The world continues to move at warp speed and how we consume information or what we call “content” these days has evolved. Nevertheless, the needs of the neurodivergent community remains the same – more awareness, acceptance and understanding so everyone can co-exist in an environment that embraces everyone as the are. 5 mother’s with neurodivergent children decided to move a little out of their comfort zones and create a Podcast called Kita Family!
The name Kita Family is quite intentional given that these Malaysian ladies will be speaking in Bahasa Melayu (BM) and English interchangeably. After all, that is also the Malaysian way. The intention of this podcast is to create a platform where these 5 ladies will speak very openly and honestly about inclusion and diversity in the context of raising families in Malaysia. The choice of the word “kita” was intentional because in the Malay language, when we use the word “kita” it includes everyone as opposed to “kami” where it includes the group of the people in which the speaker is in.
Kita Family Podcast was launched at KL PodFest 2024
The KL PodFest 2024, also the first of it’s kind in Malaysia was held on 3 and 4 February 2024 at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre (PJPAC). The KL PodFest was initiated by the Keluar Sekejap podcast team. Keluar Sekejap is a weekly podcast by Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan that discusses Malaysian politics in a light hearted manner backed by facts. The intention of the PodFest was to bring together podcasters to showcase their shows and also conduct workshops related to starting, running and maintaining a podcast. In addition to Keluar Sekejap headlining the KL Podfest, other podcasts such as Malam Seram, TTYL, Financial Faiz, OKLETSGO, Head over Heels, Balls Deep and many more were featured. Kita Family Podcast was the only one to make a debut at this event!
On 4 February 2024, the 5 mothers – Nori Abdullah, Dr SK Choy, Anit Randhawa, Nik Didi and Desiree Kaur walked onto the Nero Stage at about 10am to introduce their show and tell the audience their why behind this podcast. Their one hour segment was well received by attendees who eagerly awaited the debut to be ready for streaming on YouTube and Spotify.
Kita Family Podcast has released episodes on YouTube and Spotify
On 8 February 2024, Kita Family podcast released their first episode titled: Kita Family launch! 5 parent advocates in a podcast- why diversity & inclusion matter on YouTube and Spotify. Apple Podcast takes time to verify new podcasts, but it will be available on Apple Podcast in due time. This episode is 1 hour and 6 minutes long, featuring all 5 ladies. Their plan is to have the 5 of them rotate amongst each other for subsequent shows depending on topics and of course, their availability too, since parenting neurodivergents can be a full time job in addition to them doing other things in the community towards inclusion.
A bonus episode in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebrations was released the very next day titled: Lunar New Year Prep If You’re Neurodivergent – Reunions, Traveling & More Gong Xi Gong Xi! This is also available on YouTube and Spotify. This episode very aptly discusses the various aspects of the Chinese New year celebration in Malaysia but the ladies did say, that this episode’s sharing is applicable to other festive occasions. They also mention reunion dinners, family gatherings, lion dance, fireworks and traveling during the holidays. A mention of the Butterfly Effect by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad was also made as a resource for those who have hidden disabilities traveling by air. Read about Project Haans’ review of the Butterfly Effect on Spectrum of Voices here.
Their third episode titled: Living in Community With Diversity -Malaysian stories on finding connections through inclusion. Ep:3 is also ready for streaming on YouTube and Spotify! This episode discusses inclusion and diversity in the context of growing up and raising families in Malaysia. Being a melting pot of so many cultures are religions, Malaysia is already used to making accommodations within our community. Watch this episode to find out their hopes for an inclusive society.
Where to find Kita Family Podcast?
While they are the “new kids on the block”, in the podcasting world, they are already making positive waves in the community that supports people living with disabilities. Their intention is to release 1 episode a week on topics related to diversity and inclusion. They are on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Spotify. Follow them here for updates on episodes and other things they may be up to from time-to-time.
Congratulations to the fabulous 5 for taking this bold step into the world of podcasting.
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