Sarah Noble, Camilla Banda, Jehan AlMahmoud and Khadeja Ahmad Albuhaliqa developed the podcasts through the Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme. Training, mentoring, and grant support helped each young leader find a different way to use the microphone as a space for intercultural dialogue.
From listening to action
Sarah Noble’s The Hummingbird Collective responds to the sense of overwhelm that constant stories of conflict, displacement and global crises can create. The podcast gives guests space to tell fuller stories and ends each episode with a practical “Be the Change” action, inviting listeners to move from reflection to action.
Its first season produced eight episodes on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, reaching more than 700 listeners across 50 countries; short videos from the conversations generated more than 73,000 social media views, reaching 48,184 accounts and 3,515 engagements.
For guest Bahishta Notani, the starting point is shared humanity: “Every human being has a positive intention,” even when people speak different languages or understand customs differently.
In Zambia, Camilla Banda developed the 10-episode It’s Not Like That series to take conversations from Hope Architects’ community dialogue circles to wider audiences. Rather than staging debates around migration, regional identity, gender and belonging, episodes begin with lived experience. Guests include Zambian cultural figures Mumba Yachi and Krytic. The “story first” series is now in post-production.
Finding belonging across cultures
Jehan AlMahmoud’s Riyadh Diaries explores what it takes to build relationships and a sense of belonging across cultures in Saudi Arabia. International residents discuss language, workplace expectations, hospitality, trust and identity, including why stepping outside international circles can matter when settling into Riyadh.
The conversations are reaching well beyond the city. Project analytics record more than 90,000 accounts reached on Instagram and over 220,000 TikTok views, while the YouTube series has generated thousands of views.
Carrying Arab perspectives into digital spaces
In Qatar, Khadeja Ahmad Albuhaliqa’s Arabic-language Tajanus (تجانس) series extends conversations from her Peace Circles into digital spaces. The Invisible Influence explores cultural diplomacy through migration, travel and everyday encounters, while Are We Losing Our Language Silently? examines Arabic, social media, third-culture children and belonging. Her wider project also encourages young people to create Arabic digital content on culture, identity and peaceful coexistence.
Taking dialogue beyond the room
The four podcasts are at different stages. Sarah continues to record new conversations, and The Hummingbird Collective was featured at the Geneva Peace Forum on 12 October. Camilla is completing post-production, while Riyadh Diaries and Tajanus are already reaching digital audiences.
Together, they show what podcasting can add to intercultural dialogue: Conversations can outlive the room where they began, travel across borders and give someone new the chance to listen.
The Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme is supported by the generous contribution of the Kingold Group.