Youth podcasters want to highlight community stories in qathet

Most high school students have a lot on their plates already: preparing for exams, studying, volunteering, sports, extracurricular activities and navigating the social system of making friends and feeling a part of a greater community.

For ambitious Brooks Secondary School students Lusia Kihiyo, Rakhi Rana, Kirti Rana and Saliya Mgeni, creating a podcast seemed like the best way to connect with the qathet community and bring people together. Navigating through high school, and making friends is tough for anyone, and that’s where the nonprofit Woven Threads qathet and the podcast Voices of qathet grew from.

The four students are all from abroad, now living here and going to school; most are here on their own, either staying with extended family, friends or community hosts. The students emphasized that they started the podcast as a way to showcase stories and ideas from the community of qathet, which is on Tla’amin territory.

“What builds community is the people in it,” said Mgeni, a grade 12 student, originally from Congo who has been in the community for five years. “We want to understand each other better.” 

Mgeni mentioned that she was sponsored to come here and study by a group called Hands Across the Water.

“One of the biggest challenges we have is making friends; it’s pretty hard, all of us are from different countries, so loneliness is a real struggle,” said Kihiyo, a grade 11 student originally from Tanzania. “We want to know about small business owners, how they started and what their challenges are. I feel like everyone has a story.”

So far the group has interviewed Ella Wright, an education specialist working in qathet. Wright is also Kihiyo’s “House Mama” and sponsor.

“We want to interview teachers, small business owners, and many more people in the qathet region,” said Rakhi, a grade 10 student originally from India. “We want to connect the community through voices.”

So far they have contacted City of Powell River mayor Ron Woznow, North Island-Powell River MP Rachel Blaney and the president of Vancouver Island University for interviews. 

“We would like to interview someone from our favourite restaurant in Townsite [Royal Zayka],” laughed Kirti, who is in grade 12 and also originally from India.

The world may feel overwhelming for young people these days, especially with access to social media, which tends to exacerbate and exaggerate world events and community opinions without context. Not only do the students have a want to highlight community stories, they also have an environmental and land stewardship message.

According to their nonprofit Woven Threads: “We are saddened by increasing polarization and conflict in our world, and the destruction of our most precious ecosystems, we founded a youth-led nonprofit.”

The students are hoping to interview 50 people from the community and welcome anyone with a story to contact them.

“As young people, we know how important it is to understand the changing world we live in,” said Kirti. “Our mantra is: Together, we will weave our threads into a beautiful community tapestry.”

For more information about the youth-led podcast, go to voicesofqathet.com/about-the-show.