Hosted by Benjamin Wong, 14-year old self-proclaimed “news-iac”, Fireflies explores the hottest topics of today’s political landscape from the perspectives of everyday teens. From the Black Lives Matter movement to anti-trust laws, Ben and two new weekly debaters will keep kids informers and entertained with bipartisan and relevant ideas, because even though we may come small, we have bright minds, and big ideas
Police Reform: Is Systemic Racism a Major Issue in American Policing?
With the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Jacob Blake, of many, many are calling for significant changes to the traditional American Police Force. New host Benjamin Wong, joined by 15-year olds Donovan Zagorin and Alexis Salen from Upland High School will be discussing the numerous factors of reform, including defunding, reallocation of police budgets, a potential ban on chokeholds and no-knock warrants, and lastly, racial profiling and systemic racism.
*Sources for this episode include NPR.org, Vox.com, theHill.com, among others. Please reach out directly to the Fireflies team with any concerns,
*The views expressed in this episode are personal and do not represent those of the people, organizations, or institutions related to the Fireflies podcast.
9 Sept 2020
The New Host of Fireflies...
Recently, we've been doing a lot of work to find a new host for the acclaimed Fireflies podcast. We've narrowed down our search and are proud to reveal Benjamin Wong, also the host of Kidfinity Studios' Kid CEO! (//kidfinity.co/kid-ceo)
2 Sept 2020
Noah's News Update: California Fires and HOW TO VOTE
*initially recorded on August 26th, 2020*
*Edit: States differ on their requirements for how to vote, so some might allow you to register to vote earlier*
In this episode, Noah discusses the recent California fires, including the underlying issues behind these disasters. In addition, he talks about how to vote in the upcoming election, whether through mail or in-person, and also covers the importance of participating in the voting process. Unfortunately, we were not able to release episodes for the past few weeks, and this week only a news update; we apologize for this inconvenience, and we will do our best to continue regular debates in the future.
Join our company with the Kidfinity Job Application (https://forms.gle/A94WzFQSqEKrEvgP7)!
Register to become a debater or host using the Fireflies Application (https://forms.gle/kwHZrS98nnirn9UYA)!
Fill out the Kidfinity Studios Survey (https://forms.gle/8nSDziMK5tks1r2r8) to be part of a future giveaway and help us improve our company!
12 Aug 2020
Play or Stay: How Will Youth Sports Reopen this Coming School Year?
*initially recorded on August 11th, 2020*
Welcome back to the show! In this episode, Noah (still the host) is joined by 15-year-old Andrew Left and 15-year-old Benjamin Germann to discuss the future of youth sports in the United States. They will share their own experiences with the pandemic and use examples from professional sports to support their thoughts on the reopening of youth athletics this coming school year.
Join our company with the Kidfinity Job Application (https://forms.gle/A94WzFQSqEKrEvgP7)!
Register to become a debater or host using the Fireflies Application (https://forms.gle/kwHZrS98nnirn9UYA)!
Fill out the Kidfinity Studios Survey (https://forms.gle/8nSDziMK5tks1r2r8) to be part of a future giveaway and help us improve our company!
5 Aug 2020
Noah's News Update: The Beirut Explosion and Tech Antitrust Hearing
*initially recorded on August 4th, 2020/ Beirut data from the date of recording*
*Edit: Some states allow you to register to vote before you are 18, but you cannot vote until after you turn 18*
Welcome back to the show! In today's episode, Noah Golder will provide a news update and discuss the tragic explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, and last week's antitrust hearing featuring CEOs from Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple. We still haven't finalized a new host yet, and this episode will unfortunately not include two kid debaters. But don't worry! Regular episodes will continue next week!
Join our company with the Kidfinity Job Application (https://forms.gle/A94WzFQSqEKrEvgP7)!
Register to become a debater or host using the Fireflies Application (https://forms.gle/kwHZrS98nnirn9UYA)!
Fill out the Kidfinity Studios Survey (https://forms.gle/8nSDziMK5tks1r2r8) to be part of a future giveaway and help us improve our company!
29 Jul 2020
The Real Test Question: Should Colleges Be Allowed to Require Standardized Test Scores for Admission?
It's time to settle the score. In this episode, Noah Golder is joined by 17-year-old Grace Marchant and 15-year-old Savannah Keller to discuss the future of standardized testing in the United States. They will debate whether or not colleges should be able to require standardized test scores for admission, possible alternatives to this system, and how the debate with state testing fits into the standardized testing discussion.
*initially recorded on July 23rd, 2020*
Fill out the Kidfinity Studios Form (https://forms.gle/gEpWRPW9fzVBro1A7) to be part of a future giveaway and help us improve our company!
By the way, we were recently featured in a local news article (https://www.dailybulletin.com/2020/07/21/two-upland-teens-produce-kids-only-debate-podcast-during-coronavirus-pandemic/) by Steve Scauzillo over at the Daily Bulletin! We would love it if you checked it out! At, Fireflies, we are doing our best to stay engaged in society's pressing issues and are still growing and developing. Please feel free to send any constructive feedback, and we will take it into account for future episodes!
22 Jul 2020
Black Lives Matter: How Can We Solve Racial Bias in Society? (Hosted/ Noah Golder)
On this episode, Noah is joined by 15-year old Ted Le and 14-year old Angelica Gordon to discuss pressing topics relevant to the Black Lives Matter movement, including how we can educate future generations on racial equality, whether or not defunding the police can do more good than harm, and other questions relating to the protests.
By the way, we were recently featured in a local news article (https://www.dailybulletin.com/2020/07/21/two-upland-teens-produce-kids-only-debate-podcast-during-coronavirus-pandemic/) by Steve Scauzillo over at the Daily Bulletin! We would love it if you checked it out!
*This episode was originally recorded on June 12, 2020, and was intended to be our first ever episode, but the Fireflies team made the decision to delay the episode due to its sensitive subject matter. Fireflies deeply cares about each and every one of our hosts, debaters, and listeners, and we do our best to come across in an objective, professional manner. Thank you for your understanding.
15 Jul 2020
TikTalk: Should the United States ban TikTok? (Hosted/ Noah Golder)
Welcome to the second-ever episode on Fireflies! In this debate, teens Noah, Aaron, and Ethan will discuss the recent news that the United States might ban Tik Tok, a popular social media app that has recently captivated the younger generation. They will also delve into data mining, individual expression, the possible dangers of TikTok interaction, and whether TikTok is overall helping or hurting kids.
We, as Fireflies, are doing our best to stay engaged in society's pressing issues and are still growing and developing. Please feel free to send any constructive feedback, and we will consider it in future episodes!
8 Jul 2020
The Future of Distance Learning: How and When Can Schools Reopen?(Hosted/ Noah Golder)
Welcome to the show! In this podcast's first episode, listen to Noah, Ben, and Oma discuss distance learning. The three kids will delve into various topics, including how schools will reopen in the fall, the debate on private vs. public schools, and how kids can make the most of this difficult time. We, as Fireflies, are doing our best to stay engaged in society's pressing issues and are still growing and developing. Please feel free to send any constructive feedback, and we will consider it in future episodes!
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