Teen from Lisburn makes young people’s voices heard as she hosts The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award’s podcast
Abiya George, 15, from Lisburn, joins TV chef Matt Tebbutt, broadcaster and disability activist Lucy Edwards, firefighter and psychologist Dr. Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, and travel journalist Ash Bhardwaj as she hosts a new podcast exploring the answers to the big questions young people have about life.
Navigating Now, from The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE), is a co-creation between seven Award participants aged 14-24, and award-winning production company Mags Creative.
The young hosts dissect and comment on two big questions per episode, with themes spanning politics and global issues, right through to social media and careers, as they listen to suggestions and advice sent in from celebrities and experts.
A first series of Navigating Now received an industry respected ARIAS award nomination. Building on its success, the DofE charity is releasing two new episodes, launching on Wednesday 28 August. Each episode is narrated by 16-year-old Elsie and hosted by three young people – with episode one co-hosted by Abiya.
In Episode One ‘Navigating... The UK Today,’ Abiya and her co-hosts discuss the cost-of-living crisis and how to deal with the pressures of becoming an adult.
Chef and TV presenter Matt Tebbutt speaks about his attitude to becoming an adult, saying: “I did things naively. I jumped in and I think that was the best way. Because I think that if you have too much knowledge of what you’re stepping in to, it might put you off. So absolutely – feet first, say yes, jump in. What’s the worst that could happen?”
However, Abiya, who achieved her Bronze Award through Belfast Activity Centre (BAC), admits that she is more of a planner: “I plan everything!
"I'm only 15 and I already know that I'm going to have 125 people at my wedding. And I've already decided who 39 of them are!
"So, I find it difficult to just jump in and just go for it.”
But she admits that Matt’s advice could be worth a try, adding: “I think if you go with the flow and just take life as it comes, it's easier to keep going without hesitation or stress.”
The discussions in Navigating Now are informed by Youth Voices 2024 – a major research study published of more than 3,000 young people across the UK, published by The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award last month, which highlights the hopes and fears shared by their generation.
Abiya continued: “Youth Voices 2024 found that one of young people's main personal concerns is mental health, linked to concerns about entering adulthood.
"And I think if we take Matt's advice on just jumping in feet first and giving it a go, it can help with that sense of stress because when you think too much about something, that's usually when things start to go south.”
Each new podcast episode of Navigating Now focuses on issues in the UK and the wider world that impact the future of young people today, with episode two focusing on: “How can I make my voice heard on global issues?”, and “With so much going on in the world, how do I know what news to trust?”.