Namibia: Podcasting to raise youth voices

In December, twelve young adults in Windhoek got a crash course in podcasting theory and practice. The workshop was the first to use a new DW Akademie training module called "Producing Powerful Podcasts."

The participants between the ages of 20 and 35 were members of the DW Akademie partner, the MiLLi* Network, which is a media and information literacy initiative launched in Namibia in 2015. Goethe Institute employees and students joined the workshop, too.

For three days, participants explored and brainstormed over podcasting, ultimately coming up with podcast ideas. They also discussed the basics of episode structuring, scriptwriting, recording, editing and publishing their shows, resulting in four podcast episodes on subjects like saving money, youth and elections, gender-based violence and tackling youth unemployment through entrepreneurship.

The MethodKit cards were a hit among the trainees

MIL and media creation

The module aims to excite young people about podcasting such that they produce their own podcasts. Media development is an essential part of media and information literacy (MIL) education, which also includes understanding how media work, how to critically think about it, and how to use it safely and responsibly.

Sylvia Bräsel, a MIL expert and learning designer who has worked a lot with youth, and Julia Minner, a DW Akademie PodcasTraining trainer, developed the youth workshop. Though held across three days in Windhoek, the flexible curriculum can also be split up into 12 sessions over a longer period or as part of a school club, for example.

"Learning to produce a podcast is all about learning to research, select and verify information, write scripts, tell stories and engage an audience," said Bräsel. "These are all skills that support young people to become digital citizens in an increasingly digital and interconnected world."

The MiLLi* members really enjoyed the new training module

Reflecting DW Akademie's training philosophy, the workshop is participatory and interactive. It features games, guided discussion, role-playing and practical work. Since audio is the focus, many activities center around sound and how it can be used effectively to tell stories and attract listeners.

"The training is designed in such a way that participants get to learn in a fun way," said Rochelle P.M. Mjila, a Milli* facilitator and workshop co-trainer. "Each activity has a learning element to it and helps people understand the impact podcasts have today."

The Windhoek workshop made active use of the MethodKit for Podcasts planning tool, a card deck co-designed by the Swedish organization MethodKit, DW Akademie and podcasters from around the world.  

Low barrier to entry

Podcasting is an effective way to get young people involved with the media. Production and cost barriers are relatively low compared to other media. Basic podcast production requires only a smartphone and a simple microphone like the one in headphones. If someone has a suitcase and blanket at home, they already have a rudimentary studio. Bells, whistles and expensive equipment aren't necessary. The four episodes that came out of the workshop featured conversation and storytelling, studio interviews, music and people-on-the-street interviews.

The young participants brainstormed topics for their podcasts

"I was really impressed with the quality of the participants' first podcast productions and how the training strengthened these young people's MIL competencies, helping them become critical thinkers and responsible content creators," said training co-designer Bräsel, who helped facilitate the workshop.

Given the relative ease of production, podcasting has the power to ease public conversation that might not make it past editors at larger media outlets.

"The podcast training was an enlightening experience on how we young people can voice diverse opinions in a cool, calm and collected but creative manner," said Kelly M.M. Kongelie, a workshop participant and one of the producers of the episode on saving money.

The MIL youth podcasting workshop is mainly targeted at teens and young adults who know a little about the medium from listening to podcasts and are eager to deepen their knowledge and try their hands at production.

"Podcasting is amplifying the voices of young people by giving them a platform to be active participants in addressing social issues in society," said Johannes Orr, Focus FM program director and a workshop co-trainer. "The impact of podcasting is yet to reach its full potential in Namibia. But this podcast training ignited a fire in the young people who've been waiting for it to get started."