Record-breaking heat means we’ll be looking for ways to stay cool all summer. For this season of What We're Into, CASA staff brings you recommendations for podcasts, movies, books, shows and summer activities to accompany your pool days and summer nights. Highlights include "Heartstopper" on Netflix and Rock Bottom, Tennessee, written by a CASA volunteer. Grab your paletas and get inspired with our summer recs.
*Not all recommendations are appropriate for children
Events + Activities | Books | Podcasts | TV Shows | Movies
Events + Activities
"Waterloo Greenway had a huge renovation and is a great space for families. They have an amphitheater, fun new playscape and gorgeous walkway along the water with lots of free events throughout the year. Highly recommend." —Sara Bogan, Senior Child Advocacy Specialist
Juneteenth Parade — Saturday, June 18th, 10am-12pm
Stay Black and Alive: Juneteenth Festival — Check out the weekend-long celebration full of free family activities including music, games, and complimentary food for the first 300 attendees. Hosted at various locations including The Carver Museum and Cultural Center, Huston-Tillotson University Campus, and the Historic Rosewood Neighborhood, Saturday, June 18-Sunday, June 19.
Pride in Local Music Concert with the LGBT Chamber at the Long Center — Saturday, June 25 from 12-9pm
Blues on the Green Summer Concert Series at Zilker Park
Pease Park Conservancy — The recently updated 84-acre green space is located west of downtown Austin. Discover beautiful nature trails, kids' play areas and even food trucks.
Books
"I loved Rock Bottom, Tennessee by our talented and amazing CASA volunteer, Kimberly Nixon. She captured the spirit of the Prohibition Era in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, and brought to life the adventurous true story of her grandmother, Ruby." —Sara Bogan, Senior Child Advocacy Specialist
Pride Month
Check out these titles and many more Pride items and events @thelittlegayshop off of Airport Blvd!
Kids' Reading + Pride Month
Podcasts
“I’m obsessed with Maintenance Phase. So well-researched and highly accessible. Highly recommend!!” —Meredith Chambers, Program Manager
"I really enjoyed the podcast Sounds Like A Cult. Really interesting!" —Blair Adams, Senior Diversity Recruitment Specialist
“Smartless is an interview-style podcast with Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes where one surprises the other two with awesome guests. It’s great to hear the interviews and hear about the friendship that the three hosts have. Will Ferrell and Melissa McCarthy’s episodes had me laughing out loud!” —Meredith Chambers, Program Manager
"The Financial Confessions never ceases to impress me. Host Chelsea Fagan, CEO of women-led media company The Financial Diet, brings on a variety of guests to have honest conversations about money — things like how having a disability or being first-generation can impact your finances to the dangers of crypto and "wellness" culture." —Anne Koncki, Communications Manager
Streaming now
“Severance* is one of the BEST shows I’ve seen in a long time—it’s got a somewhat sci-fi premise of a workplace who provides employees the opportunity to choose to have their memory 'severed,' meaning their memories have been split between their work selves and their personal selves. It’s incredibly thought-provoking and raises more questions than answers them. Can’t recommend it enough!” —Meredith Chambers, Program Manager
"I have to say that I’m obsessed with Heartstopper right now. I’ve watched the show three times and finished off all the graphic novels within a week." —Erin Kozma, Development Manager
"Heartstopper manages to tackle a Gen Z high school with refreshing optimism (including the best, most loving portrayal of a coming out scene that I recall ever seeing. Everyone who loves a young person please take notes). It is sweet but not saccharine, with a catchy soundtrack and delightful visual framing that nods to the webcomic source material without feeling cartoonish. I love stories like this being readily available for kids and youth. It should not be radical to portray LGBTQ+ young people in relationships and navigating life! These stories being told offer opportunities for the kids or youth to see themselves on screen or online. The kids who might be struggling to explain why they feel different than their peers or challenged by their families regarding their identity. More stories can offer outside perspective or a sense of normalcy. Heartstopper is a story that is doing it right."
—Ryan Broussard, Training Specialist
“Our Flag Means Death* on HBO Max is hysterical and such a nice break from reality. Taika Waititi directs and stars in it, and any project with him involved immediately gets a 10/10 from me!" —Blair Adams, Senior Diversity Recruitment Specialist
Check out Abbott Elementary, the feel-good workplace comedy about passionate teachers who are determined to impact their students' lives for the better despite the odds being stacked against them.
Movies
"Everything Everywhere All at Once* is a movie that was recently released that spans genre in a colorful and absurd way all while tackling the age-old question, "What if?". This movie is a sci-fi adventure, a family drama, a love story, an existentialist dreamscape and more. It stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan (you may recognize him from The Goonies or Indiana Jones), and Jamie Lee Curtis. Brought to you from the director duo DANIELS (Swiss Army Man), this is one movie you will want to see in theaters." —Lindsey Woods, Development Associate
Thor: Love and Thunder strikes theaters on July 8. Watch along as Thor's quest for inner peace gets interrupted, taking him and his partners on a cosmic adventure in this next stage of Thor's journey.
CASA Recommends 2022 Summer
