Why do podcasts feel so intimate and authentic as a mode of storytelling? You’re invited to learn directly from ninth grade students who've recently discovered empowerment through the researching, writing and recording of a podcast, driving their own learning in multiple content areas along the way. “13 Firsts” is a new, student-made podcast that follows children at each stage of growth and development throughout 13 years in public schools. As journalists, students explore how excited, eager kindergarten students grow into the depressed, anxious adolescents driving today’s grim mental health statistics. Does it have to be this way? If not, where can better models of education policy and legislation be found? Listeners learn along with students as they interview children, their families, and education and psychology experts, challenging themselves to think deeply about mental health’s intersection with issues of social justice. Teachers act as facilitators and guides, allowing students to fully assert themselves as leaders and authentic content creators. Using the project’s curriculum map, lessons, and a list of the free/commonly available resources, you too can lift student voices through a podcast project in your classroom or after school club.
