The podcast is a collaboration between the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award participants and production and promotion company, Mags Creative. It launched in July 2023 and published eight episodes spanning subjects such as social media, mental health, relationships, and the environment and now the show is back for two bonus episodes, releasing today, focusing on a range of issues from the cost of living crisis and the pressures of becoming an adult to global issues and how to know what news to trust.

Hannah Russell and Faith Russell from Mags Creative commented about the new bonus episodes:

“These two new episodes of Navigating Now provide a unique opportunity to hear from young people during a time of significant political change in the UK and around the world. From the episode topics, to the podcast theme music and narration, these episodes have been driven by young people’s thoughts, opinions, ideas and talents. We feel very privileged to have been trusted to raise the volume on young people’s voices at a time when they need to be heard more than ever. A few months ago, the podcast trailer was being played in parliament at an event marking the publication of major new research published by The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – the themes of which, informed Navigating Now. This was a particularly proud production moment for the show and an example of the real-world impact we hope the podcast will have.”

Photograph: The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award / Jonny Sanders

Each episode is narrated by Elsie (16) and hosted by three different young people. We spoke to Elsie in August last year to get her thoughts on the podcast and this time we’re speaking to two of the young hosts – Craig (22) from Ascot and Abiya (15) from Lisburn, Northern Ireland about the two new bonus episodes…

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and these new bonus episodes?

Craig: I’m Craig, I’m 22, I’m from Ascot, and have recently graduated from Loughborough University in Mathematics and Sports Science. After completing my DofE Gold Award in 2020, I supported the DofE locally before getting involved as a host on Navigating Now. On these bonus episodes, myself and Abi, alongside other young people, discuss key issues affecting young people in the UK today, including the cost-of-living crisis and trust in the media.

Abiya: My name is Abi, I’m 15, I live in Northern Ireland, in Lisburn. This is my first time being involved in podcasting and I’m so excited for other young people to hear our thoughts and for it to spark their own discussions.

Were you interested in podcasting before you got involved with Navigating Now?

Abiya: I had actually never thought about podcasting before as I’m someone who needs to see rather than hear. So since I didn’t think podcasts would appeal to me, I never really considered it before Navigating Now.

When we were recording the episodes I really enjoyed how much we were encouraged to voice our thoughts confidently. I can sometimes struggle with this, especially when my opinion may be different to other people’s. Now I am hoping to and trying to continue speaking with confidence no matter whether other people will agree or disagree with me.

Craig: I have always had a fascination with the production process of podcasts, especially with their growth in popularity over the last decade – so being behind one of the microphones and meeting everyone involved was eye opening. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process.

Photograph: The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award / Jonny Sanders

Do you have any favourite podcasts that you listen to?

Abiya: Yes, my friend recently told me about this wonderful podcast called Christ with Coffee on Ice which is a Christian podcast that for me as a Christian is really encouraging to listen to.

Craig: In the twelve months proceeding the release of Navigating Now series one, I have listened to the Modern Wisdom podcast with Chris Williamson. It provides life lessons established through the host’s desire for self-improvement and reflection – drawing similarities to the voicenotes heard in Navigating Now and how we as hosts can take the pieces of advice given in our own lives, as Chris Williamson does in his. Having had successful guests such as Dr Jordan Peterson, Gary Vaynerchuk, and David Goggins on the Modern Wisdom podcast, all of whom I look up to in their own respect, I have been engrossed in discovering new outlooks on life, and how I can use this knowledge going forward – a concept I am lucky to have had first hand experience of when appearing on Navigating Now.

What have you learned about podcasting through hosting Navigating Now?

Abiya: That it’s okay to make mistakes. When you’ve got an awesome team behind the scenes, who are cheering you on, you don’t have to be perfect. You just need to say what you want to say, in the way that you want to say it. And if that means trying once or twice – just go for it.

Craig: How many people it takes to turn podcasts from dreams to reality! There is an unbelievable team behind the Navigating Now podcast – from creative producers to social media experts, there are lots of unsung heroes bringing the podcast to life that you don’t necessarily appreciate as a listener. The recording days were full on with lots to cram in to get everything the team needed, and I can’t wait for you to hear what has been produced!

Photograph: The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award / Jonny Sanders

Are there any particular moments in the podcast that mean the most to you?

Abiya: It’s all so precious to me because it’s the result of more than two or three months of calls and research. To see it all put together is unreal.

Craig: I would say discussing the cost-of-living crisis alongside Katrina and Abi resonated with me. As a recent graduate, the prospect of trying to get on the housing ladder, whilst trying to pay the eye-watering student debt attached to going to university, is daunting. Being able to discuss a topic I was so passionate about, with two others at different stages of life, was really valuable.

I also can’t not mention working alongside such incredible individuals throughout the process, as this meant a lot to me.

Has working on Navigating Now made you more likely to start your own podcast one day?

Craig: With the abundance of podcasts now, I don’t know if I’d have what it takes to compete against the competition! I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the podcast though, having been fortunate to speak on the first series and again on the bonus episodes. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Abiya: Not right now, I’m only 15 and I’ve got my whole life ahead of me! But I loved recording the bonus episodes, and I’d be much more likely to get involved if I ever got the opportunity to do something like this again.

What advice would you offer to other young people who want to get involved in podcasting?

Abiya: Go for it! If it feels right, if it seems like something you would enjoy, try it and see. And if it doesn’t float your boat that’s okay. Don’t ever give yourself the chance to regret not trying it.

Craig: Trust me an “Oops” is better than a “What if?”. I’d much rather look back on experiences acknowledging that they may not have had the desired outcome – than regret and wonder what could have been if I wasn’t so caught up about what other people might think. I’d recommend other young people to just go for it – grasp every opportunity presented to you and never be too shy to ask questions about something you have a passion for. It could lead to paths you never imagined were possible.

Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Abiya: Navigating Now is possibly one of the best podcasts you could listen to. There are some really good pieces of advice from both the celebrities and the young people which could positively impact your life.

I personally really enjoyed listening to Navigating Now, even before I was invited to be a host on one of the episodes. It’s an inspiring and fun podcast where young people can share their thoughts on big ideas that would usually be dismissed or discouraged if they tried to speak out about them. Navigating Now gives young people hope that their thoughts still matter.

Craig: Listen to our podcast! On a more professional note, I am excited to find out what you think of it. It was a joy to be a part of the process, and I hope that is conveyed in the finished product.

Follow the show on TikTok @NavigatingNowPod. Listen to Navigating Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other popular podcast apps >>

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Each episode is narrated by Elsie (15 yrs) and hosted by three different young people. Together, they discuss three big questions and listen to suggestions and advice sent in from across the UK. Each host picks one suggestion to try out in their everyday lives, and records their progress in audio diaries that they share throughout the series.

We caught up Elsie, as well as Junior Producer Christy Callaway-Gale,  and Producer Ryan Nile from Mags Creative, to get some behind-the-scenes insight on how this show came to be…

Can you tell us a bit about your show and yourself?

Elsie: The podcast, Navigating Now, is made by young people, for young people, and aims to answer our big questions on life. The questions that we discuss are ones that I personally have had – and, even though I’m 15 and I still have use for a lot of this advice, I just wish I had it sooner. So, I love the fact that the podcast is giving people access to the advice I wish I had. Opportunities with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) really interest me, and I found this opportunity to get involved in a podcast especially exciting – it’s cool to be able to talk about literally anything with people.

I like music, languages, and listening to speeches, and I did public speaking and debating for my Skills section for both my Bronze and Silver DofE Awards, so that’s also why I love listening to podcasts and wanted to be involved in making one. When I hear a language or find out about a country, I’ll push myself to learn the language. At the moment, I’m learning Spanish, French, German, and Japanese! I love Spanish the most because it just rolls off your tongue.

I’ve now achieved both my Bronze and Silver DofE Awards. I found doing my Silver DofE really challenging, so I’m still thinking about doing my Gold DofE. My friends and I keep saying that now we’ve achieved our Silver Award, we should probably go all the way to achieving our Gold!

Ryan Nile: I’ve been an avid listener of podcasts for about a decade, and a creator both in front and behind the mic within this space for about 5 years. The podcasts that really made me fall in love with the potential of the medium was season one of Gimlet’s ‘Startup’ and of course ‘Serial’ – what a moment in time!

Christy Callaway-Gale: I owe my love of podcasts to my brilliant friend and podcaster Kira Allmann – the parallel world where I didn’t make it to her audio workshop is not a world I want to know!

Elsie, the narrator of Navigating Now. PHOTOGRAPHER’S CREDIT Dan Homer

Why podcasting? What is it about the format that appeals to you?

Elsie: The idea of being able to receive information in a hands-free way is so appealing to me as someone who loves to listen to things – so the format of a podcast just made sense. I tend to listen to podcasts when I’m around other people and don’t want to pay attention to my surroundings, because I want to be in my own world. It feels natural to be listening to other people speaking on podcasts rather than the loud noise around me, like on a bus or in a park. Sometimes I’m listening to a podcast in the kitchen and just burst out laughing – I hope no one sees me doing that!

The podcasts I listen to are usually quite funny, so I’m constantly laughing or have a smile on my face. Podcasts make me feel like I’m reflecting on myself. And it was so fun when we were recording Navigating Now and Ryan, a Producer at Mags Creative, always made me laugh in the studio. It was also quite funny considering all the advice from the podcast that I wish I had heard before I narrated it!

My friend who originally got me into podcasts has suggested that we make a podcast together now that I’ve narrated Navigating Now. We are thinking about talking about living and growing up in South London.

Ryan: Storytelling is the main pull for me. I believe podcasting is the most honest and intimate form of media we have, and its ability to deliver a message is second to none, whether that’s in an interview format or a narrative. On a technical level, it’s a blank canvas that can be used in near infinite ways. It’s media that can be enjoyed passively whilst commuting, driving, walking or washing up and the content can make you laugh, cry and learn something new. I love that it fosters connection and community, and platforms voices and stories that would otherwise be overlooked.

Christy: I love how podcasts can be upfront and honest about not having all the answers – they’re a space where you can explore ambiguity and nuance, and then arrive at the end and say “I still don’t know”. Going on that journey with a host across a series can sometimes feel more special than getting the answers you’d hoped for.

Did you take inspiration from any podcasts in particular?

Ryan & Christy: The way we went about developing this podcast was totally different to anything we’d done before . Young people (14-25 years) were at the heart of the process and our touchpoints for inspiration at all times. From surveys to interactive workshops with current and recent Duke of Edinburgh’s Award participants, we asked – if they could make a podcast for young people, what would it be like? The answer we came up with together is what you hear in Navigating Now.

Elsie: I generally like podcasts that are really chill, funny and just have a lesson to learn from them, so I really wanted to recreate that with my narration. I like the ‘Court Of Public Opinion’ podcast. It’s more of a comedic podcast and the narrators are really chill and make you feel like you’re in a room with friends. The ‘Pressed’ podcast is also good – that’s a really raw but funny podcast. I think that comedy podcasts really appeal to my generation because we love to have a laugh about things. The two podcasts I just mentioned are the ones you’d see people laughing about on TikTok. Listening to podcasts is also a bit of a relief from exams and stress.

Is there an episode of the podcast means the most to you?

Elsie: Episode five on ‘Navigating… Passions and Careers’ meant the most to me. My future career has always been something that I think about, so just hearing all that great advice was really encouraging and helpful.

That episode has made me think about other careers I want to do – I no longer have a tunnel vision on my dream job and I’m looking into other career options. I was set on doing engineering, but now I’m branching out to think about doing architecture – I love how creative architecture is, but it’s scary to think about committing to a single career for my whole life!

Also, I’m doing my GCSE exams next year, so that episode has made me think about the next steps beyond that, like what I want to do in Sixth Form.

Ryan: The whole series means a lot to me so I’m going to cheat and say: listen to the whole series so that you can get to episode 8 ‘Navigating… Now’. It means a lot, as we hear from all of the voices from across the series reflect on the topics, contributions and the process of making this podcast series overall. It’s very touching personally to see and hear this group of super impressive young people reflect on the journey that started out with a survey and ended with a full series that hopefully is helping other young listeners who are navigating now!

Christy: Navigating… The Environment encouraged me to make small but important changes that I’d been talking about for a while. More broadly, the series made me reflect on what it means to try new things – cue me joining a beginners’ trapeze class even though I’m scared of heights!

Do you have a podcast story you haven’t told yet but would love to?

Ryan & Christy: One thing was clear throughout the making of this podcast: there are lots of topics that are important to young people. It made narrowing the episode themes down a challenge! We hope to support more young people to tell the stories that matter to them, in the future. Young people’s stories should be heard more and they should be the voices to share them. Podcasting is the right format to allow the space to delve deep into the nuance of stories and topics that matter.

Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Elsie: I remember the moment I found out I was going to be the narrator of Navigating Now. I was just leaving school and read the email telling me that I’d been selected. I showed the email to my friends, and we all started screaming and running up and down the playground. My mum also received the email, and she was very excited – she phoned me at the same time and asked whether I’d seen the email!

And on the last day before the end of term, my Head of Year called me up to the front of assembly and told everyone that I was going to be the narrator of the DofE podcast. She said it was a great achievement and showed the ‘congratulations’ email to everyone in my year.

When I came back from my Silver DofE Expedition, one of the boys in my construction class went on the DofE website and saw me on the homepage. He played the podcast’s trailer to my whole class, and it was so surreal having everyone listening to my voice like that.

Follow the show on TikTok @NavigatingNowPod. Listen to Navigating Now… From The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award on Apple Podcast, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

Main image credit Dan Horner.

The post Navigating Now: Young people navigating – and narrating – their big questions appeared first on POD BIBLE.

Are You Convinced? is the podcast from UK Youth where Ndidi Okezie (CEO of UK Youth) and Laura McInerney (Co-founder of Teacher Tapp) take turns to persuade each other to see an issue from another point of view. They cover a wide range of topics impacting children and young people – and at the end, ask guests to help settle the questions – “Are You Convinced?”. We spoke to Ndidi to find out more about the show…

Pod Bible: Why podcasting? What is it about the format that seemed like the right fit for this project?

Ndidi: Our audience are people who have very little time for themselves (much like us!) so we wanted the show in a format that could be listened to on-the-go. Podcasts are perfect for this, as you can have them playing in your car on a journey, or in your headphones when you are working out or walking the dog. You can also listen for a bit, pause the episode and dive back in later. This means people are more likely to engage in the issues framing the discussions, which is what we are aiming for.

Did you take inspiration from any podcasts in particular before you started?

I love podcasts so I would certainly say I took inspiration from the art form itself. Some of my favourites are How I Built This, Tim Ferriss, The Learning Leader and Start UP.

After the first series, have either of your opinions shifted? Or has this been an exercise in empathy?

I start from a genuine place of curiosity at the positioning of Laura’s propositions, we are authentically in two different places more times than not. But she is (frustratingly) utterly brilliant at making logical arguments and so it just depends how willing I am to go along with (often limiting) logic over a stubborn desire for more! Impact. But we both always walk away having learnt something new. Not just from each other but from our amazing guests. Our aim is to demonstrate that it’s important to understand different views and look at situations from various perspectives. And that you can be friends and not have the same opinion on everything.

The pair are reunited” can you quickly tell us what you worked on together prior to the podcast?

Laura and I go way back. We both started teaching via the charity Teach First and our paths have crossed for many years. When I had the vision of doing a debate style podcast, Laura was the perfect person to co-host with. Our first iteration of the concept was done when I was working at Pearson and called Go With Me On This. We are really excited to be back working together on Are You Convinced?

How have you found working together again?

It’s honestly one of the highlights of the month for me. Along with our Producer extraordinaire (Sarah Myles), we’ve all been doing this together for a few years now and we make a really great team. There is really something special here and we just hope we can get as many people to discover the show because they won’t be disappointed when they do.

We often ask if you have a dream guest, but I think in this instance it is more poignant to ask: who do you think most needs to hear these discussions?

We really want to bring professions that work with/for young people together. The goal of the show, is to debate topics from a diversity of lenses. Centering youth voices is a key feature for us and one we hope to use as a bridge to bring young people and the professionals who work with them together. Our guests are experts in their field and many have real front-line experiences of what challenges young people face, as well as the best methods for tackling these. It’s important that we provoke conversations so that people can work in a more joined up ways to create positive change.

Finally, are there any other podcasts you would recommend to learn more about some of the complex issues discussed?

Podcasts from media companies often engage in debates about key social issues. Shows like Moral Maze and the work of Sky news, The Guardian etc come to mind. We really do think that we’ve found a special nuance in the ability to use a debate/competition style format to discuss serious and controversial topics, so your readers are encouraged to check out Are You Convinced? and leave us a review letting us know what you think!

Listen to Are You Convinced? NOW on your favourite podcast app.

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