilton in 2008, the Shoe Club is a youth community service group that takes on yearly service projects to help communities in northern Michigan.
Any East Jordan Middle School student is welcome to join the club if they commit to doing the work. The group's most recent community service work includes fundraising to install solar panels for a school in their district, building a school garden, and partnering with veterans to improve a community park.
Though the club might be most famous for its "Shoe Museum," a collection of shoes worn by famous people and change-makers Hamilton has collected over the years. They sit on display in Hamilton's classroom.
He says he uses them as symbols to teach students to dream big.
“For the Shoe Club, and in my class in general, it's about dreaming big, setting goals, working hard, and then giving back and making the world a better place,” he said. “The most successful people value themselves and they value other people.”
Hamilton has collected shoes from Stephen Spielberg, Dolly Parton, and Michael Jordan, to name a few.
Why start a podcast?
Over years of collecting their shoes, Mr. Hamilton has built relationships with some impressive people.
The goal of the podcast is to spread the Shoe Club's mission of "walking in other's shoes" to a broader audience.
Students interview a new person each episode and ask deep questions about how the guest had to overcome intense obstacles to reach their success.
There's also time at the end of each interview for the kids to ask questions the guest has probably never been asked before. For example, "would you rather fight a horse-sized duck or 10 duck-sized horses?"
Each episode is between 10 and 20 minutes long.
How is IPR involved?
IPR reporter Michael Livingston learned about the East Jordan Shoe Club after producing a story on the group's community service in May, 2024. The story was broadcast nationally on NPR on October 10, 2024.
Michael is a corps member for Report for America, a national service project that helps local newsrooms in underserved communities support full-time staff positions for journalists.
Part of his agreement with RFA is to launch a local service project to teach youth about the importance of local journalism and media literacy.
"It's important to learn where valuable information comes from at an early age," Livingston said. "Hopefully, the students come out of the project inspired, curious and willing to have conversations with people they never imagined they would."
Michael coaches the students on interviewing, production, and outreach while recording and editing the podcasts.
