FIRST: The Podcast

On this episode of FIRST, guest speakers Valerie Tran and Veronica McKinney inform our listeners on The Green New Deal!

This week's episode features one of our co-hosts, Catherine Delgado, who speaks on a monumental resolution passed by the SDUSD Board of Education. Tune in to hear the impact this resolution will have on students!

Of, By, For the People is a student run organization, which aims to report news in an engaging and understandable way, in order to increase awareness about politics & social issues. This episode features Shivanshi Sharma, who is the founder and president of the Of, By, For the People organization!

In this episode, co-hosts Catherine Delgado and Priya Kamath speak about the Georgia senate runoff elections. Tune in to become informed on the importance of this election, the running candidates, and ways to get involved!

The election is over, and so is our collaboration with WWAV/MSV SD! To wrap it up, we have a discussion with Elea Castiglione and My Fu about the journey to this day, and the outcomes of the San Diego team's work!

In this episode, Ethan Fitzgerald and Jade Smith will be speaking to us about the importance of youth civic engagement. Tune in to learn about civic engagement through personal, passionate stories from our guests!

Voter suppression is a strategy used to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing specific groups of people from voting. It is a pressing issue that affects voters across the United States. In this episode, Sierra Courchesne will speak to us about types of voter suppression, how it affects youth, and what our listeners can do about it.

This episode features Georgia Morgan, who gives us a mini vocab lesson on civics and voting terms! Check out our website (youthvoicesfirst.weebly.com) to see her full article!

To Vote or Not to Vote? It's Really No Question. The voting process is already confusing, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, it's even more important to make a voting plan and decide how you are going to vote. Tune in to this episode with Jasmine Truong and Veronica McKinney to learn about the best ways to vote efficiently and safely for this upcoming election.

While presidential elections are very impactful and prominent in minds and media, it is vital that people are educated about the importance of local elections and what their power to vote can do in their communities. This episode features Chiara Frank, who will speak to us about local elections. Check out her article here: https://youthvoicesfirst.weebly.com/why-should-you-vote-local.html

Welcome to the first episode of the WWAV/MSV x FIRST collaboration! Not only is it important to vote, but it's equally important to make informed decisions when you cast your ballot. In this episode, Carolyn Finn will speak to us about the presidential candidates and give us a rundown on their policies. For more information, read Carolyn's article here: https://youthvoicesfirst.weebly.com/who-can-you-vote-for.html

Welcome to our collaboration with WWAV-MSV: San Diego! Listen to learn more about this new series featuring real San Diego high school students. Clarification: Elea and My are ambassadors and local leads for My School Votes, not fellows as mentioned in the trailer.

In the 1930s, The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) used a practice, called redlining, to deny loans to residents of certain areas based on their race or ethnicity. The effects of redlining do not stop at housing. Tune in to hear Valerie Tran, a high school student and advocate in the intersectional environmentalism movement, talk to us about the effects of redlining and climate change on minorities in the US. Read to learn more here: https://youthvoicesfirst.weebly.com/is-your-neighborhood-racist-redlining-101.html

The Global Citizens Innovative Solutions SDGs Challenge is an initiative which aims to engage global citizens in implementing potentially practical solutions. Tune in to hear Neha Varadharajan, the envoy of India for the challenge, educate our listeners about the SDGs and deliver to them what it means to be a true global citizen. Check out Neha's article to learn more about the initiative! https://youthvoicesfirst.weebly.com/global-citizens-sdgs-challenge.html

Musical recital cancelled? Great. School dance cancelled? Cool. 3 weeks off of school? Awesome! On March 13th, everything changed. Tune in to this episode of FIRST to learn more about how Caroline Renas is coping with change and anxiety in the age of COVID. TW: Anxiety Learn more about Caroline's story here: https://youthvoicesfirst.weebly.com/coping-with-anxiety-in-the-age-of-covid.html

This episode of FIRST features Marc Salvador, who discusses his struggles with mental health, in hopes of reminding our listeners that they are not alone. Tune in for a personal story, and inspiring advice from a survivor, and check out our website (https://youthvoicesfirst.weebly.com/) for Marc's in depth article. As a gentle warning, this episode contains discussion of topics such as suicide and depression. If these topics trigger you, please click off or be wary about what is ahead.

On this episode of FIRST, one of our hosts, Catherine Delgado, speaks on the current state of affairs, feelings amidst change, and growing as an activist. Tune in, and listen to a thoughtful internal dialogue, along with inspiring insight from ACLU leaders!

This episode features Arsema Aklog, who serves as the Under Secretary-General for High School Cohorts at MUN@Home, a global organization that believes in the power of MUN to inform, inspire, and motivate its participants to action in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Listen in to learn about Model United Nations, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the importance of diverse perspectives! Read Arsema's article to learn more about MUN Impact here: https://youthvoicesfirst.weebly.com/mun-impact.html

Racism towards POC and minorities in the United States has been discussed for decades. But have we ever acknowledged the racism and discrimination that occurs within our own communities and the way we, as people of color, have treated each other? Listen to this discussion with Kien Dang as we address discrimination within minority groups (as cited through the interactions between Black and Asian Americans) and how this allows white people, who've been in power, to stay in power. This episode also features an audio clip from Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj which is found on Netflix and Youtube. Read Kien's essay here: https://youthvoicesfirst.weebly.com/interminority-racism-in-the-us.html

This episode features a conversation with My Fu and Elea Castiglione, who have created a student network within San Diego, in order to increase youth civic participation. Listen in to hear about the importance of the youth vote, what inspired them to take action, and more! Stick around until the end for a laugh! Learn more about When We All Vote - My School Votes: San Diego here: https://youthvoicesfirst.weebly.com/when-san-diego-votes.html

This episode features Lea Nepomuceno, who is currently the Co-founder and Head of Marketing of the Youth for Juvenile Justice Reform project. Stay tuned to hear about the school to prison pipeline, inspirational stories from formally incarcerated peoples, and how you can get involved! Hear more from Lea and the Youth For Juvenile Justice Reform initiative here: https://youthvoicesfirst.weebly.com/youth-for-juvenile-justice-reform.html

A poem written by Stephany Songvilay, Final Breath provides insight into the minds of the burdened and overwhelmed youth. Listen and share with others to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention. TW: This poem does include thoughts of suicide and self-harm. Read Stephany's poem here: https://youthvoicesfirst.weebly.com/final-breath.html

Welcome to FIRST: A podcast made for youth, by youth. We hope you'll stay tuned for our upcoming episodes!