Summer Youth Podcast Academy
The Summer Youth Podcast Academy is an intensive beginner podcasting workshop for New York City public school students, hosted by The Bell in partnership with Gimlet Media.
Below, you can find segments of some of the remarkable stories our student podcasters were able to write, record, and produce in just a few weeks.
For more information, check out our program page.
Episode List
Trying to better understand his family dynamics, Kenneth unveils stories of past tragedies and trauma.
I sit down with my great aunt to discuss Ecuador's political struggles and how they impact our family.
Plagued by nightmares, my cousin Manar made a life-changing decision.
In this episode, my friend Danny and I go on a journey to uncover the motives and desires of a young teen in a moment of chaos.
I try to understand my dad’s job as a gas station worker, what it means to him and how it impacts our relationship.
My grandfather, who immigrated to the U.S. after growing up in Trinidad, has never spoken much about his Caribbean roots. I decided to interview him to uncover the reasons behind this absence.
Decide for yourself whether or not my older sister Mary is a “trial and error child.”
My cousin Emily and I discuss our experiences living with disabilities in an ableist society.
What does a “better life” mean to my father, an NYC taxi driver who immigrated to the U.S. from Egypt?
I, like many immigrant children, have struggled with familial expectations my whole life.
As the daughter of an immigrant, I have always wondered what my father’s experience was like immigrating from Kenya to America.
My grandmother takes me on a journey through her childhood recollections, old tapes, demos and personal stories.
Let's take a trip to The Butterfly Project: an immigrant artist's public art installation that traces back to her roots in Medellín, Colombia.
What do we, as humans, owe to each other? What do each of us humans deserve? Laila examines these big questions through the vacuum of her local socialist haven: The Park Slope Food Co-Op.
Although Citi Bikes have become commonplace in our city, they had a rocky road to get there. Listen to here the story of my building and their road to acceptance.
At a time when tension is high between the homeless population and NYC officials. One outreach worker explains her part in securing shelter for these unhoused individuals.
Blake Riley has grown up a part of Harlem’s rich culture his whole life. Yet as Harlem gentrifies, their collection of stories is all that’s left to connect to previous generations. Blake sits down with his next door neighbor James, a lifelong Harlemite, in search of the history of their neighborhood games, family tension through New York's 70s and the comparison of James' past to Blake's present.
Teenage girls Ishya and her sister Fatiha are certainly not new to catcalling. But what goes through a girl's mind when some random guy on the street refuses to give up?
School should be a safe haven for children that not only fosters the development of education but growth too. It's close to impossible to maintain this standard when having to battle the media's negative input. Kids of color are allowed to make mistakes, we shouldn't have to fear being judged by the public because of it. That's the lesson the kids of Urban assembly school for Law and Justice and many others have had to learn the hard way.
This episode is an exploration of the most historic and oldest tavern in New York City, Neirs Tavern. Queens, Woodhaven a tight knit community is home to Neirs for over 190 years and throughout this episode you’ll get to hear the story of how this historic jewel was saved from closing — one of its defining moment that demonstrates the power in community.
Mia has been exposed to many mysteries, but this one was the kicker. Join Mia on her ancestry discovery, where she is told the story of the man that everyone once called “Melvin Jackson.”
In this episode, Jayden speaks with Octavio—an electrician from Curacao—who takes us on his journey from suffering uncompensated injuries as a non-union worker, to leading a movement to unionize his workplace.
A fire destroyed Wesley and his brother Rob’s home when they were younger. In this episode, the two recount the event and reflect on the experience.
Koudjedji and her mom love Koudjedji’s little sister, Maryam. But taking care of a child with severe autism poses many challenges.
After discovering that his grandfather was a “freedom swimmer”—one of thousands who fled from China to Hong Kong in the mid 20th Century—Edward decided to uncover the full story.