News-Decoder launches its first podcast next week. Listen to young people offering a fresh perspective on major international issues.
By Savannah Jenkins
The kids are asking questions. And pretty tough questions at that.
In collaboration with our media partner Podium.me, News-Decoder is launching its first podcast production, The Kids Are Alright. The episodes will be available to stream from November 19.
A mix of motivated youth in News-Decoder’s network – the majority current or former Student Ambassadors – spearheaded this partnership with Podium to investigate stories on big, global issues: the environment, entrepreneurship, youth-led movements, innovation, social media, inequality and globalization.
Like News-Decoder, Podium believes there is a need for more spaces outside the classroom where young people can engage with the real world, develop their opinions and broaden their world view.
The Kids Are Alright does just that.
For those involved, the opportunity to work on an international project has been a rich learning experience.
“Working on this podcast was an amazing experience, especially for introducing me to amazing young people who are fighting to make a difference in their community”, said Giuliana Nicolucci-Altman, a former News-Decoder Student Ambassador who worked on the podcast team as reporter in Jerusalem researching LGBTQ+ rights in Israel.
The episodes will take listeners to different places around the world.
For those tuning in next week, The Kids Are Alright provides listeners with a series of conversations with more than 20 guests — a mix of young professionals, students, experienced journalists and educators. News-Decoder correspondents Susan Landau, David Schlesinger and Bernd Debusmann feature in the podcast.
The episodes take listeners to different places around the world to hear from those closest to the issues being discussed.
Simona Rata, a Romanian national living in London and working for the BBC, traveled to Bucharest to meet young people taking a stand against corruption.
From Princeton, New Jersey, Megha Thomas of Princeton Day School was interested in the crisis unfolding in Venezuela. She reached out to two young Venezuelan woman who had fled their country and now reside in Europe.
In an episode dedicated to the environment, Gabriella Iskra met up with 24-year-old marine biologist Emma Williams to learn about what is being done to save the oceans and marine life from global warming and overfishing.
The project has given participants a chance to learn about topical issues and an inside look into managing a multimedia project. “I listen to podcasts all the time, and I still didn’t appreciate how much careful editing needs to be done to have the finished product. But after working on The Kids Are Alright, I do,” said Charlotte Crang, who reported on the future of robots in society.
Tune in starting on November 19 at 1200 CET, to listen to The Kids Are Alright. The episodes will be available on our website and at Podium.me.
Savannah Jenkins joined News-Decoder in January to help expand its network of schools to more countries and to support its partners. She works closely with student ambassadors to raise News-Decoder’s profile on campus and to help the representatives fulfill their leadership responsibilities. A 2017 graduate of the American University of Paris, she has been accepted into the U.S. Peace Corps and will be starting a two-year stint in Senegal in early 2019.