Gen Talks

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Sanika and Tyler expose how the patriarchy disincentivizes men from acknowledging their feelings, resulting in higher suicide rates, depression, anger issues, and alcohol dependency among men. Emotions, vulnerability, and feelings are often stereotyped as feminine traits. In a patriarchal world, feminity equals weakness. However, with feminist advocacy, we can deconstruct such narratives, allowing men to access their feminity (i.e. their emotions). Enjoy the listen!

As Black History Month comes to an end, Sanika recounts how the women's rights movement has historically oppressed Black women, analyzes how Black History played a crucial role in propagating the women's rights movement, and highlights a few under-appreciated women from the Civil Rights Movement. This episode is dedicated to recognizing that women's rights advocacy has discluded Black women in the past in hopes of inspiring listeners to make their advocacy more consciously inclusive in the future. Happy Black History Month and enjoy the listen!

Last Wednesday, the Taliban in Afghanistan denied women the right to higher education. As men in Afghanistan walk out of their schools in protest, Sanika and Tyler highlight these stories and share what Afghan women want you to know. Listen in for a brief history of the Taliban's presence in Afghanistan, an analysis of the broader implications of the recent human rights violation, the eye-opening stories of a few women who fought for rights in Afghanistan, and a list of organizations you can donate to at the end! 

Share this episode with your friends and family and follow us on Instagram @newgen0 !

In this episode, Host Sanika Agarwalla invites her Iranian peer, Yalda Haghighat to take a deeper look into the women's rights protests taking place in Iran. On September 16, 2022, Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman, suspiciously died after being arrested by Iranian police for showing too much hair under her hijab. While this occurrence is not new to the people of Iran, it is a call to action: the people of Iran have since banded together to protest Iran's government, an autocratic regime. Agarwalla and Haghighat discuss the validity of the Islamic Republic of Iran's involvement in the population's personal lives, given that it is a theocracy. Haghighat shares insightful knowledge of the oppression Iranian people face every day, from bans on parties to inaccess to the internet. The two ask: how far will Iran's government go to maintain power? Haghighat reveals that the Iranian government often shuts down schools during times of protest, posing an even bigger question: Does Iran's government fear educated women? 

Sanika and Tyler have a raw conversation about the societal pressure for women to wear makeup. They recognize the aspirational nature of a world in which women can earn respect without a perfect lip and give a nod to women like Kim Kardashian for tapping into that very pressure to make millions. 

Sanika and Tyler explore a holistic perspective on the polarized debate: Roe v Wade. What if we took a step back from the nitty gritty of Abortion Rights in America and recognized the existence of this issue all over the world? This episode offers a side-by-side comparison of women's reproductive rights in China, Iran, and the United States, allowing for contextual clarity on the issue. Is this really about pro-choice and pro-life, or is it about the universal fight for bodily autonomy? Listen in to find out. 

Tyler Kinkema joins Sanika Agarwalla in discussing how the recent social media frenzy over the Johnny Depp - Amber Heard Trial negatively impacted victims of domestic violence. CAUTION: This perspective may surprise those active on social media, so we urge listening with empathy and open ears!

For Women's History Month, Sanika invites 9 guests (listed below) to share women who inspired them! Throughout history, credit has been taken away from many incredible women, so let's take some time to listen and learn about a few!

Guests in order: Tyler Kinkema, Madeleine Chen, Sophia Braskamp, Jaya Cagle, Anisha Puri, Siri Cherukuri, Jenny Chu, and Ashley Chemmalakuzhy. 

Sanika Agarwalla interviews Shree Allada, founder of the Health Sciences Club at The Hockaday School on the imbalance in education, opportunities, careers, and service for women in healthcare!

For the month of July, Mina, Claire, Elisa, and Emily focus on the history and importance of disability pride month, as well as the intersectionality between women’s rights and disability pride.

In addition, we’ve included a list of resources that you can support, engage with, and learn from.

www.womenenabled.org

www.deafwomenofcolor.org

www.dwu.org

wwda.org.au

www.understandingourdifferences.org

www.disabilityinsider.com

www.rootedinrights.org

For their last episode, Drewv and Kaylee join the new GenTalks leaders, Sanika, Emily, and Aishu, in highlighting notable LGBTQ+ womxn figures in both communities' rights movements and discussing common issues: gender roles and gender norms. Happy Pride Month!

Galicia Gordon joins Drewv and Kaylee to discuss why and how she founded Leading Learners as well as tips on balance and mental health. 

For more information on Leading Learners: https://www.leadlearners.ca/ 

Selin Ozunaldim is a 17-year-old gender equality activist from Istanbul, Turkey. She has participated in and led numerous organizations to become an inspirational changemaker. Find out what encouraged Selin to start activism work, why she continues to do it, how she's able to balance activism work with school and life, and much more! 

We've previously discussed how education is a big solution to many large issues such as mental health and cultural appropriation. Drewv and Kaylee are joined by Sheena and Adina to discuss the pros and cons related to America's education system from school shootings to the curriculum. 

**DISCLAIMER: new/gen believes that periods do not only affect girls but can affect all people. We understand that girls are not the only people who experience periods and this discussion on periods must be inclusive of everyone.** 

In this episode, Drewv and Kaylee discuss all things related to periods: pink tax, educational inequalities, and more!

Remember to follow us on Instagram @newgen0 and email us for any inquiries (new.gens2021@gmail.com)!

Misha and Devan, founders for Kids Inspire Difference, join us to discuss what child abuse looks like, how to reach out for help, how child abuse affects society, and more! Abuse knows no boundaries, so please reach out to the National Child Abuse Hotline if you are experiencing or see child abuse at (1-800) 4-A-Child or (1-800) 422 4453. 

In this special episode, Kaylee and Sheena are joined by Simran Kapoor, the founder of the Bottle Project, and Ananya Ohrie, the vice president of the Bottle Project. Learn about the Bottle Project and why Simran started the Bottle Project. We discuss how social media impacts on mental health, the mental health differences between generations, and how we should implement effective mental health education and support at school.

Drewv and Kaylee tackle the various issues involved in the entertainment, cosmetic, and fashion industries. They touch on cultural appropriation, fast fashion, and cancel culture along with solutions to what we can do as a society to combat these problems. 

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses the Pulse NightClub Shooting. 

As Pride Month is ending, Drewv and Kaylee talk about different aspects of LGBTQ+ rights, definitions, personal experiences, and recent events. Our goal is to try to spread awareness to fight against the oppression of sexual orientation and gender. 

One of the most important aspects of understanding womxn's rights stems from truly understanding what feminism is. In this episode, Drewv and Kaylee are joined by Adina Durden and Sheena Kwon to discuss the meaning of feminism.

What can we do to make a change in our community? High schoolers Drewv Desai and Kaylee Chien decide to tackle feminism on a global scale to address this question. We often primarily think about the injustice that occurs near us, so we wanted to start off the first episode with an introduction to womxn's rights in India.