By Staff Reporter
A new trans-Atlantic podcast is building storytelling connections between learners at Ntsika and Nyaluza High Schools in Makhanda and ITC High School in Syracuse, New York.
The podcast, ‘Connecting Communities’, explores issues from youth perspectives rooted in lived experiences in South Africa and the USA.
On Tuesday, 27 February, the learners exchanged their motivations for the study and career paths they hope to pursue.
Inkululeko’s Nosi Dosi said the podcast allows learners to amplify voices from their communities while gaining media skills. “By sharing each other’s stories, we hope to inspire positive change from within,” she said.
Topics to be explored include school stress, mental health, job opportunities, global politics and much more.
Local education NGO Inkululeko created the collaboration and involves 15 Grade 12 learners from Ntsika and Nyaluza High School, 12 12th graders from ITC in Syracuse, New York and their teacher, Katie Argus.
Inkululeko CEO Jason Torreano, an American citizen who founded the organisation over a decade ago while a History and Political Studies student at Rhodes University, said the podcast unites global perspectives, spreads awareness, and sparks timely debates. “Adolescence overflows with private anguish across nations. But sharing stories with open ears can vanquish inner shadows,” Torreano said.
The goal is to provide students from both communities with the benefits of an international exchange program without the high costs of studying abroad. Through the podcast, students can build connections, leadership skills, and capabilities in intercultural communication.
In their first discussion of 2024, learners from both countries introduced themselves by sharing their names, grades, hobbies and plans for the future. Common interests quickly emerged, sparking an amicable and receptive conversation.
Key differences discussed included ITC having specialised academic programs and learnerships, contrasting with South African township schools’ limited curriculum and resources. The South Africans also raised concerns about sky-high unemployment levels that lead to frustration and hopelessness.
“Poverty has a devastating impact on the health and wellbeing of young people,” an Ntsika learner said. “Unemployment can lead to social unrest as young people feel they have nothing to lose.”
The podcast programme is supported by The John Ben Snow Memorial Trust, the Rhodes School of Journalism and Media Studies. It is edited by Daisha Robinson of the Bloomfield College of Montclair State University.
The conversations have just begun, and there is still more learning and connecting for these inspired students as they continue using the power of dialogue to shape their shared future.
