Dawn Fung chats with John Teoh, the founder of the project.
Dawn : What is The Socially Awkward Podcast about?
John : Our vision is to give a voice to homeschoolers in Singapore and their unique stories outside the typical education system. We also want to be a training ground for homeschoolers who are interested in media production to gain experience and receive mentoring.
Dawn : Tell us your story. How did you start?
I was inspired by one of my favourite YouTubers and encouraged by the increasing popularity of podcasts. I hit upon the idea of telling stories from my experience as a homeschooler. Eventually I decided that my skills would be best utilised as the producer instead of the host. Emma joined the team as host and Rebecca joined as the writer. Since its debut in January 2020, the podcast has told the stories of a variety of guests from different countries, backgrounds, and ages, covering topics such as relationships, National Service, and making the transition away from homeschooling, among others.
Dawn : How can we support you?
John : First, you can listen to the podcast and give us feedback on our episodes. Tell us what you want to hear! If you know of homeschoolers with interesting stories that we might want to feature, you can let us know too.
Second, follow and share the podcast with your friends and family. Word of mouth is the most effective and prevalent way that information is spread. The podcast is also a great way for people who aren’t familiar with homeschooling to gain insights into what life as a homeschooler is like.
Third, we need financial support to finance equipment and software in order to continue producing our podcasts at the highest quality possible for you. Not just in terms of audio but the visuals you see as well in the podcast Shorts and our Instagram feed. If you feel moved to donate to the podcast, do contact us at sgsociallyawkwardpodcast@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram @the.sociallyawkwardpodcast so we can tell you how.
Dawn : Can homeschool kids intern at The Socially Awkward Podcast?
John : We are looking for new people to join our team. If you want to learn more about media production or what goes on behind the scenes of The Socially Awkward Podcast, let us know and we’d be most willing to have a chat with you. Currently the two roles we are looking to fill are for a co-host and an administration manager.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the skills or experience in this area, we will train you in the skills you need and experience can always be built up over time. The most important thing that you must have is a passion for learning and the willingness to work hard.
Dawn : Let’s hear what people have been saying about The Socially Awkward Podcast.
One of a kind podcast!👍🏻
The show is a great mix of humor and insightful conversations. Big kudos to Emma for keeping the podcast atmosphere with the guests lively. Looking forward to future episodes. ~Zuhri, Music Producer
The podcasts are really interesting and creative!! The topics you guys choose are quite interesting and definitely something that most people would want to listen to. I also liked the way you guys decided to film the past few videos! Really out of the box. ~Daniella Ng, Homeschool Student
The Socially Awkward Podcast is amazing in the way that it bridges the gap between our social ideas! I really love the diversity of the stories and, how every time, the team finds a way to connect with those listening. If you have not yet listened to the podcast, DO IT! You will not be able to wait until the next episode comes out! ~Elizabeth Chernyak, Ex-Homeschool Student
The Socially Awkward Podcast is both keenly needed and a breath of fresh air in today’s social media dominated narrative. ~ Dian Botha, Pastor
SAP is a niche podcast covering relevant topics and life challenges for the small but growing homeschooled community in Singapore, where guests share experience and advice targeted to help others along the same journey on the road less traveled. ~Shou En, Ex-homeschool student
The Socially Awkward Podcast is real. These are real teens, who speak real stories, from real incidents of their lives. The content is clean and relevant to teens. In a culture where teens are always drummed down with virtues from adults it is refreshing to see young people speak to young people about stuff that matters to them. ~Anju, Homeschool parent
Witty and so relevant not only to homeschoolers, but to whoever finds himself/herself having to become more proactive in learning for oneself especially in this peculiar time!
Hope it continues to be witty! I’m impressed by the sound quality and Emma’s great voice! ~Connie, Homeschool Parent
Dawn : Thanks John! Find The Socially Awkward Podcast at these links below. Support our homeschooling alumni!
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Instagram
