Video Podcast Production for Youth Sounding Board

Overview

The Youth Sounding Board is a youth-advisory body that enables young people to shape EU international partnerships and development policy. YSB members advise the Commissioner and the Directorate-General for International Partnerships on youth participation and empowerment across all EU external action priorities. By involving young people in implementing the EU Youth Action Plan and other key initiatives, the YSB drives a fundamental shift from “youth as beneficiaries” to youth as co-creators of international development strategies.

5 Episodes Podcast Series

The Youth Sounding Board Talks video podcast series transforms policy‑level youth participation into visible, relatable stories that inspire wider audiences while supporting the EU’s Youth Action Plan.

CREATED produced five 90-second social-media interview videos featuring YSB members from Latin American, Tanzania, Venezuela, Peru, and Malaysia. Each member spoke about their work: education technology in resource-constrained environments, digital safety in schools, community-based learning, and empathy-driven youth spaces. The videos were formatted natively for Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, with one additional promo video.

The strategy was straightforward: conversational interviews capturing authentic voices rather than scripted talking points. Each video followed the same structure: a hook with a memorable quote to stop the scroll, the core story of who the interviewee is and what they advocate for, and a short moment that revealed personality and made each person feel approachable. 

Production

We used a two-camera and microphone setup to capture both the advocate and interviewer, which allowed natural cutting between perspectives in post-production. In editing, raw footage was cut and assembled following the hook -> work -> personal moment structure. Color grading was applied on the final clips to ensure broadcast quality. Audio was mixed following podcast-quality standards with subtitles embedded on the video for accessibility.

Why This Works for Youth Audiences

Young people grow up media-literate. They spot when something’s been heavily produced, scripted, or packaged and that awareness creates distance. The talking-heads approach erases production artifice between the viewer and the person speaking, focusing on the storyteller and allowing for a more authentic connection.

Viewers see young people who are thoughtful, passionate, and doing something meaningful. They see peers who are building change in a media landscape saturated with corporate messaging.

500+ Reactions On Instagram

The videos have proven effective in reaching youth audiences, each amounting to over 100 reactions on Instagram. Beyond the immediate social-media reach, they serve as a toolkit for DG INTPA and partner organizations to introduce YSB members in briefings, internal communications, and external advocacy settings.

The project demonstrates that elevating youth voices doesn’t require elaborate production. What matters is creating space for young people to speak, listen carefully to what they say, and present that authentically to the