BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A new podcast, Youth Voice Amplified, is is a youth-focused podcast series produced by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools. Podcast hosts Gennessa Fisher and Brian Johnson are advocates for the youth community, and pull from their past life experiences to focus on the younger generation and the challenges they face.
Fisher and Johnson say their goal is to empower young people.
"I like to say that when you give someone a voice, you empower them," said Fisher. "So it's essentially creating that movement of empowerment, saying, like, 'Oh, someone used my voice to be heard and they changed something and now I feel empowered to go speak my truth and tell my story.'"
The Youth Voice Amplified Podcast takes an in-depth look at topics like youth homelessness, foster care, disability, teen parenting, and more, all issues relevant to younger people.
Johnson adds that the podcast allows the younger generation to connect with others who are dealing with the same problems.
"With them being overheard, we want to give them a voice to create change," said Johnson. "Not just change within society as far as, you know, agencies, education, but just around the world in general."
With the prevalence of social media, the hosts say making Youth Voice Amplified a podcast gives their audience a level of comfort due to how familiar they are with the format. The social media environment also allows them to be more open about sharing their experiences.
Although the Youth Voice Amplified Podcast is primarily centered on the younger generation, they also include what they call Adult Allies, allowing the older generation to offer their support, as well as inform other adults about the issues being discussed.
"It's not this culture of 'us against them, us against the older generation,'" said Fisher. "It's this culture of together, collaboration, communication."
New episodes of Youth Voice Amplified are released every first Wednesday of the month. Starting next year, Fisher and Johnson plan to start traveling to different schools and youth welfare agencies around California and in other states in order to teach other young people how to produce their own podcasts, as well as speaking at conferences about the impacts of their efforts.
The podcast team is operating on a 2-year grant, with major funding coming from the Student Achievement and Support Division of the California Department of Education through the Homeless Innovative Program Grant.
