The "Spark" Podcast

Background

This project is a continuation of the project “Fostering Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Change” (2021-2022) and “Fostering Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Change - The Podcast” (2023). Transdisciplinary research is a mode of collaborative, interdisciplinary knowledge production aimed at contributing to confronting real-world problems. An important concept that emerged from the first project was to explore storytelling as a way to nurture public engagement with science and transdisciplinary research. Podcasts represent an appealing medium for scientific communication, allowing for the creation of emotional connections between scientists and the public. Our target audience is young people aged 16 to 23. In 2023, we achieved milestones that will help us successfully carry out the next stage of the podcast production. We developed the concept and format of our podcast, “Spark. Stories from advocates for global change” and produced a pilot episode on the topic “Addressing Climate Change" (see results).

Goals

• Find a partner for the dissemination of the podcasts.
• Integrate the expertise of SYA members into the podcasts.
• Explore the feasibility of multi-lingual episodes.
• Refine the brand of the podcast for advertising.
• Produce the next 4 episodes.

Planned activities

In the framework of a multi-year project, we will develop, professionally produce, and publish at least 4 episodes of the podcast "Spark. Stories from advocates for global change." In addition, identifying and implementing a suitable dissemination strategy will be part of this year's project, as well as integrating the expertise of SYA members into the podcasts.