The Voices Among Us

The Voices Among Us is a three-episode podcast series exploring podcasting as a way to tell the stories of elderly individuals in assisted living facilities in Phoenix. The project chronicles my journey trying to create this podcast series, addressing the technical challenges of learning how to podcast and the personal challenges I encountered in trying to find a way to connect the elder's stories to millennials. The podcast episodes, hosted at www.thevoicesamongus.weebly.com, include interviews with 3 men at Bethany Gardens Assisted Living and Oakmont Luxury Assisted Living in Phoenix, a caregiver at Bethany Gardens, the CEO of a Phoenix-based podcasting app, and the hosts of the Absolute Geek Podcast, a Phoenix-based production. The project was inspired by my grandmother, who I talk to weekly on the phone. I realized that I've gained so much insight, perspective and wisdom from these phone calls with my grandmother and I wanted to create a way for other millennials to have a similar experience. The millennial generation comprises the majority of podcast listeners, making podcasting my medium of choice to share these stories and advice of the elderly. The Voices Among Us highlights the beauty and benefit that comes when people make a conscious choice to engage with our society's elders. It is a project that combines the valuable information provided by all of the interviewees with my own personal insights and reflections as a journalist and a millennial, proving that there are voices and stories all around us that are incredibly valuable to our entire society.