Podcasts are popular. You decide when you listen and there’s a podcast for every existing topic. Two Windesheim students talk about this new medium.
‘Do you approve of the war in Yemen?
Journalism students Bjorn Struijlaart and Max Berendsen talk about geopolitical topics on their podcast ‘The International Game of Chess’ every two weeks.
What is your podcast about?
Bjorn: “About themes from international politics, for example transparency in the European Union or the protectionism of Trump. We explain the situation, play audio fragments of politicians, news reports and fitting music and tell a bit of history and we do some analysing.”
Why did you choose for this medium specifically?
“Podcasts are the rising medium. We ourselves have been listening to them for years. We met each other at the study programme. Because we are both ‘politic nerds’, we became close very quickly. We often had conversations and fierce discussions about politics. We thought they would also be interesting for others, so we started to record them. We also could have filmed them, but we dislike standing in front of a camera.”
“We did notice that improvising doesn’t really work. You’ll get a lot of chitchat without substance and no coherent story. We are now using a script in which there is a central theme we want to talk about. Beforehand we dive into the topic and think about how we should tell the story.”
Do you get a lot of reaction?
“We do and they’re not only positive. When we went to Israel for a special episode, we instantly received comments like: boycott this initiative! If you go against Israel, you’ll instantly be labelled as an anti-Semite or a ‘Jew hugger’ if you support Israel. You can never do it right. We try to respond to everything, except for when people are just bashing us.”
Why should we listen to The International Game of Chess?
“Almost everything the Netherlands do, starts on an international level. Law, economical decisions, who we wage war with. So it is important to have some level of understanding. We try to explain it in simple terms so every can understand it and we want to get people to think. For example: do you approve that our government keeps wars like the one in Yemen alive, which causes the population to have nothing to eat and a destroyed economy?” (JS)
You can listen to The International Game of Chess (NL: Het international Schaakspel) on SoundCloud, Spotify and iTunes
‘Self-development instead of watching Netflix’
First-years Business Administration student Max Louw (19) records a podcast about twice a month in Windesheim’s media centre about entrepreneurship and self-development, titeled ‘Young Inspirators Podcast.’
Why these themes?
“I think that young people can get more out of themselves. You often see that self-development only starts after the study, but it is much better to start early, instead of watching Netflix all the time. One of the things I talk about in my podcast is the social skills you’ll forever need in your life, like socialising. But also about the importance of setting goals and how you do that or about a new business model young people often take up: social media marketing.”
Why the podcast medium?
“I was in the media centre to record a pitch and while I was in the audio room, something inside me told me: you can do something with this. I regularly listen to podcasts myself and experience it as something nice. It’s easy to listen to on the train or in the car, so you are also productive while traveling. I also find it to be even more entertaining when you have something to watch, so I also have a camera pointed at me while I record my podcast. My podcast is also available on YouTube.”
Where do you get your knowledge from?
“Everywhere. For example through socialising or via major conferences and events. Not too long ago I visited the Career Fair, there I also took part in a presentation course. But also from big American entrepreneurs , who have their own YouTube channels where they share their knowledge. I also read books of course, I am currently reading ‘Rich dad, poor dad’. I can recommend that one to everyone! It is about how you manage money and how you can make money work for you. At school you mostly get the basics, but you don’t learn these kind of important lesson at your study programme. That’s why I find it so important to look further than just your studies.” (WvE)
You can listen to Young Inspirators Podcast via Spotify, iTunes and YouTube
Podcast about Windesheim
Inside Windesheim plans are being made to record a podcast, with its topic being: the university of applied sciences. The goal? Create a stronger bond between teachers, students, study programmes and the work field. Jasper Allema, drama teacher for the teacher education study programmes, is the initiator. Starting next academic year, most likely five podcasts will be produced and aired live in a cabaret/café atmosphere, with co-operation from win.’ The pilot is planned for June 20th, at 15:30 in the grandcafé in the G building, campus Zwolle. (RvA)
Large photo: Herman Engbers
