/// AUDIOVERSITY ENLIGHTENING SOCIAL IMPACT

AudioVersity is an educational radio station that covers academic activity at Reichman University, allowing students to create audio content both in English and Hebrew, in a wide variety of fields like: current affairs, sports, culture, innovation, entrepreneurship and the climate crisis with a focus on sustainability.

They started the 2023 academic year with over 500 potential volunteers from the Israeli and international schools, all of whom were interested in creating audio content. Some of their recruits showed an interest in music, putting together a showcase of different musical styles, while others were more interested in podcasting, conveying a noticeable shift from online to offline, both of the students producing the content and the listeners who engage with it.

The world is experiencing a renaissance in audio technology thanks to its accessibility, availability and the short training time needed to create quality content. More and more academics recognize its potential and, in light of students’ preference to learn by listening, more academic content is being produced and used.

Just one example of the official podcasts of the various schools at Reichman University includes Talking Louder from the School of Government, which is presented by Ofek Tzah and Shaked Amosi

Another is a food tech podcast, aptly named FoodTech Nation hosted by Noy Bachar from the School of Communications and Nir Zut from the School of Sustainability and Government. A sustainability podcast that deals with the world of fast fashion and its impact on the climate crisis, along with the ethical issues of workers’ rights in the world of textiles, is hosted by Gili Levy, a student of Economics and Business Administration.

On the social front, in 2022 the University commemorated the International Day for the Rights of People with Disabilities with a special podcast presented by Yuval Gal, a communications student, in which she interviewed activists in the youth movement “Krembo Wings” and presented technological ventures that aid in accessibility for people with autism, and visual and hearing impairments.

The same year, students took part in annual World College Radio Day, a 24-hour college radio marathon with international radio stations creating programs around a theme, this time: Voice for Peace. Yvonne Saba and Ohad Merlin interviewed DUGRI - a nonprofit organization with the goal of creating content to unite young Jews and Arabs. Even in trying times, it is important to build bridges through culture and language as Ohad - a Masters student - has done in his Arabic language podcast 3rabrani. It it, he talks about his own language journey and issues relating to the Arab sector, from identity and social activism to music and art.

Students also expressed a big interest in mental health and mindfulness. In light of this they created a mental health podcast Thinking Out Loud hosted by Meg Shinagawa, a Computer Science Student who talks about the challenges and difficulties of being an international student living in Israel.