Minor Issues

A year after COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic, teens reflect on what we've had to go through. Lilley reads the thoughts of several teens who share how they've struggled, how they've thrived, what they miss about pre-pandemic life, and what they're looking forward to for the future. This episode paints the picture of what life has been like for Gen Z this past year, and it sends an important message: we're not alone. 

Thanks for tuning in, and thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts this week. If you ever need to talk about anything, don't hesitate to email Lilley at [email protected].

Find Minor Issues @ linktr.ee/minorissuespodcast

(Also, sorry about weird audio quality -- for some reason the mic picked up radio waves?!)

Only 26% of Americans know there are 3 branches of government. Many states don't require classes about civics to be a graduation requirement. As a result, millions of teens aren't educated about the Constitution, how government works, or their fundamental rights. This will have lasting impacts. Gen Z is the future for politics and schooling in America, meaning that we need to be informed. This week, I talked with Nick about all things civic education and what we can be doing to spread awareness.

Thanks for tuning in!

Find Civic Wave // Find Edison Civic Change

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Get a sticker -- 1) Do ONE of these things: write a review on Apple Podcasts, send us a voice message, tell two friends about the podcast, tag five friends on one of our posts, subscribe and turn on episode notifications, shoutout the podcast on your story. 2) Email ([email protected]) or DM (@minorissuespodcast) us proof and we'll mail you one!

Students these days have to deal with challenging classes, high expectations, extracurriculars, procrastination, standardized tests, and so much more. Not to mention, virtual school has made all of this more complicated. This week, I talked with Melody from Study Break about how all of this is affecting our mental health. She shares some great insight into what we can do manage stress and create a better school environment for everyone! Thanks so much to Melody for sharing so much positivity!

FIND THE STUDY BREAK PODCAST // INSTAGRAM

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Tons of people are camped outside of Delhi, India. And international media has barely covered it. Why? They're protesting 3 bills that strip protections away from farmers and change the country's agriculture system. The farmers have had to contend with violence from law enforcement and harsh conditions, but they haven't given up. This week, in order to raise awareness, I talked with Manseerat about these bills, the protests, and what we can do to help. 

HELP THE CAUSE -- donate // sign the petition

NEWS COVERAGE -- Vox video // NYT article 

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GET A FREE STICKER!! -- 1) Do ONE of these things: write a review on Apple Podcasts, send us a voice message, tell two friends about the podcast, tag five friends on one of our posts, subscribe and turn on episode notifications, shoutout the podcast on your story. 2) Email ([email protected]) or DM (@minorissuespodcast) us proof and we'll mail you one!

It's our first episode of Season 2!

2020 felt like the year when celebrities were being "cancelled" left and right. Influencers were issuing apologies for mistakes big and small. All of this sparked a conversation about cancel culture. Are we ruining these people's lives? Is it ever okay to cancel someone? How do we call people out properly? Is it activism? This week, Shanze joins me to talk about all of this and most importantly, how young people should be treating cancel culture. What if we started "boycotting" instead of "cancelling"?

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To conclude Season 1, I talked to Malak, who immigrated to Canada a few years ago. She talks about her immigration experience, along with the common issues that many immigrants go through. Discrimination against immigrants is a serious problem in many countries, and something that we should all be working to end. Hope you enjoy!

We will be back with Season 2 (and some big updates) on January 6th! 

FIND MINOR ISSUES: linktr.ee/minorissuespodcast

Gun violence is an American epidemic, and one of the reasons why younger generations are so "political". How can we ignore gun violence when we face active shooter drills at school, and news of mass shootings nearly every week? How can we ignore it when 100 people die of gun violence every day? And the fact is, legislators and politicians don't consider gun reform to be a top priority, so it's up to us to make it that way. This week, I talked with three activists - Alan, Mariah, and Sarah - who all share insights into this issue and what we can be doing to  stop it. I would HIGHLY recommend listening to this episode, because I think it's something we all need to be paying attention to. Thanks!

Find Minor Issues: linktr.ee/minorissuespodcast

Learn more about gun violence and reform: marchforourlives.com l gunviolencearchive.org l https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-pandemic-has-not-stopped-our-other-epidemic-gun-violence/2020/06/29/4af24a3c-ba31-11ea-8cf5-9c1b8d7f84c6_story.html l

Without the media, we would have no idea what was going on in the world. But there are many issues surrounding journalism that directly threaten our ability to consume credible news. According to Pew Research Center, our generation is less concerned about fake news than any other age group. But we are also the generation that receives most of our news from social media, where misinformation can spread extremely quickly.

At the same time, journalists in many countries are being oppressed. And local news is declining, causing people to go uninformed about events and movements in their own neighborhoods. Our generation may not see these as big problems, but they have a huge impact on our daily lives. So this week, I interviewed Charlotte, from Teens for Press Freedom, about all of these issues and most importantly, what we can do to fix them. Hope you enjoy!

FIND TEENS FOR PRESS FREEDOM: teensforpressfreedom.org or follow them on Instagram @protectthepress!

FIND MINOR ISSUES: linktr.ee/minorissuespodcast or email us: [email protected]! We'd love to hear from you.