IndyKids Voices

In this episode, Gabriela describes her work with the National Partnership for New Americans, and how interconnected immigration and climate justice issues are! *Technical difficulties occurred during the recording process for this episode. We apologize for the sound quality, but this conversation was too good not to share!

Keisha Gilles is a Haitian American singer, actor, teaching artist, and cabaret performer in New York, N.Y who is currently featured in Aladdin on Broadway. She is also a cast member on the hit children’s series, Ms. Rachel, and has produced many of her own plays and theater projects. IndyKids has the pleasure of interviewing Keisha in October 2025. She talked about her journey to becoming a Broad...

Dr. Moiya McTier is an astrophysicist, folklorist, author, and science communicator. She has her own podcast, Pale Blue Pod , and is the author of the forthcoming book, Mothers of Invention: A History of Creativity from the Greek Muses . Hear all about how she ended up pursuing scientific research and folklore—first at Harvard and then at Columbia—and wound up forging her own career path that blen...

4th graders from P.S. 117Q in NYC explore the power of dance. They interview Kai Martinez , a professional choreographer, animation consultant and dancer, originally from Queens, NY. In the interview, students learn about Kai's journey to becoming a professional dancer and choreographer and learn what it was like to work on movies like Encanto and Spellbound!   Support IndyKids by visiting us...

The Gillen Brewer Interviewers are back and ready to learn about animals and their relationships with humans across time! In this episode, students from the Gillen Brewer School sit down with zooarchaeologist Evin Grody to uncover ancient animal facts—like whether people had pets 2,000 years ago or if anyone ever rode a zebra! Tune in for this paws-itively fun and fascinating journey through histo...

IndyKids reporters interview Amy Zimmer, the Bureau Chief of Chalkbeat New York, about phone policies in schools. This discussion dives into different policies, and how the treatment of phone use in schools impacts educators, students, and parents. Read "All About Phones" in our latest issue of the newspaper here: https://indykids.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IndyKids-Issue-89-Winter-2...

What’s it like to work at a sandwich shop? What is so magical about working with food? And how can you have a more equitable business for the community and the people who work there? IndyKids reporters interview the workers at Sea & Soil, a worker-owned sandwich shop! Noah and Hannah talk about how the idea of a worker-owned sandwich shop came about, how it benefits the community, and how a &q...

What’s it like to work at a museum? What obstacles does someone with a big job face? Why is it important to make monuments of real people who are alive right now? What is some advice for kids who love to draw and want to be an artist someday? IndyKids reporter Noel interviews Amy Andrieux, the chief curator and executive director of MoCADA, the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts.  Amy t...

Listen to IndyKids reporter Grace Stevens read her recent article, " The Way We Dress: How Dress Codes Can Be Connected to Systematic Racism and Sexism ." You can find the text version of this article and many more by visiting IndyKids.org .

Have you ever experienced a farm and a school put together? IndyKids reporters interviewed Jessenia Preciado, the Far Rockaway regional coordinator at Teens for Food Justice. Teens for Food Justice fights food insecurity by growing leafy greens including lettuce, cilantro, basil, parsley, Swiss chard and bok choy in hydroponic farms located inside public schools. This interview has been edited for...

Lara Bergen is the founder and director of Press Pass NYC, which is an organization that helps New York City public schools create and maintain their school newspapers. In the past 2 ½ years, Press Pass NYC has helped create 19 school newspapers in middle and high schools. More about Press Pass NYC : Press Pass NYC’s free programs are all in service of helping New York City public schools start an...

4th graders from P.S. 117Q in NYC explore the power of art. They reflect on their own ideas about art and interview Carlos Mateu, a painter, mural artist, poet, dancer, and teacher.    Support IndyKids by visiting us at IndyKids.org . Special thanks to Ms. Perry, Mrs. Maraj, Carlos Mateu, Claudine DeSola, and Groundswell! Music by Adrian Moring. About Carlos Mateu: Carlos Mateu was born in 1970 in...

IndyKids reporter CJ interviewed Shakira Barrera, a Nicaraguan-American actress and humanitarian. You can catch her playing a role in the upcoming Marvel series, Ironheart . They discussed her career, the challenges of being an actor, representation in Hollywood, Shakira's humanitarian efforts, and advice she has for young people who want to be actors. Theme music by Adrian Moring. Visit Indy...

Which planets are hot? Does a planet made of diamonds exist? Why hasn't there been an astronaut on the moon for 50 years? Has a spaceship ever flown near a black hole? Are humans treating space as badly as we're treating our oceans? Students at the Gillen Brewer School interview Dr. Erika Nesvold and ask her all of these questions and more!  Visit IndyKids.org to learn more about our new...

IndyKids reporters from P.S. 117Q in NYC explore the power of kindness. They interview Malachi Coleman, a 4-star football player from Lincoln, Nebraska who will play for the Nebraska Huskers next year. Because of his own experiences in foster care, Malachi founded Fly Like Chi, a foundation that brings sports and arts to children in foster care. Listen as IndyKids fourth graders go through the pro...

In episode 1 of the IndyKids Climate Crisis series, IndyKids reporters Mila and Melina interview Lucy Andrews, a scientist and PhD student in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California Berkeley. Lucy talks about why she loves being a scientist, her favorite part of the job, what ecosystems and fossil fuels are, and what they have to do with the...

IndyKids reporters Zahra, Lily, and Gibran interview Pati Rodriguez, a community organizer with Mi Casa Resiste and Frack Outta Brooklyn, and her daughter Gia Luna about their fight against National Grid’s fracked gas pipeline in Brooklyn. Key terms to listen for: Pipeline Fracked gas Toxic Discussion Questions: What does Pati say about the National Grid-owned North Brooklyn Pipeline? Why did Pati...

IndyKids reporter Luca interviews author and journalist Katie Worth about her book, Miseducation: How Climate Change is Taught in America . They discuss the connection between climate change and critical race theory, and how Katie views humans’ ability to shift their perspectives and make change. Key terms to listen for: Climate denialism Discussion Questions: What inspired Katie Worth to look int...

IndyKids reporters Cayzlen and Maliyah interview activist Jackie Fielder about her experiences organizing against the Dakota Access Pipeline and her role in the divestment movement happening in San Francisco. Key terms to listen for: Ancestral territories Reservation Treaty Tribal citizen Renewable energy Divestment / disinvestment Discussion Questions: What led Jackie to become a climate organize...

IndyKids reporters Charlotte and Lucas interview award-winning writer and environmental journalist, Antonia Juhasz, about her path in climate reporting, how she centers activists and impacted people in her coverage, and what gives her hope. Key terms to listen for: Solutions journalism Inequities Fenceline communities Climate disaster Food and fisheries Climate Expert/expertise Discussion Question...