One year complete for The Global Shuffle Podcast
Between 2008 and 2014 I had the privilege of travelling to more than 25 countries and meeting incredible people from over 120 countries. These experiences gave me the chance to sit down over meals and have great conversations that widened my perspective on the realities that people faced abroad, made me question my own beliefs and values, and ultimately made me more aware of what how much I didn't know.
In 2014 I returned to living permanently in Canada, and I noticed that I wasn't having these same conversations anymore and that more and more I was starting live in an "echo chamber".
We've seen this phenomenon obtain more attention in 2016. The year saw a lot of challenges worldwide, and a big portion of them relate back to this idea of openness. More and more through our social media consumption and our networks of like-minded acquaintances we are becoming sucked into these "echo chambers".
I am under no illusions that a podcast alone can bridge this divide. My intentions though in setting out to do this podcast is in the hope that we can go beyond what we hear in the news, and without having to travel can hear the perspectives of others from around the world.
Some examples of the types of interviews I've done towards this aim include:
- Lucas Florez, who detailed his experiences growing in Colombia during the age of Pablo Escobar, described how accurate the "Narcos" portrayal of that time was, and what his thoughts were on the 2016 Colombian peace deal.
- Tala Mansi, who shared stories about her experiences working with Syrian refugee children in Lebanon
- Hugo Pereira who provided his take on the growing electric vehicle movement worldwide based on the work he is doing towards this aim in the Netherlands
- Mayor Jim Watson of Ottawa, and Member of Parliament Raj Saini who opened up about their the role of modern public servants today
- Akira Sakano from Japan, who detailed her initiative to create zero waste cities
I'm very grateful for each person who took some time to share their perspective with myself and each of the listeners. Each of the 52 interviews taught me something new, as well as giving me the chance to improve my skills each day as a podcast host.
As I move into 2017, I'll be looking to continue to find guests that bring important on-the-ground perspective from other countries that I believe are worth sharing
Thank you all who have supported this initiative, and if you haven't tried listening to podcasts yet there's never been a better time.
Cheers,
Derek
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You can tune into The Global Shuffle on the iPhone Podcast App, Soundcloud and any major podcast app. You can also follow the Global Shuffle on Facebook, Twitter or visit the website.
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