Riya Kataria is a youth activist who is passionate about speaking up and creating change in her community. She founded Picket Fence Academy, a not-for-profit organization that provides public speaking education to elementary and middle school students, encouraging the youth to make their voices heard. Kataria is also a writer and a leader for Next Generation Politics, a youth-led network that hosts group discussions and meetings on matters that resonate with the youth. In addition, Riya serves on the Board of Directors of the USA chapter of Greenkeepers, an international group of student environmentalists focused on fostering a greener world through small, obtainable steps. Her leading efforts have received recognition from many, including Michelle Obama.

In this episode: We discuss the current “work-to-rule” protest occurring among teachers in Fremont, CA and the role that students can play in the protest. We talk about the high living costs seen across Silicon Valley which has been a large factor in engendering this protest. We explore the recent political movements — March for Our Lives and the Women’s Rights — and the involvement of youth in these movements. We discuss the power that youth wield and thus why, in turn, it is important for them to stay informed. We also talk about the role of social media in our lives and how it serves as a platform to bring diverse people together. We’ll be back soon so be sure to subscribe whenever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Track Descriptions:
Fresh Air by jantrax | https://soundcloud.com/jantr4x
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Camera Shutter Lens by Dpoggioli | https://freesound.org/people/Dpoggioli/sounds/317272/
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Episode 1: The Rise of Teen Voices with Riya Kataria

The LenZ is a podcast that explores the evolving world of technology and social media through the lens of Gen Z. We are sitting down with the next generation of leaders, creators, and innovators to talk about their insight into this new generation of teens, the lessons they’ve learned and how they have made an impact.