Celebrating excellence in UVic student podcasting
The University of Victoria Libraries student podcast award is intended to recognize and celebrate the high-quality work being created by UVic students in the world of podcasting. The contest is meant to highlight and demonstrate the ways students are living UVic’s values of “engaged learning and real-life involvement to contribute to a better future for people and the planet.”
Congratulations to the 2023 winning submissions from Elijah Buffalo, and Julia Parmar and Jessica Zaza.
Elijah Buffalo, Metawewin: “Molecular Decolonization with Dr. Michael Yellowbird” episode
Elijah Buffalo is from the Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, AB, Treaty 6 and resides on Lekwungen and WSANEC territory with his partner and two stepchildren. Currently a student at UVic, he is on the path to medical school at UBC’s Island Medical Program.
Elijah's interest in health, fitness, sports, and medicine finds expression through his podcast, Metawewin (meaning to play in Nehiyawewin). The podcast serves as a platform for discussions with diverse guests, including Indigenous athletes, Elders, academics, leaders, and allies. Metawewin facilitates learning and connection with Indigenous individuals globally, focusing on topics like sports, medicine, and their roles in Indigenous resurgence and decolonization.
Originally conceived to address barriers in mainstream sports for Indigenous people, the podcast has evolved into a more comprehensive exploration. Metawewin takes a holistic approach, examining how sports and movement-based practices influence the ceremonies and relationships Indigenous communities have with the land, waters, and more-than-human relatives. In doing so, it underscores the enduring importance of these elements in Indigenous cultures.
Links to podcast:
Julia Parmar and Jessica Zaza, Teacher Talk: Holy Shirt! How to Live Sustainably in a World of Fast Fashion
Julia Parmar
Jessica Zaza
Julia and Jess are secondary teacher candidates in UVic’s Teacher Education program. Their podcast was originally created as a part of their Transforming The World project for a Humanities course that prompted them to design a creative way to bring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into their future classrooms. They selected the UN’s twelfth goal of ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns worldwide, which then led them to the ever-relevant subject of fast fashion.
Their conversation addresses some of the human and environmental harm caused by the fast fashion industry; these future teachers also provide numerous alternatives to participating in the incessant trend cycles and mindless garment disposal habits that have become commonplace in our societies. Julia and Jess feel really passionate about using their role as teachers to emphasize student agency and capacity to create positive change on both a local and global scale. They hope that Teacher Talk: Holy Shirt! How to Live Sustainably in a World of Fast Fashion inspires any and every listener, from teachers to teenagers, to think twice about where they choose to buy their clothes; and to always remember — and advocate for — the hands who made them.
Listen to the winning podcasts on UVicSpace.