Discover Papy Boom !

Anna Maurette, a student at the School of Public Affairs in the Health policy stream, launched a podcast at the beginning of 2023 on the subject of the ageing population. She had the opportunity to talk to a number of people involved in the issue of old age, including business leaders, politicians, film directors and philosophers. Find out more about her experiences and the first episodes of her podcast!

YOU CREATED THE PODCAST "PAPY BOOM!" HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA? 

During a Masters course, a health executive and a care assistant came to talk to us about their day-to-day work with the elderly. They spoke very freely, without filters, and that made their talk funny and fascinating. I thought we had to find a way of hearing everything these professionals had to say, especially as the ageing of the population is a major social issue that we don't talk much about. 

For me, the podcast format is particularly interesting, because it puts listening first. In our day-to-day lives, we are hyper-stimulated, videos are becoming increasingly important with social networks and listening is often disrupted by external factors. I wanted to find a format that would encourage deep listening and stimulate the imagination. Podcasts are also on the rise, with flexible, fun formats that appeal to a fairly young demographic, which is also my target audience.

WHAT THEMES ARE YOU TACKLING? 

With this podcast, I've set myself a twofold challenge: to inform as many people as possible about the many issues surrounding the ageing of the population and to deconstruct preconceived ideas about old age. From ethical issues to nursing homes and housing, the topics covered are deliberately broad to show the extent of the subject. 

I wanted to tackle the idea that ageing only concerns the elderly themselves or professionals in the sector. It's a social issue that touches us all. The episodes feature guests with very different profiles and backgrounds: a Member of Parliament, a film director, an ethical philosopher, an executive in a CAC 40 company or a retired woman... They all talk about ageing in their own way, whether they are experts or not. 

YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF YOUR GAP YEAR TO SET UP YOUR PROJECT. WAS IT EASY?

I shot the episodes during my second semester of the M1 programme, with the support of my academic advisor, who arranged for some of the guests to come to Sciences Po and for me to get a filming room. I borrowed equipment from Sciences Po's audiovisual department to keep costs down, which can rise very quickly when you're looking for quality equipment. 

After filming, I ran into some difficulties that forced me to put the editing on hold for a few months. I resumed the project during my gap year, and was finally able to launch the podcast in January 2023. I edited all my episodes at weekends and some evenings, after my training day. It's a time-consuming job, especially when you're on your own and have to manage the editing, communication and publishing... But I really enjoyed it!

DO THE COURSES YOU HAVE TAKEN IN THE HEALTH STREAM HELP YOU TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES SURROUNDING OLD AGE AND TO CONDUCT YOUR INTERVIEWS? 

I took an elective course at the School of Public Affairs on adapting society to an ageing population, which taught me a lot about the subject. I even met some of my future guests! This course was a determining factor in my podcast project. My health-related courses in the stream enabled me to expand my knowledge of the subject, even though the issue of ageing was not specifically addressed in every course. Adapting to the ageing of the population is a major challenge for the health, social and medico-social sectors, and I think it's important to have a good knowledge of these systems if you want to delve deeper into the subject. 

DO YOU PLAN TO FOCUS YOUR CAREER ON PODCASTING, OR IS THIS SOMETHING YOU'LL BE DOING ON THE SIDE? 

I'm not going to make a career out of it, but I'd like to continue this activity alongside my studies or my professional life. The first season of the podcast has just finished and I'm going to use the next few weeks to take a breather. I'm exploring ways of launching a second season and setting up new projects linked to the podcast. 

My main aim is to continue to enjoy this project and I'm going to have to think about an organisation that will enable me to keep it going. There are a lot of constraints, both financial and organisational, especially when you have other activities going on at the same time. 

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE AND WHAT CAREER PATH ARE YOU THINKING OF TAKING? 

I'm currently doing my second internship at the Institut Pasteur, after a first internship at the Institut Curie. These experiences confirm my interest in the health sector. Next year, I plan to continue with my M2 work-study course in the medical or medico-social field, to continue to develop my professional skills. I'm particularly interested in the development and evaluation of healthcare policies and in running an institution, but my plans still need to be refined. All this while continuing my podcasting as much as possible. Unfortunately, days are only 24 hours long!

The Papy Boom! podcast is available at https://shows.acast.com/papy-boom and on all listening platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer, etc.).  

LEARN MORE

• The Health stream at the School of Public Affairs (French track)
• The Global Health stream at the School of Public Affaires (English track)