From world-changing kids to pastel-colored debt to a culture stuck on refresh—this episode of Afternoons with Helen Farmer dives into the contradictions shaping 2025.

We begin with AlDhabi AlMheiri, the 11-year-old Emirati changemaker behind the world’s first AI academy for kids. Her mission? To make tech ethical, inclusive, and accessible—especially for girls.

Next: why is debt now wrapped in soft colors and influencer aesthetics? We unpack the hidden risks of Buy Now, Pay Later culture with financial planner Michele Carby, and hear from Mei, a Filipina expat navigating the fallout of a 7,000 AED loan.

Finally, we ask: what happens when a summer has no defining vibe? No anthem, no blockbuster—just vibes and brain rot. Is it a cultural crisis, or a break from the hype machine? We hear from Afroz Nawaf, Film Lecturer at Middlesex University Dubai, and Amanda Hoover, the Business Insider journalist who coined the term "Summer Brain Rot."

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