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anika

What was your favourite part about recording the bonus episodes? 

Seeing everyone again! It’s been over a year since we last met together in person and it was so much fun to catch up a year later from where we were in our lives before. Also, the laughs when recording is always a favourite part, especially as they don’t always make the final cut, so we have our own inside jokes which we kept referring to throughout the recording days!  

 What topic were you most excited to discuss?

How we can involve more young people in political decisions, particularly as I’ve played a large part in encouraging more youth voice in my home city for the last few years and there was so much that all of us had to say about this topic, which made it really fun! Also as the three of us on our roundtable discussions are different ages and at different points in our lives, it was interesting to see what their perspectives were on young people older than myself!  

Tell us a fun fact about yourself

I love performing! I’ve have been a dancer since I was 3 but also love music and play the flute, and have been teaching myself piano since I was 10!  

onyii

What was your favourite part about recording the bonus episodes? 

Meeting up with the other hosts in the studio and diving deep into topics that really sparked my interest.

What topic were you most excited to discuss?

Trust in the media. This is a topic that is rapidly evolving nowadays and it was great to give my input as well as learn other perspectives.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself

I like to say that I don't really have a favourite genre of music, I could listen to anything and vibe to it.

elsie

What was your favourite part about recording the bonus episodes? 

Having the opportunity to explore new and serious topics in a more relaxed and creative setting. It was a refreshing change of pace that brought a playful energy to our recording sessions.  I also loved brainstorming names for the episodes. It was both challenging and entertaining to find phrases that summed up the multitude of topics discussed. 

What topic were you most excited to discuss? 

While I wasn’t involved in the roundtable discussions directly, I was really interested to hear what the group had to say about the media, and what news to trust. 

Tell us a fun fact about yourself

I love mystery novels so much! My favourite author is Agatha Christie, and I've learned to solve the cases before the Detective Hercule Poirot does.

craig

What was your favourite part about recording the bonus episodes? 

I loved how well we got on as a team. It was a fantastic environment to be apart of, all those in front and behind the camera were so friendly and everyone welcomed each others’ opinions. Recording the sessions in person allowed for much more free flowing conversations too, as it facilitated us to bounce off ideas produced by one another. 

What topic were you most excited to discuss? 

I particularly enjoyed speaking about trust in the media with Onyii and Anika. With the variety of ongoing events in the world alongside the emergence of social media, it has never been easier for individuals and corporations to form and push their own opinions into the public domain. This is especially important for those that source their news from social media with algorithms tailoring feeds to their own beliefs. 

Tell us a fun fact about yourself

After working in women’s football as part of my university degree, I produce round up raps about each weekend’s fixtures on Instagram and TikTok.

abi

What was your favourite part about recording the bonus episodes? 

Actually just meeting everyone. We’d had Zoom calls talking to each other but it was so great to finally see everyone in person and get to know each other. 

What topic were you most excited to discuss?

Surprisingly, it was how we as young people can handle the cost of living crisis – initially this wasn’t the one I thought I would like talking about the most, but it was really interesting to talk about it with other young people and learn a bit more about it.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself

I’m a singer! I finished my grade 4 last summer and I’m looking to finish grade 5 soon.

katrina

What was your favourite part about recording the bonus episodes? 

Meeting the amazing team again! In addition, I feel like giving myself and the team the opportunity (again) to voice our perspectives on what is going on in the real world, helped spark the importance of listening to youth of all ages in hopes for a better change for our futures. 

What topic were you most excited to discuss?

The cost of living crisis. This is because as a young adult as well as a former student, I was able to speak on my personal perspective and experiences with how it has affected me. Also hearing what my roundtable partners and special guests had to say had changed my mindset to what I needed to do for my future such as save money and invest in items that benefit me for longer amounts of time. With this topic, I feel with what myself and my partners discussed can help other young people with advice and give the audience the sense that they are not alone as we can all relate in the struggles that we are currently facing.  

Tell us a fun fact about yourself

I’m always looking for the next challenge which is why I keep a bucket list on my phone of what I would like to achieve (realistic and unrealistic) to keep me motivated to keep active, inspired and gain new experiences/ memories. So far I have completed 4!