Josanne Buchanan (she/her) is a children’s tech and media researcher, developmental psychology master’s student at the University of Toronto, and diversity/creative consultant in the children’s media industry who uses cross-disciplinary research to support the creation of family-targeted animated series, films, and video games. She has worked with major producers like Disney, Nickelodeon and Netflix, and other youth-focused organizations to leverage authentic representation.
In this episode, Josanne and Jenna explore the role of media in shaping youth worldviews, how media can support sustainability literacy, and what authentic representation in the media looks like (and why it matters).
Episode references and resources
- Josanne Buchanan’s LinkedIn
- Josanne’s personal webpage
- Josanne’s Instagram: @little_miss_media
- Josanne’s Twitter: @JosanneBuchanan
- Children’s Media Lab
- The Centre for Scholars and Storytelling
- Report mentioned by Josanne on non-human characters
- Blog post on Strange World
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- Website: https://cleartheair.ca
- Podcast site: https://cleartheair.ca/podcast
- Instagram: @cleartheair.ca
About the podcast
Clear the Air seeks to educate, empower and mobilize youth to take action against climate change. These weekly episodes will focus on a specific theme, teaching you how to take action RIGHT NOW in your own life.
Jenna Phillips is the podcast host, a passionate grad student, and a local climate action leader. She uses her expertise and desire for change to make a difference in the lives of others.
It’s time to Clear the Air of all this confusion about climate change. It’s time to learn how we, the youth climate leaders of today, can make a change. It’s time to take our future into our own hands.