Irvington High School student Brooke Dunefsky is quite the remarkable teenager. At age sixteen, she decided to dedicate her time to creating a non-profit podcast called “Charity Talks,” where people can learn about charities and the people directly involved with them.
Dunefsky began by creating a website and learning the more technical aspects such as editing and recording. She then went on to research organizations to make sure that she found the most cost-effective and efficient charities. From there, she began to reach out to the CEOs and executive directors of local, national, and international charities, as well as inspirational people who have donated their time and effort to good causes.
Even during such a chaotic time, it is still possible to have an impact and do amazing things.”
The podcast solves two problems: it helps people learn more about amazing charities that they might want to get involved with, and it enables Brooke to help so many more organizations, by bringing them to the attention of thousands of people.
“I’ve been interested in getting involved in charities and organizations my whole life,” emphasized Dunefsky. For example, the Make-a-Wish Foundation is a charity she had spent time fundraising for and wanted to make the first organization that she interviewed on her podcast.
She spread the word about “Charity Talks” by reaching out to the leaders of the organizations that she was interested in interviewing, who promoted her on their websites. Additionally, the platform Podbean began featuring “Charity Talks” on its site and will make it “Podcast of the Week” in April. The podcast can also be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, and Spotify. There are currently 14 episodes of “Charity Talks.” Some of the charities featured are: The Native American Rights Fund, Against Malaria Foundation, and Partnership to End Addiction.
“I hope that one of the main problems that my podcast works to solve is showing people that even during such a chaotic time, it is still possible to have an impact and do amazing things,” stresses Dunefsky. And reaching out to people during the pandemic has given her the opportunity to contact a wider range of people because she is doing virtual interviews. “I’ve interviewed people in India, Tanzania, and parts of the world that I don’t know if I would have reached otherwise.”
“Charity Talks” currently reaches 53 countries, and Dunefsky only strives to make that number bigger. “When I started the podcast, I didn’t realize that it could have such a wide impact, but I want to continue to help more and more people with the resources I have.”
charity-talks.org
charitytalks.podbean.com
