UPLAND – (INT) - When 13-year-old Benjamin Wong found out his school had closed in mid-March, he immediately turned all his attention to his podcast Kid CEO, which was six episodes strong. But with an end to his debate season at Pioneer Junior High (PJH), he knew he could go further.

Along with Noah Golder, 15, Ben gathered students at PJH and Upland High School to feature on the first episodes of a new kids podcast -- Fireflies: The Original Kids Debate Show. According to Noah, “we were seeking to brush up on our debate skills, increase kids’ understanding of pressing issues in society, and improve our productivity during quarantine.”

Fireflies gives kids a platform to unleash their unique opinions, because even though they may be small, they have bright minds and big ideas. Run and produced by Wong and Golder, each episode features a new guest host along with two youth debaters.

“Kids are often left out of the loop with opinions pushed to the side,” said 13-year-old podcast founder Benjamin Wong. “Fireflies will not only change that, but will inspire a new and more outspoken generation.”

Released every Wednesday starting on July 8th and inspired by podcasts like Intelligence Squared Debates, the podcast will stimulate solution-based discussion on topics such as the Black Lives Matter Movement and the future of distance learning. Fireflies will be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other podcast networks.

Story Date: July 17, 2020