PBS podcast shines a light on Gen Z's biggest issues

Jessie Nguyen
Marketing and Communication Specialist
January 30, 2024
·
6
min read

For the latest in our series on organizations that inspire us to take action to build a stronger democracy, Democracy Group community manager Jessie Nguyen caught up with On Our Minds podcast hosts James Kim and Bree Campbell. On Our Minds, a part of the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs, is a student-led and student-produced podcast about the teenage experience that connects, educates and inspires listeners of all ages.

Q: What goal or objective are you working toward at the Student Reporting Labs and as hosts of On Our Minds?

James: On Our Minds is a teen mental health podcast but it expands so much more than that, it’s about the teenager experience. Some topics that we are discussing this season (Season 4) range from gun violence to masculinity. There’s such a broad array of topics that we talk about and these narratives are essentially crafted by students across the country.

Our overarching goal is to spread mental health awareness and awareness on a number of topics that are stigmatized today in the U.S. and the world.

Q: Why is now an important time to tackle these issues? Why not sooner or later?

Bree: I firmly believe that there is no better time than the present, if not now then when. There’s a big amount of truth to people's power, and that’s what inspired me to apply to On Our Minds in the first place. Before the training and before being accepted to On Our Minds, I was truly aware of the impact people have when it came to vocalizing certain issues. I believe that On Our Minds is such a great platform to talk about it now when you live in such a pressing, disconnected time — there are so many polarizing topics nowadays so I feel like this podcast is a great way to connect everyone where we really emphasize the sense of connectedness and everyone having a safe space.

Q: What skills has the Student Reporting Labs equipped you with that are transferable outside of school?

James: Something that I learned is how to assert my own voice in a certain way. Your best voice is your voice. That’s where you see the most emotions and depth in someone’s character. I think it’s one of the takeaways I learned from co-hosting On Our Minds.

Another thing is tackling sensitive issues while creating engaging content. I think it’s important to have both but to realize that these narratives of students from across the country aren’t just for entertainment but they’re a means of advocacy as well. So balancing those two is a really big thing that I learned on On Our Minds.

Bree: I completely agree. We learn how to become active listeners which is so important, especially in the means of proper meaningful conversations and discourse because we can’t really have efficient and proper discourse if you’re not listening to whoever you’re conversing with. So I think it’s important to have those listening skills.

The Great Battlefield: Advancing the Mental Health of the Nation with Ben Miller of Well Being Trust

Mental health is a big theme in On Our Minds and it takes center stage in this episode of The Great Battlefield. Psychologist Ben Miller proposes taking control of system-level issues to ultimately address and tackle mental health problems within your community.

DON'T MISS OUT ON THE BEST DEMOCRACY PODCAST FOCUSED NEWSLETTER!

Subscribe to receive a biweekly collection of the hottest podcast episodes from the network, upcoming special events, expert features, and news from your favorite shows.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This is Jessie Nguyen, The Democracy Group's Community Manager. Here are some of my favorite podcasts this week, check them out!

Politics in Question: Why is it so hard to redistribute wealth amidst rising income inequality?

An expert in social policies and rising inequality, high fiscal stress, and high levels of immigration, guest Charlotte Cavaille shows us why redistributing wealth and income seems currently impossible. She discusses the idea of how policies tend to affect people, when it comes to redistribution, in two main ways: they affect how much inequality there is in market income and how much some people get more from social solidarity or a welfare state. Give this one a listen if you want a deep dive into how public policy and economics intertwine.

Let's Find Common Ground: Broken Media? Restoring Trust in News Coverage

With political drama continuing to headline American newspapers and newscasts, the media have been held in low regard by the public. A recent survey shows a downward trend in Americans' trust in mass media for 2023 with only 32% reporting they trust the news "a great deal" or "a fair amount," marking last year's public confidence in the media an all-time low. This episode delves into the components of "good journalism," particularly how the news industry covers politics, besides just captivating storytelling or amping up drama.

FEATURED EXPERTS

Future Hindsight: Lala Wu on State Races Matter

Lala Wu is the co-founder and executive director of Sister District, an organization that works to build progressive power in state legislatures. Prior to Sister District, Wu worked as an environmental attorney, counseling renewable energy and real estate clients on land use, regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters. While at the University of Berkeley School of Law, she successfully represented a Chinese asylum-seeker through the California Asylum Representation Clinic.

The Great Battlefield: Mindy Finn on Serving Pro-Democracy Forces Through Research Data with Mindy Finn of Citizen Data

Mindy Finn is a digital media expert, political and technology consultant, and civic entrepreneur. Finn founded and is the CEO of Citizen Data, a start-up data marketplace for a stronger democracy that uses AI and behavioral science to bridge divides, make critical decisions, and advance solutions to social problems. She served as a campaign strategist for President George W. Bush and U.S. Senator Mitt Romney.

DON'T MISS OUT ON THE BEST DEMOCRACY PODCAST FOCUSED NEWSLETTER!

Subscribe to receive a biweekly collection of the hottest podcast episodes from the network, upcoming special events, expert features, and news from your favorite shows.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

READ MORE BLOG POSTS

Learning Guide Image
October 13, 2024
·
5
min read

Revitalizing civic education through experiential learning

Faced with an increasing number of young Americans who are losing faith in U.S. democracy, a Democracy Journal article advocates for an innovative way to approach one of the pillars of a democratic society — civic education.

Read Post
Learning Guide Image
September 30, 2024
·
5
min read

Introducing our Fall 2024 Podcast Fellowship Cohort

We welcome five students from around the country who are all about storytelling, civic engagement, and, most importantly, creating their own podcasts! These Gen Z leaders are ready to get to work!

Read Post
Learning Guide Image
September 16, 2024
·
5
min read

Tracking confidence in democracy this election season

The States United Democracy Center, recipients of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy's Brown Democracy Medal, recently surveyed nearly 8,000 Americans to gauge their attitudes about elections, voting and political violence.

Read Post