How the UnTextbooked Podcast Became a Platform for Social Change

How can a podcast bridge generations to make an impact on our future?

For the past two seasons, The History Co:Lab and Pod People have worked alongside teen change-makers to produce and build an audience for their podcast: UnTextbooked: A history podcast for the future. Providing logistical, creative, and marketing support, Pod People developed student interviews into an award-winning series.

“Pod People has done an amazing job of polishing the raw material to something that can attract a professional audience,” said Fernande Raine , Founder and Co-Lead of The History Co:Lab. “For guest interviews, whether it's museum curators, activists, or professors; their response to the podcast always is, ‘this is the best interview I've ever had.’”

“Our partnership with Pod People has allowed us to share the students’ authentic ideas in a refined way,” added CeCe Payne , Executive Producer of UnTextbooked. “And that has made a big difference.”

The show’s unique approach and first-rate quality has led to significant industry attention. UnTextbooked was a 2024 Ambies nominee for Best History Podcast, winner of Spotify's 2021 Next Wave Award, and featured multiple times by Apple and Amazon Music.?

“When we showcase the power of bridging generations and engaging in real conversations, amazing things happen for both sides,” said Raine. “It's the power of storytelling.”

The podcast has shown enormous potential to impact the next generation. “We're on track to getting these episodes into classrooms,” shared Payne. “We're in a moment right now where the educational landscape is making it hard for teachers to create a student-centered learning experience. And UnTextbooked is a resource that allows educators to create connections with students who want to be civically engaged.”

“If we are going to sustain and restore democracy and history education, as we know it, we have to do a full systems change approach. And UnTextbooked has been a shining example of what that can look like,” concluded Payne. “Every episode is an example of what happens when we listen to young people and we take their questions and their concerns seriously.”

To understand the transformative power of history education, listen to UnTextbooked wherever you get your podcasts. Not sure where to start? Check out this Ambies-nominated episode on Nuyorican spoken word poetry.

If you are looking to develop a podcast as a unique vehicle for social change, we’d love to help. Pod People makes and markets chart-topping podcasts for the world’s biggest brands and many non-profits, with over 50M listens and hundreds of award nominations.?