Youth from Huddle South Central are officially on the air. Their podcast, called Let’s Listen, addresses mental health and other important topics that matter to Noa Viner-Findlay, an 18-year old student at Churchill High who has participated in the production of several episodes.
“For me, it’s just about having an outlet to talk about what I’ve been wanting to say,” explains Viner-Findlay. “I want to talk about what I’ve been struggling with. And I’ve learned that while it’s really scary at first to share that, it’s getting easier now and it’s not as hard. Plus, I’m seeing that I’m not alone.”
Today’s social media landscape gives youth lots of venues to express themselves publicly, but Viner-Findlay believes that podcasts offer something different. “Things like mental health are still so stigmatized on socials,” they say. “This is more like a deep dive on mental health, this is a better avenue to talk about things that can be really complex.”
Omar Clarke is a Service Navigator Specialist, which means he works for Huddle, but is mostly based at Churchill High, in Winnipeg School Division 1, to act as an extra support and safe space for students who might need help accessing services. He came up with the initial idea for the podcast. “I had a summer goal to create a single podcast with the youth while we learned some other tools,” he shares. “That became episode one, and then more youth wanted to get involved. We’ve recorded nine episodes and will cap season one at ten installments.”
The first few episodes were co-hosted with youth and a guest, who could be a dietician, a counsellor or another clinician. “It started with them asking us questions, which was really great,” continues Viner-Findlay. “In one of the episodes, they asked us what we think our school, or our guidance counsellors do or could do to support us. Omar helps us figure out what we want to talk about and find a guest.”
As the youth get more comfortable with the format, and are finding their voice, Clarke has great plans for the podcast. “That first season was so incredible, but for the future, I want youth doing everything,” he shares. “I want to give them the opportunity to run this whole program themselves, because they can. The editing, the topics, all of it. It could be taken over, year after year, by the next generations.”
For Clarke, empowering the youth to learn and control their own show will have a lot of positive impacts. “We all struggle with different things, I know I sure did when I was young,” he explains. “I see a rise in depression and anxiety in schools, and people are still afraid to talk about it. I’m trying to help the kids see that it’s ok to share, it’s ok to ask for help, it’s ok to talk about things that are hurting. Nobody has to be ashamed. This podcast can show them that, while they keep learning new skills.”
For Viner-Findlay, this is just the beginning. They are a talented writer and have been creating powerful pieces about their mental health journey. You can read “The Quiet Revolution”, written by them, here. They’ll also be a part of the video-podcasts that begin filming in January, and will continue to open the hearts and minds of youth around them. “It took me until I was almost 18 to start talking about what I’ve been going through,” they conclude. “I wish younger me knew what this all was beforehand, so I hope youth will listen and know that there are more people feeling like them, and more ways to talk about it.”
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Let’s Listen Podcast is available on many platforms: Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.