High Schoolers and Historians Team Up to Take on the Textbook Industry in a New Kind of Podcast
BOSTON, October 27, 2020 (Newswire.com) - Over the past months, the huge disparity between what is taught in schools and what our nation needs to heal and move forward has become abundantly clear. Got History, a systems change organization that was founded in 2018 to address this problem, teamed up with a group of young people this spring to take action. These eager young minds who are tired of textbooks — yet hungry for the truth — worked together all summer with famous historians in a unique collaborative effort: a new educational podcast called UnTextbooked to change how teens engage with history.
Enthusiastic supporters eagerly jumped on board, including renowned historian Jill Lepore and former Joint Special Operations Commander (JSOC) General Stanley McChrystal, who, when asked his motivation for participating, responded, "The future is going to belong to the people who care about it. Our nation will be what we — and increasingly you — decide it will be, and anything I can do to help you prepare yourselves to decide well is my pleasure and my honor."
For the podcast, these 15 teens, who come from all over America and from all different backgrounds, engaged 15 acclaimed authors in conversations about their books. Each episode is framed around a timely and relevant question chosen by the young podcaster, including "Does America live up to its own ideals?" and "Germany addressed its racist past. Can America do the same?" A duo of teen musicians, Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton, composed and recorded the music. Editors Jeff Emtmann and Bethany Denton polished the episodes into a professional product.
Their first three episodes launched on October 19 and are available on Apple Podcasts, Google, and Spotify, with two new episodes per week until December 2020. Season 1 will offer 15 episodes presenting books and discussions on leadership, women's health, piracy and more. Further seasons are planned.
Got History's founder, Fernande Raine, marveled at the talent of the production team: "Grownups have been talking about the need for better history for decades. I'm thrilled to see this podcast unleashing the power of amazing young people to actually get it done."
For more information, visit www.untextbooked.com and www.got-history.org.
About UnTextbooked
UnTextbooked is a new kind of podcast. Teenagers from across America interview great historians to find answers to the big questions of today. Each episode features one teen podcaster, one book, and one historian, all tied together by our intrepid and charismatic teen host, Gabe Hostin. These conversations between teens and titans bring the full power of history to you with depth and vividness that textbooks lack. Real history, to help you find answers to your big questions. UnTextbooked is a project of Got History.
Source: Got History
