Project Spiral

How much can you tell about a person once you look at their genes? What information can you find, and what problems can you prevent? And furthermore - what happens once we start tinkering with someone's genetic makeup? In this episode, Elena Cothalis walks us through her role as a Genetic Counselor: the rewarding moments, the challenging moments, and the times that offer real opportunity for...

If you want to be secure in your viewpoint and opinions as a leader, making an effort to fully accept opposing perspectives may seem counterintuitive. But that's exactly what Taha Vahanvaty proposes. A recent high school graduate, Taha founded the Acceptance Project in his Pennsylvania hometown in an effort to support civil dialogue about divisive issues, and strength the community as a resul...

Is it possible for an individual, often thousands of miles away, to make a difference in a conflict? How do we start conversations, as Americans, about how to look within ourselves and in our structures to understand and advocate for change beyond our borders? These are questions that Sarah Sturm wrestles with every day as she works to reconcile peacemakers in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict… sta...

When we get to the moon again in a few years, who will be up there, and when can we start to build cities in space? Also, which laws will prevent us from having a Columbus 2.0: OuterSpace Edition? These and many other questions will be answered in our conversation with William Whittenbury, an Associate Mechanical Engineer who has worked on spaceships with NASA and other companies.  We explore how...

It’s no secret that plenty of American students fall through the cracks in the system. How can we create a foundation of trust and respect in our schools? Is there a more effective way to approach discipline? In our complicated, often lonely world of social media, how can students better connect with each other and with teachers? These are the questions we discuss on this week’s episode with Nate...

We constantly see headlines of one proposed education reform after another, but what do students actually think about what they need? In our second episode in partnership with The Door in New York City, listen to Moon and Raquel speak about what their idea of good schooling looks like - all  based on their personal experiences. They also discuss how they view technology, both as a time-wasting dis...

What does it actually mean to speak out? How can Gen Z  shape activism to be more inclusive and intersectional? Hear our first out of two episodes with members of the Youth Council of The Door, a New-York based organization that empowers young people to reach their potential. In this episode, Fadwa Yousef, Tiara Tillery and Mickey Zheng  give their perspective on what it means to be at the crossro...

What's it like to be a highly creative, talented artist operating in the "real" world where you still have to make ends meet?  Charlie Malcolm is exactly that: a multi-hyphenate creative working in the entertainment industry, currently developing an incredible original musical (seriously, go listen to his demos on his instagram page!) In this interview, we discuss how, in  creative...

Ok yes we all agree, we need to improve our education system, but how do we actually approach institutions with clear, achievable plans for change? Well, thank goodness Paul Moch Islas is here with some fresh ideas for a better future. In our interview we discuss Camino21, an organization Paul co-founded based in Mexico. Camino 21 works to equip students in higher education with the skills necessa...

What does "Stay at Home" mean if you don’t have a home? Being homeless is hard enough, but add a global pandemic and the emergency couldn’t be more dire. Thank goodness Eliane Lakam is on the task. Listen in to our conversation with Eliane all about her work to combat homelessness in the United States, and the surprisingly simple ways we can all get involved. When a problem seems insurmo...

Dear 2021... if you continue to be anything like your first few days, it’s going to be an interesting year! Hear Abbie and Tim look back on our past year of interviewing young speakers doing world-changing work and then discuss how we can all best move forward from here.  How do you progress when the answers aren't clear and inspiration isn't flowing? Today we explore our struggle of emb...

Yes, goals are important, but how can we shift our focus to embracing process? Maybe some people (*ahem* Abbie)  find this more difficult than others. Listen to our conversation with Joey Phoenix (they/them) as they describe how they support their community using writing, digital outreach, and even faerie troupes. We delve into questions of identity, hope, and productivity. Plus, Abbie digresses i...

There's an election coming up. You might of heard of it? We’ve all been getting a lot of political news recently, but who are the individuals behind the stories? What is their process, why are they engaged in this work, and what do they worry about? Listen to Story Hinckley discuss her experience as a political reporter for the Christian Science Monitor, covering stories on the ground across...

As our world continues to get more uncertain, people like Carolina Lozada give us the steady hope we need. She works in Microfinance, a banking field that provides loans to low-income families and individuals. On this week's episode, Carolina discusses how Microfinance works and why it's essential in jumpstarting local economies. We talk about what it means to be a young person with fres...

Meet Mariam, an Iraqi student who at nineteen has already studied around the world and breaks barriers each place she goes. Hear how she finds hope wherever she is, whether it’s through organizing a local Women’s Day march in Bosnia, applying to schools despite discouragement, and confronting damaging stereotypes in witty ways. 

What if you want to pursue theater and politics at the same time? What do we do with the myriad of narratives that shape a fractured America? In this conversation, Jordan recounts how he has dealt with stories from across the US, whether in handling mail sent to President Obama and performing his own work based on interviews with every-day Americans. Jordan offers a take of what it means to follow...

It's easy to say "Anyone can be an artist!" But what does it really mean to think creatively in a practical sense?  Listen to Miranda Aisling delve into her story of opening up a community arts organization, her vision for enabling a more creative world, and how to impact communities using the arts beyond traditional systems.

Meet Tilly Krishna, a high school senior with a passion for bringing her community together to support essential causes. You know. Just your average world-saving hobby. Tilly advocates for students’ mental health and rallies friends to stand for Black Lives. In this episode, we discuss how Tilly has organized her advocacy from creating an Anti-Racist calendar to writing speeches, and what it means...

We need stories that give us hope, courage and power in the face of global injustice. Where do those stories come from? Tune in to this week’s episode to hear Azmera Hammouri-Davis talk about her recent work with her organization Break the Boxes, as well as how she practices the Brazilian martial arts practice Capoeira and performs spoken word poetry. We explore how this work can provide a spiritu...

So, ok, we get it, you want to change the the world. But...Is it best to go at it alone or as part of a team? What does real, meaningful leadership mean in 2020 as you're trying to take an idea from theory to reality. This conversation with Antoine will leave you with new perspectives about the individual versus the collective and goal setting while maintaining flexibility. Plus, it turns out...

Creating a critically-acclaimed feature film is no easy feat. Come hear from experienced French filmmaker Jenna Suru about her path following a “screaming from the heart” to make meaningful stories on screen. We discuss how she formed her company, brought others on board with her vision, and her advice to other young creative individuals.  

Are people saying change isn't practical? Well, who exactly defines what’s “practical?” Join our discussion of one person’s path to running for local office, featuring how young people can reshape the agenda beyond what established power bases want, and how they can work together to create a better and fairer democracy. Plus - how precisely can you run a campaign during a pandemic?

Today, as in several other times throughout history, we as a global community face isolation and sacrifice with no clear end in sight. Today we discuss: how do we be the best versions of ourselves during this crisis, and how do we use this time as an opportunity to be much-needed changemakers?

It’s one thing to come up with a great idea, but how do you take that spark and fan it into a fire of fruition? (Not a bad metaphor, huh?) Join Drew Edwards and Nathan Okiror as they reflect how they’ve worked together to build a functioning nonprofit - starting from reading “Non-Profits for Dummies” in Barnes and Noble to running a successful organization impacting kids’ education in Uganda and s...

When we talk about improving accessibility for people with disabilities, how can it make all of our lives better? Join the conversation with Miso Kwak, a blind researcher and educator, to hear her thoughts, experience, and advice for us.