Elvine OumaHey Smart Girl! I’m delighted to share how girls and young women in Kenya use podcasts to voice their opinions, choices, and perspectives. I’m Elvine, a senior girl from Kenya, and I hope you learn a thing or two about podcasting! Let’s roll, shall we?
Most African history, culture, beliefs, and norms were passed down from generation to generation through oral literature. Picture this: young girls seated under a huge tree in the evening, listening to their grandmother’s tales about the rich histories of their communities. Intriguing right? And talking isn’t all they did. They performed dances, folk songs and even tricksters, you can imagine the fun! Do you know a fun story you’d like to share? Smart Girls would love to hear from you!
Now, the Chini Mbuyu Podcast Academy, organized by Akili Dada emulates this model. The beauty of podcasts is that they are recorded, stored, and can be listened to by future generations, all thanks to technology!
Now, you could wonder why girls should be taught how to create a podcast when all you need to do is talk, right? Well, I thought as much, too. It’s as simple as ABCD, but some things could make your podcast stand out, like sound quality. Nobody wants to listen to podcasts with noisy, distractive music in the background, or do you?
Chini Ya Mbuyu Podcast Academy, however, has a more distinct goal. The girls and young women are educated to advocate for community change. They do this while respecting the trailblazing African women like Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Mathaai, Kenya’s renowned eco-feminist, and inspiring a new generation of change-makers.
Let’s get a deeper look into the academy so that you understand why podcasting is a powerful storytelling tool and who knows, maybe it could be for you too!
The Academy’s Curriculum
Linking podcasting and digital advocacy – The Chini Ya Mbuyu Podcast Academy is not just a learning platform; it’s a transformative journey. The curriculum is designed to equip girls and young women with skills beyond podcasting, focusing on artivism, digital advocacy, digital entrepreneurship, feminist leadership, and storytelling for social change.
Women’s and Girls’ Rights – The academy empowers girls and young women to boldly speak about their rights and raise concerns whenever their rights are violated. Girls and young women worldwide enjoy a constellation of rights, and you should never be afraid to speak up. You have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and so does every smart girl; never let anyone take away your voice.
Transformational Feminist Leadership – Additional resources cover transformational feminist leadership, self-care, and wellness, fostering a holistic approach to personal and professional growth. Feminism is quite broad and diverse, and the kind of feminism we espouse is unique to our experiences, values, and beliefs. As a smart girl, it is important to embrace intersectionality and diversity to enable us to build a stronger community of feminists.
Podcasting Basics – Girls and young women also learn the essentials of podcasting, from scriptwriting to recording techniques, ensuring that every participant has a strong foundation in the art of storytelling. Remember what we said about sound quality? Yep, that’s what we are about here!
Digital Safety and Security – In the ever-evolving digital landscape, the academy prioritizes the safety and security of girls and young women, providing essential knowledge on navigating the online world responsibly.
Your safety online is very important because it directly impacts your mental health and social interactions. Smart Girl encourages you to report any forms of violence, threats, or bullying that you may encounter online to a trusted person, like your dad, mum, teacher, or older siblings so that they can guide you through it. Okay?
Storytelling to Effect Change – The ultimate goal of the academy is to empower young women with the foundational skills needed to express themselves and tell their stories with clarity and conviction. Do you want to contribute to a narrative that reshapes perspectives and dismantles barriers? Podcasting would be an amazing Avenue for that!
If that’s the case, send us a comment and stay on the lookout for our next article. I’d be glad to share with you everything I learned while at the academy and more. In the meantime, why don’t you create a list of your favorite podcasts?
This has been absolutely amazing, and I hope to see you in the next post. Virtual hugs, Elvine.
