Students stay home, but what's next? by News Decoder

The Covid-19 outbreak has forced billions to stay home. Despite fears, history shows that solidarity and patience in crises are the best remedies.

News Decoder correspondent Malcolm Davidson and school teacher Jane Jenkins lived through the First Gulf War in Islamabad and Kuwait. They recognize the fear of never-ending lockdown.

Listen to snippets of students at the Algalita International Youth Summit where young people from nine different countries gathered to share and discuss ways to end plastic pollution.

Ryan Rothman is a student at the Chadwick School in California and reported on youth action on plastic pollution for News-Decoder in a multi-media story: https://news-decoder.com/2020/03/24/plastic-pollution-youth/

In this episode of the The Kids Are Alright, American and Jordanian students learn more about what the art world is doing to preserve the cultural origins of art pieces and artifacts.

Reporters Yoanna Gammoh, Tara Tarawneh and Masa Masri from King's Academy in Jordan and News-Decoder's Alexandra Grey in France spoke.

You'll hear from the owner of an art gallery in Jordan, the president of a major international art auction house, a Smithsonian museum curator and two art historians.

Kate van Dusen is back in her hometown in the U.S. state of Texas after a year abroad in China. Her experience living on the other side of the "Great Firewall of China" made her curious about how the Chinese view media censorship in their country, and how Western media outlets also face different types of censorship.

In this episode, you'll hear from News-Decoder Correspondent and former Chairman of Thomson Reuters China David Schlesinge, Zhou Fengshou, a former student leader The Tiananmen Square protests, Curry Wang, a Chinese national living in Canada, and Garrett Wilson, an American reporter who covered the French yellow vests movement.

Leela Rosaz Shariyf is 15 years old but is already thinking about what it means to vote. Shariyf is a high school student at Miss Porter's School in the U.S. state of Connecticut.

Curious about how other young people outside the U.S. engage in elections, she spoke with three young South Africans, Rorisong Moseli, Thabang Matona and Amber Domalik about their involvement in the general election this past May.

After hearing about the sorts of issues that matter to them and their views on voting, Shariyf called Dawie Scholtz, a management consultant and self-proclaimed "election nerd" for his insights on what the results mean for political parties in South Africa, particularly for the African National Congress.

16 year-old Giavanna Bravo isn't shy about asking tough questions. Nearly a decade of economic crisis and several years of political and social unrest, has forced many Venezuelans to decide whether or not to stay in a country with no clear future.

Bravo speaks with aid relief worker Gabriela Corredor, Financial Times correspondent Gideon Long, student activist Elena Giralt, and Carlos Anez, who's step-father is currently being detained in a Venezuelan prison.

In this episode you'll learn more about the reality of live in Venezuela in a time of immense insecurity and uncertainty and discover how a national economic crisis has lead to the world's largest refugee crisis.

Saga Leslie and Skye Neulight are vegetarians but are interested in learning more about the meat industry in the United States. They visited a local farm to speak to cattle rancher Wes Myers to understand how cattle are raised. Carolita Landers, a graduate of animal science from Colorado State University, explains the different steps and processes required to bring beef from the farm to the table.

Saga and Leslie chat with their peer Fiona McLoughlin, a recent high school graduate from The Thacher School, about factory farming in the United States to contrast industrial and local farming.

After learning about the sustainability of meat consumption, they called Tom Burke, Chairman of think-tank E3G, for a global perspective on food security and sustainable animal agriculture.

Gabriella Iskra introduces listeners to marine biologist Emma Williams, Reuters Environment Correspondent Alister Doyle and News-Decoder correspondent Sue Landau.

Emma Williams, 24, spent nine months in the Seychelles rebuilding coral and studying damage from rising sea temperatures and bleaching. Now, she is committed to educating people about the importance of sharks for keeping the ocean healthy by killing off old, dying and sick sea life.

Our reporter, Gabriella, found the interview both inspiring and terrifying. “Marine conservation is something we don’t encounter much because we don’t see it, it’s under the sea.”

The ocean’s hidden challenges have drawn Emma in, and Gabriella said she was surprised to hear about the extent of the damage that Emma describes to listeners.

Gabriella is keen to learn more about the human impact on the environment, plastic waste, oil companies, farming, animal welfare and climate change. “She [Emma] explained to me how terrifying it was to witness the state of the coral reefs. In parts of the ocean where she went diving, it’s just barren. They’re bleached, there’s no life, and this whole image we have of beautiful fish and plants, there is none of that.”

There’s more. Beyond the sharks and coral, all marine life is affected by pollution, climate change, overfishing and trawling. “Imagine if we used the fish trawling methods on land in safari parks and needlessly took all the zebras and lions and tigers.”

There are some things we can change. But time is of the essence. In her conversations with Alister Doyle and Sue Landau, Gabriella asks just how urgent it is to take action on ocean issues.

Dani Castonzo speaks with Simisola Jolaoso and Dr. Travis Brown to learn more about some of the challenges facing young entrepreneurs.

A freelance journalist interested in innovative business operations, Castonzo explains why she chose to report for this episode: “There is no need for young people starting their careers to follow a traditional job path or fit themselves into a career or box that doesn’t feel like themselves. There are so many opportunities to be different.”

Simisola, known as Simi, works full-time as a TV journalist for the BBC. And it’s only in her spare time that she works as the Founder and CEO of the Heavenly Company, which produces all-natural hair care products for black hair. It started with a simple hair balm that Simi made for herself using natural ingredients. The overwhelmingly positive feedback from friends and family pushed her to launch a full line of natural products.

“Entrepreneurs are passionate people with big ideas,” says Castonzo. And she would know from experience. While a college student, she launched a lifestyle app for women, along with a friend. “I designed the app and spent a lot of time working with local businesses to try to get them involved.”

Castonzo’s app and business proposal were for a class taught by Assistant Dean of Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship at Indiana University Bloomington, Dr. Travis Brown. For insight, Dani turned to this professor, who works to develop young entrepreneurs.