The Backstory Podcast

Changemaker MiniPod E05 - Educator for the Institute for Humane Education

My guest today is Julie Meltzer, PhD., a Director of Kindergarten to 12 grade and Teacher Education for the Institute for Humane Education.  Alongside this, Julie is a published author, a sought-after speaker, editor and reviewer.  She is “committed to creating schools that truly help students prepare to successfully meet their futures,” and she believes the “best hope for the planet is to educate a generation of solutionaries.”

S03E05 - Nick Goldsmith - Former Royal Marine Commando, current Outdoor Educator Entrepreneur

My guest today, Nick Goldsmith, is a former British Royal Marine Commando who served his country as an elite soldier for 11 years during which he completed 6 operational deployments in some of the most dangerous environments. In 2018, he was medically discharged from his life on the battlefield, having been diagnosed with complex PTSD. Having initially fallen through the cracks and after hitting rock bottom, Nick finally reached out for help. Craving his new identity, he sought solace from nature and the sense of safety it slowly gave him. He estimated Hidden Valley Bushcraft, a business teaching forest skills, as well as creating the Woodland Warrior Programme which takes military veterans for weekend outdoor activities. Mr Goldsmith has also written a book – “Rewild Your Mind”, which encourages using nature as a guide to a happier and healthier life, a book I am currently devouring.  So, without a further ado, I am honoured and really excited to welcome my guest today, Nick Goldsmith.

Changemaker MiniPod - E04 - Climate Justice Activist

I am delighted to host a special series of podcasts (on the Backstory Podcast) with distinguished guests who are pivotal to “The Base 10 Solutionary Summit of 2024”. The Summit, hosted by Munich International School, represents around 200 young Changemakers and Educators from 20 European Schools, who together look to share solutions for improving systems at differing scales, from local to global levels. At the heart of the Summit is the notion that sustainability is the balance overtime: From 1, to 10, to 100, to 1000.  And so, in today’s episode, Will is honoured to talk to Raina Ivanova   Ivanova is a German climate justice activist, focusing on children’s rights violations caused by climate change and resulting social inequalities. As a part of the Children vs Climate crisis petition, alongside Greta Thunberg and 14 others, she petitioned 5 countries to drastically reduce carbon emissions. She also took part in the Fridays for Future school strikes. Ivanova is a former member of UNICEF Germany’s Youth Council and having graduated from the IB in 2022, now works as an intern at the International youth NGO called “Heirs to Our Ocean” which brings together youth from differing cultural and socio-economic backgrounds to collaborate towards a just, equitable, and empathetic future.

Changemaker MiniPod - E03 - Regenerative future educator

I am delighted to host a special series of podcasts (on the Backstory Podcast) with distinguished guests who are pivotal to “The Base 10 Solutionary Summit of 2024”. The Summit, hosted by Munich International School, represents around 200 young Changemakers and Educators from 20 European Schools, who together look to share solutions for improving systems at differing scales, from local to global levels. At the heart of the Summit is the notion that sustainability is the balance overtime: From 1, to 10, to 100, to 1000.  And so, in today’s episode Will was honoured to talk to Jennifer Brandsberg- Engelmann.   As an international educator teaching children for more than 25 years in the Social Sciences, Jennifer Brandsberg Engelmann is an expert in developing and executing educational strategies, projects, processes, and curricular. Her core focus is to train young people to take action for regenerative societies.  In the Sustainability Action Lab she founded, she works with Student Changemakers with a curriculum she lead developed. She also co/lead authors Economics, Business Management, and Environmental Systems and Societies textbooks, focusing on a sustainability, development, and social enterprise.

Changemaker MiniPod - E02 - Founder of Clawest AI water technology

I am delighted to host a special series of podcasts (on the Backstory Podcast) with distinguished guests who are pivotal to “The Base 10 Solutionary Summit of 2024”. The Summit, hosted by Munich International School, represents around 200 young Changemakers and Educators from 20 European Schools, who together look to share solutions for improving systems at differing scales, from local to global levels. At the heart of the Summit is the notion that sustainability is the balance overtime: From 1, to 10, to 100, to 1000.    In this episode, I was honoured to talk to Matovu Nkoba   Nkoba is a young, socially conscious entrepreneur and founder of Clawest, a company utilizing AI technology to assess water quality and provide clean drinking water solutions.     As a child living in a village in Uganda, his community did not have access to safe water sources. His IB grade 10 Personal Project involved building a well which provided 600 local households with access to safe water. The impact of this endeavour has spurred him on to become a changemaker and he is determined to make a lasting difference.