Explore every episode of the podcast GenNext: The Podcast for Curious Kids, Bold Teens, and the Adults Who Believe In Them
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| He’s 14… and Already Building for His Generation | 20 May 2026 | 00:23:46 | |
What happens when a 14-year-old notices that students around him are overwhelmed… and decides to build a solution instead of just talking about it? In this episode of GenNext, Ms. Cam sits down with Grade 8 student, chess player, cadet, hackathon participant, and young builder Tanish Dave, creator of Mindful Mirror, an AI-powered app designed to help students manage stress, organize their thoughts, reflect through journaling, and feel more supported. Tanish shares:
This conversation is packed with insight, energy, and a reminder that some of the best ideas start with simply noticing a problem and taking the first step. 🚀 Try This Challenge: Tanish’s challenge for listeners this week: Grab a notebook, sticky notes, or your phone and start brainstorming ideas (even silly ones). Write down:
Then narrow your list down to your top 5 ideas. Links Tanish LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanish-dave-4176503b6/ BEP Website: https://www.bepwr.ca/ Youth Creativity Fund: https://youthcreativityfund.ca/ Instagram: _mindful_mirror Camelia website: https://camelianunez.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GenNextPodcast Instagram: @thegennextpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gennext-podcast | |||
| What Happens When Communities Invest in Young People | 06 May 2026 | 00:25:22 | |
What if support for your ideas was closer than you think? In this episode of GenNext, Ms. Cam sits down with April Albano, Executive Director of the Business Education Partnership Waterloo Region and champion behind the Youth Creativity Fund, a program helping young people turn ideas into action. Together, they talk about:
This episode is a reminder that you are not alone and there are people, programs, and communities that believe in what you can build. 🚀 Try This Challenge: This week, notice one thing that annoys you in your day. It could be:
Then spend 5 minutes brainstorming solutions. No judging your ideas. No pressure for it to be perfect. Just practice seeing problems like a builder. That’s where entrepreneurship starts. Links BEP Website: https://www.bepwr.ca/ Youth Creativity Fund: https://youthcreativityfund.ca/ Instagram: @bep_wr Camelia website: https://camelianunez.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GenNextPodcast Instagram: @thegennextpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gennext-podcast | |||
| The Power of Having More Than One Interest | Curious Kids and Bold Teens | 22 Apr 2026 | 00:23:03 | |
What if being interested in many things was actually your advantage? In this episode of GenNext, we talk to Damian—a Grade 12 student who has spent years playing competitive soccer, coaching younger athletes, exploring creativity through drawing and woodworking, and now building a video editing business. At first glance, these might seem like completely different paths. But as Damian shares his story, a clear pattern emerges: the same skills—creativity, discipline, and curiosity—show up across everything he does. From seeing details in architecture most people overlook, to applying creativity on the soccer field, to editing videos and building real projects, Damian is a powerful example of what it looks like to develop range instead of choosing just one lane. This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt unsure because they have too many interests—not too few. We talk about:
If you’ve ever felt unsure because you’re interested in too many things… this episode will definitely hit home. 🚀 Try This Challenge: Pay attention to something today that most people would ignore. It could be a building, a video, a design, or even something in your everyday environment. Then ask yourself: Why was it made this way? How could it be different? Links Camelia website: https://camelianunez.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GenNextPodcast Instagram: @thegennextpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gennext-podcast | |||
| These Two Teachers are Breaking the Rules of School (In the Best Way) | Curious Kids and Bold Teens | 08 Apr 2026 | 00:31:11 | |
What if school actually prepared you for real life? In this episode of GenNext, we sit down with two grade seven teachers who are doing things differently and getting incredible results. Jennifer Schaefer and Jes Nielson are grade seven teachers at Groh Public School in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada and long-time teaching partners. They share how they’ve moved away from traditional teaching methods to create a more engaging, student-centered learning experience, one rooted in curiosity, collaboration, and real-world problem solving. Instead of memorizing content, their students are solving real community challenges, building empathy through real conversations and creating projects with real impact. This isn’t something nice to have “in theory”. It’s what is happening right now in their classroom. We talk about:
If you’ve ever felt like school could be more, this episode will definitely hit home. 🚀Try This Challenge: For educators: try one small “quarter turn” in your teaching practice this week. Find one interesting provocation (something real, surprising, or thought-provoking) and bring it into your classroom. Put it in front of your students and simply ask: “What do you think about this?” Let them talk. Let them wonder. Let them be curious. Links WRDSB Blog: Students Take the Lead with Design Thinking at Groh Public Schoolhttps://www.wrdsb.ca/blog/2023/10/26/students-take-the-lead-with-design-thinking-at-groh-public-school/ WRDSB Blog: Students Aim to Improve Experiences of Newcomers with Design Thinking The Community that Groh Built (Full Version Youtube Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpefkvsR12c&t=661s Camelia website: https://camelianunez.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GenNextPodcast Instagram: @thegennextpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gennext-podcast | |||
| You Want Things, You Have to Build Them | Jay Shah’s Advice for Youth | 25 Mar 2026 | 00:36:14 | |
Ideas are everywhere. Builders are rare. In this episode, entrepreneur, investor and dad, Jay Shah explains why young people should stop waiting and start building. While Jay co-founded a company that was later acquired by Google, this conversation isn’t about getting rich or being famous. It’s about having a builder mindset starting in your youth. Jay talks about growing up around entrepreneurship, why building is a muscle anyone can train, and why young people today have the best moment in their lives to take risks and try things. He also shares what people misunderstand about success, why learning matters more than your resume, and how curiosity and action can shape your future. You’ll also hear about his newest project, Poppy, a device designed to give kids safe access to technology while encouraging curiosity, questions, and real-world thinking. This episode is packed with advice for students, parents, and anyone who wants to stop waiting and start building. In this episode, you’ll hear about:
Thy This Challenge 🎯 Jay gave you TWO challenges this week. Pick one and try it! Challenge 1: Build something with AI Think of a small idea for an app, website, or tool. Use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or other builders to create it even if you don’t know how to code. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to exist. The goal is to practice the builder muscle. Challenge 2: Fix something in your community Look around your school, your neighborhood, or your city. Is there something that bothers you? (ie. Something broken? Something that could be better?) Then find out:
Builders don’t just notice problems. They do something about them. Links Poppy: https://talkpoppy.com/ Jay’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaykshah/ Buffer Box: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BufferBox Google Acquires Buffer Box: https://financialpost.com/technology/google-snaps-up-waterloo-startup-bufferbox Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GenNextPodcast Instagram: @thegennextpodcast GenNext LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gennext-podcast | |||
| From Korea to Canada | Courage, Culture and Growing Up Away From Home | 11 Mar 2026 | 00:30:55 | |
What does it feel like to leave your country as a teenager and start over in a completely new place? In this episode of Gen Next, Ms. Cam talks with Cheyun and Eunseop, two international students from South Korea who came to Canada on their own to study in high school. They share what it’s really like to live far from home, learn a new language, adapt to a different school culture, and grow through challenges that most teens never experience. We also talk about something people don’t always think about such as the misconceptions local students sometimes have about international students, and how small actions can make someone feel included, understood, and welcome. This episode is about courage, independence, culture, and learning how to connect with people who grew up differently than you. In this episode, you’ll hear about:
Try This Challenge 🎯
Links Camelia website: https://camelianunez.com/ Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GenNextPodcast Instagram: @thegennextpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gennext-podcast | |||
| From Why to Try | Curious Kids and Bold Teens | 25 Feb 2026 | 00:21:20 | |
Were you the kid who asked “why?” a little too much? Good news: as annoying you might think that may have been, it was actually the beginning of something big. In this episode of Gen Next, Ms. Cam sits down with Grade 11 student Dasha Turetska, a curious kid who grew into a teenager who builds, creates and cares deeply about her fellow classmates. From participating in various hackathons to launching Compass Tutoring during COVID to stepping up and running for Student Trustee, Dasha’s story is about seeing a problem and deciding to try. We talk about:
This episode is about moving from frustration to initiative, from ideas to action and from why… to try. 🎯 Try This Challenge: Start one conversation outside your comfort zone this week. Growth usually begins there. Links Camelia website: https://camelianunez.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GenNextPodcast Instagram: @thegennextpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gennext-podcast Compass Tutoring: https://compasstutoring.ca/ Dash WRDSB Trustee Candidate Intro:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut8h7lWfCOs&t=11s Dasha LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dasha-turetska/ Dasha Github: https://dashatur65.github.io/personal_website/ | |||
| From School Project to JamBytes, to a Coding Community | Curious Kids and Bold Teens | 11 Feb 2026 | 00:26:42 | |
What if a school project didn’t end with a grade—but turned into something real? In this episode of Gen Next, Ms. Cam talks with Vishnu, a Grade 12 IB student who created JamBites, a beginner-friendly game design competition for middle and high school students. Vishnu shares:
This episode is packed with encouragement for young people to stop waiting and start building and for parents and educators to rethink what students are capable of when given autonomy. 🎯 Challenge: Learn one small coding skill this week and try to build something with it. Links Camelia website: https://camelianunez.com/ Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GenNextPodcast Instagram: @thegennextpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gennext-podcast JambBytes: https://www.jambytes.ca/ | |||
| What Happens When Kids Do the Scary Thing | Curious Kids and Bold Teens | 28 Jan 2026 | 00:16:55 | |
What does bravery look like when you’re a 9-year old? In this episode of Gen Next, Ms. Cam talks with three Grade 4 soccer players who went door to door selling poinsettias to raise money for their team. This is something that made their stomachs flip and their hearts race, but they did it anyway. One girl prepared a script. Others improvised. All of them felt nervous. And that’s the point. The girls share what it was like to:
They also brainstorm kid-approved ideas for selling, creating, and starting small businesses, and challenge listeners to try something a little scary themselves. 💡 Builder’s Challenge: Make something. Sell something. Or try one brave thing this week—with a script or without one. Because bravery doesn’t mean you’re fearless. It means you start anyway. LINKS Camelia website: https://camelianunez.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GenNextPodcast Instagram: @thegennextpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gennext-podcast | |||
| Three Teens Are Connecting Seniors and Students to Fight Loneliness | Curious Kids and Bold Teens | 20 Jan 2026 | 00:23:18 | |
In this episode of Gen Next, Ms. Cam sits down with Olivia, Sophie, and Le Anne, the three teens behind LinkAge, an award-winning app designed to connect youth with lonely seniors through shared interests. What started with observations in their own families (with their grandparents), curiosity and care turned into interviews and testing in retirement homes to learning how to code and building a prototype for their app. Along the way, these young builders learned that meaningful impact doesn’t require being an adult, having perfect skills, or knowing all the answers. They know that it starts with noticing a problem and taking one small step. Together, they share:
This episode is a powerful reminder that young people don’t have to wait to contribute. They can build, connect, and create change right now. TRY THIS — Guest Challenge Send an email or text to someone you appreciate and tell them how grateful you are for them. Connect with us! Camelia website: https://camelianunez.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GenNextPodcast Instagram: @thegennextpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gennext-podcast | |||
| Welcome to Gen Next: The Podcast for Curious Kids, Bold Teens, and the Adults Who Believe In Them | 20 Jan 2026 | 00:00:39 | |
Welcome to Gen Next: The Podcast for Curious Kids, Bold Teens, and the Adults Who Believe In Them Ms. Cam shares that Gen Next exists to help young people see themselves as capable builders and contributors to the world around them, and to encourage them to take action even when they feel a little scared. Every episode features young creators and a Try This Challenge, a simple prompt that invites listeners to try something new and take action. Subscribe for new episodes and share this with a curious kid, bold teen, a parent, teacher or grownup who believes in them. Camelia website: https://camelianunez.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GenNextPodcast Instagram: @thegennextpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gennext-podcast | |||