Reflecting the lived experiences of Toronto teens, the 4Students podcast aims to amplify student voices and redefine how young people lead, learn, and support one another.
Exploring topics that matter to them, each episode brings to light issues that matter most to students, such as belonging, stress, identity, friendships, motivation, challenges, and growth.
“I really appreciated having a safe space to talk about my worries about graduating with other students who were feeling the same way,” said Anna who appeared in Episode 1.
The recording studio, which is in a spacious room at the Bickford Education Centre, was developed through the vision of TDSB social worker, Kadeam Cox, who then partnered with Dr. Aarti Kumar, a TDSB psychologist, to bring the podcast to life.
“By speaking openly and authentically, students help their peers recognize that they are not alone in their experiences,” said Kumar.
“The result is a culture of connection, empathy, and mutual understanding.”
Students who are interested in the production side of episodes are encouraged to participate. All involved can also play the roles of creator, teacher and leader when putting together an episode.
“It was really cool getting to use professional mics and headphones and then hearing our voices on Spotify!” said Estiana, who appears in Episode 3.
The podcast is open to all TDSB high school students in Grades 9 to 12. Each episode to date has featured three students, and the team anticipates working with approximately 30 students this season as they plan to release a total of 10 episodes.
“Many of these students possess strong creative talents and insightful perspectives, yet lack a platform to develop and share them,” said Cox.
“This inspired the idea of building a recording studio that would provide opportunities for music, video, and podcast production.”
Beyond the content itself, the process has been equally impactful. Students are developing critical communication skills, teamwork, leadership, and confidence as they collaborate to plan, produce, and refine each episode. They are learning to listen deeply, share perspectives respectfully, and offer practical wisdom to support others on their high school journeys. Most importantly they are learning that they matter and their opinions, experiences, ideas and stories matter.
“The student-led podcast is more than a media project,” said Cox.
It is a living example of what happens when students are trusted to lead and given meaningful opportunities to have difficult conversations with one another.”
We invite you to listen to the first three episodes of 4Students, available on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Episode 4 will be released on Friday, February 27, 2026.
TDSB high school students who are interested in creating and contributing to a future episode are encouraged to contact Kadeam Cox, kadeam.cox@tdsb.on.ca, or Aarti Kumar, aarti.kumar@tdsb.on.ca, to learn more (guardian consent required).