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Movies and Media for Teens and Tweens

Express Yourself!

Release Date: 04/25/2025

Galactic Getaway show art Galactic Getaway

Express Yourself!

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” Norman Vincent Peale   Host Saanvi Phaneendra take you on a journey into the world of rockets, space, and the story of her nonprofit, Galactic Getaway. Her Eagle Scout project turned into a mission: bringing museum-quality rocket exhibits into libraries and universities across the San Francisco Bay Area to inspire kids, teens, and adults about the future of space exploration. Over the next half hour, she shares the vision behind Galactic Getaway, the rockets she chose, how she researched and curated their...

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How Teens Can Stay Healthy show art How Teens Can Stay Healthy

Express Yourself!

“Self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” – Eleanor Brown   Host, Julia, is an athlete and a healthy teen. In today’s program, she talks about how teenagers can stay healthy. She highlights student researchers who are part of the Hitting the Wall Curriculum project that she founded in 2023. Hitting the Wall is a movement dedicated to fostering positive change within the teen-girl endurance sports community, empowering healthier and happier athletes. The research program, in collaboration with SFUSD schools, UCSF researchers, professional athletes, and...

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Is Democracy Dying? show art Is Democracy Dying?

Express Yourself!

“Democracies may die at the hands not of generals but of elected leaders—presidents or prime ministers who subvert the very process that brought them to power. “ - Steven Levitsky   Host Keerthi brings substance and humor to a very serious topic: democracy. Democracy is a mess. It’s a beautiful, chaotic, meme-worthy mess. Democracy has made mistakes. Big ones. But she’s evolving. Citizens should be worried about voter suppression, disinformation overload, political polarization, cynicism, and apathy. Democracy isn’t perfect because people aren’t perfect. When this country...

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Helping to Educate Schools in Other Countries show art Helping to Educate Schools in Other Countries

Express Yourself!

"To every child – I dream of a world where you can laugh, dance, sing, learn, live in peace, and be happy" - Malala Yousafzai   Host Sharanya Roy doesn’t believe brilliance is limited by borders. She recently returned from Africa where she witnessed children eager to learn and study, with a profound quest for knowledge. Learning is freedom. It’s power. And it deserves to be shared. To bring computer science education to underprivileged societies, Be the Star You Are!® teenager, Sharanya, founded the organization PlotLyft.  She is currently working with the young Maasai...

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Staying Fit for Summer show art Staying Fit for Summer

Express Yourself!

  “The body achieves what the mind conceives!” Napoleon Hill   Julia and Kirpa host a program about how to stay fit during the summer and beyond. Reporter Milan talks about ways to exercise, participating in sports, enjoying healthy foods, and having fun. Kirpa shares that summer is a great time to switch up your fitness routine and take advantage of the outdoors. To stay motivated, she encourages exercising with a friend, joining a summer fitness challenge, or even mixing in fun outdoor sports can keep you accountable and inspired. Summer heat can pose real risks during physical...

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Sun Protection show art Sun Protection

Express Yourself!

Ah, summer. The season of beach days, barbecues, road trips, and popsicles that melt faster than you can eat them. But while you're out there living your best summer life, the sun is doing its thing too, shining bright and sending down those sneaky UV rays. Host Kirpa and reporter Milan discuss ways to have fun in the sun while protecting your skin and body.Your eyes, skin, and immune system can all be affected by sun exposure.  Sunscreen, sunglasses, long-sleeved shirts, and a hat are critical when spending time in the sun. An umbrella will help with sun protection. Slather on the SPF....

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Traveling show art Traveling

Express Yourself!

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” — Anonymous Travel is more than just moving from one place to another—it's a doorway to discovery, growth, and wonder. Every journey, no matter how short or far-flung, carries the potential to shift perspectives, awaken the soul, and spark adventure in the most unexpected ways. Reporter Kirpa Gill hosts her very first episode of Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio with a topic of traveling. She shares how, beyond the thrill and excitement, travel deepens our understanding of the world and ourselves. We begin to see how diverse,...

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The Big Hop and Aeronautics show art The Big Hop and Aeronautics

Express Yourself!

“In 1919, when the world was grounded by war and pandemic, a few brave souls looked up—and dared to fly into history." – inspired by The Big Hop by David Rooney In 1919, in Newfoundland, four teams of aviators raced to be the first to fly, non-stop, across the Atlantic. Only one team, after a death-defying flight, made it to Ireland. Host Saanvi Phaneendra interviews author, David Rooney, about his book THE BIG HOP, the inspiring story of the pathbreaking journey and the aviators who risked their lives to make history. In segment two, Saanvi flies from the edges of the solar system to...

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Our Earth, Our Responsibility show art Our Earth, Our Responsibility

Express Yourself!

“ The environment is no one’s property to destroy; it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect.” - Mohith Agadi ·       In most cultures around the globe, the planet Earth is portrayed as a powerful female god, a nurturer, and a creator. These powerful symbolisms and beliefs remind us that the natural world provides humans with the necessities, tools, and well-being for survival. Diya hosts a program about the responsibility of humans to care for Mother Earth as our planet takes care of us. This interdependence among the living organisms and our...

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Summer! show art Summer!

Express Yourself!

Summer “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald   Keerthi and Julia offer a fun-filled sunshine show about summer. Keerthi starts off with a hysterical riff on how she is now a senior citizen at the old age of 16 with all the wisdom that entails. With oodles of humor with concrete ideas on how to spend a productive summer. A few of her suggestions include starting a business, volunteering, reading,...

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Effervescent teen host, Julia Howe, orchestrates a lively radio broadcast focused on movies and interviews two radio reporters from KIDS FIRST. Julia says that teen movies shape the way teens think about growing up, relationships, and offer a sense of identity. The movies she highlights have been a mirror to high school lives and, at times, an escape from them. From Ferris Bueller, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Clueless to Mean Girls, Lady Bird, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, High School Musical 2, and more, today’s teen films are breaking new ground. Julia then interviews Ashleigh and Kinsley, two KIDS FIRST film critics. They talk about how their backgrounds in debate and acting have helped them be KIDS FIRST reporters. They also offer their opinions on what they’d like to see changed or modified in the entertainment industry. KIDS FIRST empowers youth to navigate today's media through film-based learning, developing critical thinking, communication, and cultural understanding. Ashleigh and Kinsley discuss how they have grown from their involvement with KIDS FIRST.

 

Bios

Ashleigh C. (20), of Virginia, is a researcher at George Mason University, studying Youth Participatory Action research and an advisor for Bridge USA’s High School Program for retooling civic/political discourse in today’s youth. She teaches STEM to girls through a female-led, non-profit named Posse Empowerment. She loves sharing her opinions about entertainment through KIDS FIRST! She loves the film, Just Go With It because it’s fun, inspiring actors and has a clear message. She admires Chris Evans, for his acting and his contribution to ending political discourse, just like Captain America. Danai Gurira is her favorite actress, for portraying a strong African American female in The Walking Dead. She is a Speech & Debate Champion and President of her high school speech and debate team.

Kinsley H. (age 1​3) lives in Missouri. She joined KIDS FIRST! because she wants to be more involved in the entertainment industry. Her favorite actress is Millie Bobby Brown, because she plays characters that are strong role models. Kinsley enjoys musical films such as 13: The Musical and Matilda the Musical and has performed in many of them at her local community theater. Recently, she played HeeShe in Giants in the Sky: A New Children’s Musical,Ballet Girl in Freckleface Strawberry and Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island. Her biggest accomplishment was being cast as Jane Banks in Mary Poppins, Jr., which was her first role in the big theater. She intends to pursue an acting career and perform on Broadway. When not performing or working for KIDS FIRST!, she spends her time ice skating.

KIDS FIRST! / Coalition for Quality Children's Media

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