Introducing 13 to 25: Research and Conversation
Through nine seasons of The Voices of Young People Podcast, young people have described their perceptions of and experiences with religion and spirituality, mental health, politics and more. Now we’re evolving our podcast to offer even more insights into the lives of young people.
The Voices of Young People Podcast is now 13 to 25: Research and Conversation—and we’re excited to announce a new season!
This new format explores how young people, ages 13 to 25, grow into identity, spirituality, and wellbeing. The podcast will continue to showcase rich insights directly from young people and will expand to include conversations with experts and practitioners on their insights and best practices for supporting emerging generations.
In anticipation of our new season and to celebrate the update to our podcast name, we just added all our past episodes to Springtide’s YouTube channel. See below for some of the rich insights young people have shared in past episodes!
Politics
If you could tell the world what everyone should know about young people and politics, what would be your message?
Young people have always been the leaders of revolutionary change and that will always continue to be the case. There's a level of inspiration among young people that has always enacted the most change and that is not different right now. Because of the changes in technology and how we communicate and social media and all the things that are different now . . . the experience of young people now is just unimaginably different to the experience of young people 60 years ago. We have a level of interconnectedness and awareness of diversity … [an awareness of] different peoples from different places and different parts of society and different parts of the world that other generations just have never had. And that just gives us a very new perspective and a very different perspective that I think a lot of older people just simply can't really grasp.
Sacred Moments
If you had more sacred moments in your life, if you were attuned more to notice them or have them, how would that impact your life?
The problem isn't that I think I have a shortage or lack of sacred experiences. It's that I have a shortage of perception—that I'm not attuned or I'm not always aware or at my most open . . . I think one thing that's gotten me to be more intentional and more optimistic about life and people is the mindset—and this is aided by my faith—but the mindset that things aren't always or even usually accidental or coincidental. [It’s this] belief that certain things are meant to be . . . that's not to say that every bad or even good thing that happens is divinely willed or divinely intended, but just the belief that there's intentionality behind things. That kind of posture has helped me approach even just everyday or mundane experiences—with kind of a more a more open heart, I think.
Mental Health
Is there something about the ways that you all process the mental health conversation that sets Gen Z apart from other generations?
In my own life—with people my age and specifically my group of friends, I think if I didn't have friends who were so openly talking about their mental health and what they would need to do, I would have never felt comfortable reaching out for the options that I've needed, like medication or therapy. When I first started going to therapy, I thought I was crazy because I didn't know anyone else who did. And then having people my age who would say they did the same thing or they needed the same things. [They’d say] “good for you.” I think that does help to destigmatize mental health. Obviously there's still a long way to go, but also just being able to feel like I'm not the only one who struggles with this . . . that is very helpful for anyone.
All podcast episodes are also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Subscribe or follow 13 to 25 today to see all our new episodes as they release this fall!
