“This I believe” podcast ideas
My first idea for the podcast would be to talk a belief I hold about taking life a little less seriously and making sure we all have more silliness in our lives. Ever since I was a kid I always was focused on making other people laugh and having fun. I participated in a scavenger hunt called “GISHWHES”(The Greatest International Scavenger hunt the World Has Ever Seen) every year since 2015. GISHWHES basically was a list of crazy, fun, and weird tasks to perform during the first week in August. I also am in the Monty Python club here on campus where the whole premise of the club is to make Penn State more silly. For example, last semester we went squirrel fishing and went around town dressed as pirates singing pirate shanties.
For my other Idea, I would expand more on my commitment to always stand up for what you believe in for all and draw upon the first time I experienced discrimination because I was a girl. I went to an all-girls school up until eighth grade when I switched to a co-ed school. There I was not allowed to play on the flag football team, merely because I was a girl. Therefore, I then had to have a serious of awkward and hurtful exchanges with the administration. I was able to create a girls team, but not able to play with the boys, even though I played flag football on an all-boys team since I was in fifth grade through a different program.
Passion Blog
Last Semester I did a passion blog on the abolitionist figure John Brown. I really enjoyed writing that blog and did not finish all the topics I wanted to cover. I feel like I would be able to sustain another ten blogs about that topic.
For my second idea, I would write about a passion blog about the election this cycle. I would pick something eventful that had happened in terms of the election every week and then write my take on the issue. Since we are in the middle of the primary seasons and the impeachment trial there will be plenty of topics to cover.
Civic Issue blogs
For my Civic Issue blog, I want to focus on the lead crisis in America. The legacy of building and manufacturing with lead is plaguing communities all around the nation, yet there is little attention towards it. From lead in water, and the corruption that attempts to downplay the severity of it. There is also serious concern about lead in soil all over communities, especially in towns that were historically manufacturing towns. This means there is lead in the food people grow in their backyards and lead in the soil at playgrounds. Another issue still, is lead in homes, especially homes of lower-income communities.
For my second idea, I would write about the ongoing conflict of Iran and discuss the various interests the US has in Iran, such as economic, political, and militarily. Tensions have recently escalated in the region, so it is a very current issue.
I think you should do the silliness idea for your podcast. It’s a great idea and everyone could use a little silliness in their lives. For your passion blog I 100% say you should do the election blog. Things will be constantly happening and it’ll be easy to keep up with everything. I’d say you should do the lead issue for your civic issues blog. It seems like you already know a lot about it an can keep up and blog about it easily.
I think for your podcast your idea about taking life a little less seriously could prove to be very effective and enjoyable to read.
I think for your podcast your idea about taking life a little less seriously could prove to be very effective and enjoyable to read. From last semester I really enjoyed your John Brown blogs and I think continuing those especially if you have enough information it could lead to even more successful blogs. Finally, for the civic issues blog I would definitely focus on the lead crisis and the risks it invokes.
I really like the silliness idea for the podcast; I think it definitely is relevant for today’s generation who cares so much about things like how they are perceived on social media and what others think. In contrast, I think everyone could use some time to “chill out” a bit and enjoy just being silly like they did during childhood. The other idea is promising but I think the first is more intriguing. For passion, while I’m sure you could keep writing about John Brown, I think dissecting the election cycle is a more current and volatile idea. Finally I think both civic issues are viable and would make great choices.