‘Dinner Table Talk:’ How This New Podcast is Empowering Unificationists
FFWPU-USA
Two Unificationists in their early 20s have launched an exciting new podcast, “Dinner Table Talk,” aimed at educating and empowering young people. Soonmee Iwasaki and Stephanie Dias came in third place with the proposed podcast after two rounds of stiff competition in the national and regional S!NERGY event, hosted by Youth and Students for Peace (YSP) USA online in December 2020 and January 2021.
The first episode of Dinner Table Talk, aired January 10, has since been viewed more than 500 times on YouTube.
“This podcast was our submission for the competition,” said Iwasaki. “But it’s so much more than that. It’s easy to get consumed by our own national problems during the past year, and I found myself asking questions like, ‘How do I become really engaged with issues beyond my own personal sphere?’ Dinner Table Talk is our solution.”
The podcast, presented by the two friends on YouTube and Instagram, aims to bring factual global news to social media as a means to better educate the next generation about sustainability.
“Ninety percent of social media users are Millennials and Generation Z,” said 22-year-old Iwasaki, a Philadelphia native. “We account for 42 percent of the U.S. population, and yet, only 18 percent of this group uses social media for news.”
“When you sit down with your family and dine, you never know who will bring up the topic of the night,” added Dias, 20, from New York City. “Dinner Table Talk can lead to deep conversations, understanding, and even action.”
The podcast’s topics will center on the 17 Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations’s Agenda 2030. According to the Pew Research Center, most people in the U.S. are uninformed of the UN’s target sustainability goals, and incorporating the SDGs was part of the S!NERGY competition criteria.
Iwasaki and Dias said they plan to partner with other organizations and invite young leaders as guests on the podcast who can share empowering stories and projects related to the SDGs.
“Connecting people with the purpose of strengthening civic life is our goal,” said Dias. “At the core of our joint efforts is the belief that every person has the ability to help their community and country thrive.
Dinner Table Talk will be a source of reliable information as we discuss topics that align with the SDGs.”
Established by the UN in 2015, the SDGs have been adopted by 193 nations. In their debut episode of Dinner Table Talk, Iwasaki and Dias focused on SDG 17–Partnerships for the Goals–outlined as: A successful development agenda requiring inclusive partnerships at the global, regional, national, and local levels built upon shared principles and values, and upon a shared vision and shared goals placing people and the planet at the center.
“Strong international cooperation is needed now more than ever and SDG 17 brings it home for all of the other sustainability goals,” said Dias.
“Our podcast is merely a tool for greater connection and network,” added Iwasaki. “It’s a source of empowerment, providing education toward a peaceful world of interdependence, mutual prosperity, and universal values.”
Dinner Table Talk will cover SDG 10: Reducing Inequalities in the next episode airing in February.
To learn more, you can check out the monthly Dinner Table Talk podcast on YouTube and Instagram.
