Case study: Discuss and Devour Podcast

“Discuss and Devour” is a podcast series developed by young people to voice their opinions on various issues while bridging the intergenerational gap. Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation (RSAF) launched the project for young people aged 11–21, and it was held at Hackney Bridge. The project supported eight young participants – three female, five male – from East London from diverse ethnic backgrounds (50% mixed ethnic background, 50% Black).

Six podcasts were filmed on topics including mental health, LGBTQ+, TV vs YouTube, fashion trends, supporting a friend’s business, TikTok trends, dating and romantic relationships. The series also included episodes on catcalling, confidence, relationships, communication, personalities and attraction, and interpersonal communication.

Project Impact

The project’s impact included participants developing technical skills, communication skills, confidence and stronger relationships.

1. The project enabled the participants to develop sector-specific technical skills, including hosting, videography, sound engineering, production, set design, and lighting.

• 100% of the young people agreed they had developed sector-specific skills.
• 50% of caregivers saw improvements in the young people’s knowledge of the creative industry, while the other 50% said it remained about the same.

The RSAF team shared that the participants felt the podcast added value to their professional profile:

“The podcast sessions were [like] a job for her because she was paid for her time. This is something she valued. She can now include this experience on her CV. She also learned how to produce and submit an invoice for her time on the podcast.” – RSAF

2. The project enabled the participants to develop stronger communication skills. 

• 88% of participants reported better communication with peers.
• 63% reported better communication with family members.
• 63% reported better communication with other adults.

“I was able to learn three things: I learned how to host, how to carry a conversation and how to communicate with other people.” – Participant, Discuss and Devour

3. The project also increased the participants’ agency and confidence by co-creating and co-identifying the podcast themes.

• 100% felt more confident since starting the project.
• 75% believed they could achieve their goals. 
• 75% of caregivers reported improved confidence in their child.

 “There were times when we wanted to take control of some of their actions, but instead, we chose to support their agency, acknowledge their ability to act freely and make their own free decisions while being aware of the potential negative or positive outcomes.” – RSAF

3. The project also focused on allowing the participants to form meaningful relationships. This was achieved through check-ins, during which the young people shared their feelings and personal events. The organisation highlighted that this enabled the group to bond and build meaningful relationships.

“[My child] grew tight bonds and built better relationships with friends” – Parent of a participant.

The RSAF team believed that the project also enabled young people to be more receptive to constructive criticism and open-minded when speaking to people with differing opinions. Participant testimonials confirmed this: “[I] became more emotionally mature and can now control my emotions when someone says something I don’t agree with.” – Participant, Discuss and Devour

The participants’ caregivers have watched the podcasts, and the team believes the podcasts have encouraged the parents to be more supportive of their child’s creative ambitions, encouraging them to “put more effort into their children”. 

75% of the caregivers agreed that the podcasts helped them to understand their child better. 

Project Legacy 

The project enabled the participants to access several opportunities and engage with other creators. The collaboration with another production, “Moving on Up,” allowed the participants to film podcasts while working with different teams.

One of the episodes was uploaded to “Made You Think,” a popular urban blog, and received 34,400 views, 251 likes, and 65 comments. Two young people were invited to the YouTube Head Office in London to “inspire and motivate them.” This experience inspired them to film additional content for the podcast series. 

This project enabled young people to access unique opportunities, reach broader audiences, and meet professionals in podcast production. The RSAF team shared how the project inspired the participants to pursue various creative ventures beyond the podcast, such as acting and music production. 

This project enabled RSAF to develop its organisational capacity. RSAF used its social media platforms to promote content rather than external platforms, where delays had previously been experienced. The team plans to build a workstation for the editor, minimising the lag between filming, editing, and uploading content and allowing more content to be uploaded frequently. This project enabled project leads to gain experience in meaningful youth engagement.

“It is quite challenging to contact the social media platform we use to promote the podcasts. This has forced us to look at our social media presence and network in-house. Our newly-developed strategy is to build up traffic and followers on the [social media] platforms so that we do not have to look [for] external platforms for exposure.” – RSAF

“This project helped us gain and develop knowledge and experience in some of the most important areas for meaningful youth engagement, which we will apply to future projects.” – RSAF