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Playlist: Best Youth-Made Radio of 2013

Compiled By: PRX Administrator

 Credit:
Curated Playlist

The best youth-made radio stories of 2013, curated by Generation PRX.

My Mom's Psychic Surgery

From City High Radio | 06:19

Josh's mom was having trouble having a baby, so she headed down to Mexico for an "operation" from a renowned psychic surgeon.

Josh_s_radio_story_photo_2_small  Josh's mom was having trouble having a baby, so she headed down to Mexico for an "operation" from a renowned psychic surgeon. His mom is a doctor who doesn't usually go for mystical remedies, but her desire to have a baby was stronger than her rational tendencies. Josh, a high school freshman, tells the story. 

What Twilight Didn't Teach Me About Love

From Philly Youth Radio | Part of the At the Heart, From the Heart series | 04:23

Many songs, books, and movies focus on love and romance, but what happens when they become one’s only source for learning? Philly Youth Radio’s Jaya Montague used to love romantic movies, especially Twilight. But recently, she decided that she needed to find better sources if she wanted to end up with her own fairy tale. Here is her quest to find answers.

Screen_shot_2013-02-12_at_12 Many songs, books, and movies focus on love and romance, but what happens when they become one’s only source for learning? Philly Youth Radio’s Jaya Montague can tell you. She’s a junior at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts and she used to love romantic movies, especially Twilight. But recently, Jaya decided that she needed to find better sources if she wanted to end up with her own fairy tale.

Ray by Natalie Richardson

From WBEZ | Part of the Louder Than a Bomb 2013 series | 02:41

Poet Natalie Richardson, 17, is a senior at Oak Park and River Forest High School and participated in Louder Than a Bomb for the third time this year. Her piece "Ray" won top honors at the 2013 Festival and is a poem in which she takes on the persona of Ray Charles.

Ltab2013_oprf-natalie_small Poet Natalie Richardson, 17, is a senior at Oak Park and River Forest High School and participated in Louder Than a Bomb for the third time this year. Her piece "Ray" won top honors at the 2013 Festival and is a poem in which she takes on the persona of Ray Charles.

Preparing for College Yet?

From Open Orchard Productions | Part of the The Harvest by Open Orchard Productions series | 08:16

Kimmy couldn't believe that she was getting college info packs in the mail as a 9th grader. Having just transitioned to high school from middle school, she couldn't fathom thinking about college yet. But, that's just what she was expected to do. Kimmy explores the twists and turns of the college preparation journey with all its stresses, frustrations, and joys.

College_prep_small Kimmy couldn't believe that she was getting college info packs in the mail as a 9th grader. Having just transitioned to high school from middle school, she couldn't fathom thinking about college yet. But, that's just what she was expected to do. Kimmy explores the twists and turns of the college preparation journey with all its stresses, frustrations, and joys.

The Mary Jane Mindset: Teenagers and Marijuana

From Radio Rookies | 08:17

Radio Rookies Temitayo Fagbenle and Gemma Weiner spent the past several months talking to dozens of teenagers who smoke weed about where they buy it, how much they spend on it, and how they think about risk.

4834872285_a73f46ff11_z_small As 17-year-old Radio Rookie Temitayo Fagbenle puts it, "Once you reach high school, weed is a part of your life." Even if you don't smoke, marijuana is at parties, the corners and parks near schools, and sometimes in school stairwells.

In recent years, research  shows fewer and fewer teenagers see using pot as risky. And opponents of the drug blame the changing attitudes at least partly on the rise of legal, medical marijuana. 

Two Radio Rookies, Temitayo and Gemma Weiner, spoke with nearly three dozen high school students who smoke weed to learn more about what they call 'the Mary Jane mindset' among two quite different sets of New York City teenagers.  Gemma attends private school. She sat down with one friend who can smoke at home, talks openly about marijuana with her parents, and recently got $60 worth, or 3.5 grams, of weed delivered directly to her doorstep. 

Meanwhile, students at Temitayo's public school tend to buy smaller amounts, often going "five-five," when each teen puts in five dollars for a dime bag. That's just one of the many differences between Gemma and Temitayo's two worlds when it comes to buying and using marijuana.  

Listen to their story to get an inside look at the current teenager culture of marijuana, and hear Gemma and Temitayo's takeaway on what parents should think about if they find a joint in their kid's bedroom.

Gerygone & Twig

From Alaska Teen Media Institute | 04:59

A little bit of music and friendship.

Default-piece-image-0 Alaska Teen Media Institute Reporter Arina Filipenko with a story about local band Gerygone (Jer-rig-uh-knee) & Twig. One day while browsing the internet Arina stumbled on this band from Wasilla. She was hooked and reached out. Geryone and Twig shares how they got their name and how the band came together. This story also aired on Alaska News Nightly on April 26, 2013.

Coming of Age in the Era of Oscar Grant and Trayvon Martin

From Youth Radio | 04:39

Youth Radio's Myles Bess came of age in-between the shootings of Oscar Grant and Trayvon Martin. He asks other black men in Oakland for advice on how to deal with the violence directed against them.

Bess_small

I don't know how I should feel about the George Zimmerman verdict. I was the same age as Trayvon Martin when he was killed. It was the first shooting case that got national attention where I felt connected -- like I could relate. When I first heard the story, it seemed clear: Trayvon Martin was young and he was murdered. I thought it would be an open and shut case. As time progressed, it changed. The more information came out, the more complicated the case became. And then the verdict was announced. I wasn’t surprised. But I was emotionless. Should I be angry? Should I be sad? I felt like goop. No shape. No structure.

I decided to go to Arnold Perkins, someone with deep roots in Oakland and the civil rights movement who is a mentor to black youth like me, hoping he could help me understand my feelings. He’s a former member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He was also head of the Alameda County Public Health department.

I turned to Perkins because I honestly felt lost.

"Part of the lostness (is my generation.) So what has happened is that...I knew the way and walked away and left you. Or I'm lost and you followed me," Perkins told me. "We act as if...the situation our young people are in is of their making. It's of the making of our generation. I came through the civil rights movement. We thought we were free through integration and then we set out to 'get mines.' I got mine and left you behind. And that's what we're suffering from now. We walked away from your generation."

I see another side to that. I wonder if it’s not just that the older generation walked away, it’s that the younger generation -- my generation -- didn’t step up to replace those civil rights leaders in the community.

So when something big happens, we don’t know how to respond.

And things keep happening.

I was 14 when 22-year-old Oscar Grant was shot and killed on a subway platform in Oakland.

In a lot of ways, the full significance went over my head. Now, I really get it in light of Trayvon Martin’s death. This kind of thing happens to people like me daily. My family has been telling me this since childhood, but now it has greater meaning.

I grew up in a neighborhood where on my block it was fine, but a few blocks over, it was more transitional.

As a fourth grader, every time I went outside -- whether I was going to school or hanging out with friends -- my Granny and my Mom would always tell me to be careful, and to look out for myself. As I entered middle school, their directions got more specific; “Myles make sure when you walk home you change your route, you never know who’s watching.” Up until that point, I thought they were just being overprotective, but now as an 18 year old I realize they weren’t worried so much about me. They were concerned about those around me and how they would perceive me. As a young black man, I’ll always have this cloud following me evoking fear, hate, and sometimes empathy. At 71 years old, Arnold Perkins is still living with that cloud. And it angers him.

"Racism has never rested," said Perkins. "There's a string, a history of it going on from the time of slavery through now. Nothing has changed. You can take Oscar Grant, you can take Emmett Till, you can take Trayvon Martin, you can take them all. It's the same pattern that goes on where people are afraid of us. I as an African American male walking down the street. A 71 year old African American male. We have to deal with that."

It's the harsh reality. And the court system -- even after we're gone -- won't often look out for us. I asked 26 year old Pendarvis Harshaw: Why?

"Great question. Why? The potential that brews in you as an 18-year-old understanding this, and having the energy to do something, but not having the actual vision or direction to do so. There's the potential for mass creation or destruction," said Harshaw.

That’s why what’s next is really important. I don’t want to shrug my shoulders and say ‘what can you do’? At any other time, there were obvious leaders, and obvious movements I could have gone to for answers. As I get older, I realize that stories like Trayvon Martin’s were always close to home, I just had to grow up to understand how they relate to me.

My Grannie’s warnings have a deeper meaning now. They weren’t just about rules -- like looking both ways before I cross the street or not talking to strangers. She was telling me...I’m a target.

Sexual Cyberbullying: The Modern Day Letter A

From Radio Rookies | Part of the Radio Rookies: McBurney YMCA 2012 series | 08:24

These days, many teenagers live half their lives on social media sites, and they're writing the rules as they go. One online trend 16-year-old Radio Rookie Temitayo Fagbenle finds disturbing is something she calls "slut-shaming," or using photos and videos to turn a girl's private life inside out.

Dsc_1727_small These days, many teenagers live half their lives on social media sites, and they're writing the rules as they go. One online trend 16-year-old Radio Rookie Temitayo Fagbenle finds disturbing is something she calls "slut-shaming," or using photos and videos to turn a girl's private life inside out.

Cheating

From Brooklyn College Radio | 05:10

Cheating changes people. This is a story of how.

Cheatingimage_small Cheating changes people. This is a story of how.

Bluegrass and Bill Monroe: Past, Present and Future

From ASR American Student Radio | Part of the Local Nation series | 09:50

This is the story of one of the most prominent bluegrass festivals in the country and its place in bluegrass education. How exactly does bluegrass pass from one generation to the next, when the music isn't written down? Well, much of that happens at this festival.

Screen_shot_2013-12-06_at_4 In 1951, father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe became smitten with the natural beauty of Brown County, IN and launched Bean Blossom in the Hoosier State. This festival is now world renowned as the Mecca of Bluegrass.  American Student Radio's Chris Mosson took in the 47th annual festival and learned how this location helps these musicians, well, stay SO GOOD. The melody lingers on. 

Love, Long-distance

From WTIP | Part of the Engaging Youth Through Radio Project series | 13:37

It's something a lot of young couples face when they graduate from high school. Should they split up as they go off to new adventures? Or should they try to stay together while attending schools in different cities, or sometimes states or countries? In this story, Youth Radio Project producer Audrey Summers, with WTIP North Shore Community Radio, highlights two of her friends who are giving the latter a shot. Collin Berglund shares his thoughts as he and his girlfriend Cailan navigate their first summer apart.

Playing
Love, Long-distance
From
WTIP

963756_10200148587026044_1492937675_o_small This feature was produced as part of WTIP North Shore Community Radio's "Engaging Youth Through Radio" project.

There’s No Saccharine in This Sweet School

From Open Orchard Productions | Part of the The Harvest by Open Orchard Productions series | 03:00

Follow Sierra on her progressive college journey as she realizes that finding the right college is as difficult as Goldilocks finding the right bowl of porridge.

College_journey_small Follow Sierra on her progressive college journey as she realizes that finding the right college is as difficult as Goldilocks finding the right bowl of porridge.

Dear Mom

From WHJE | 09:19

This is an adapted version of Dear Mom, depicting the life of a young girl in the wake of her mother’s suicide and the domino effect that her mother’s choice has had on her life.

Playing
Dear Mom
From
WHJE

Warner_gp1_feature_small This is an adapted dramatization of the original short story Dear Mom. Ashley is a young girl finishing high school who is struggling through the aftermath of her mother’s suicide. Although Ashley faces several hardships along the way and at times feels almost as low as her mother had been, she is able to overcome her situation, establish healthy relationships and work towards a bright future.

28 and Single

From kim fox | 10:31

In Egypt, family, marriage and love all mix together in an unexpected way, especially when it comes to arranged marriages. The American University in Cairo's Nazly Abaza shares her insight on the topic.

Playing
28 and Single
From
kim fox

Nazly_s_image_from_soundcloud_small In Egypt, family, marriage and love all mix together in an unexpected way, especially when it comes to arranged marriages.
Reporter Nazly (Naz-lee) Abaza (Ah-BAH-zah) gently explores her family's desire to marry off her older cousin.

Auveed & Mateen's Excellent Adventure

From Stories from Deep in the Heart, a project of Texas Folklife | Part of the Stories Summer Institute 2013 series | 06:25

Auveed & Mateen's Excellent Adventure: A story about two cousins and a luthier.

Auveed_mateensoco_2_small Auveed & Mateen's Excellent Adventure: A story about two cousins and a luthier.

Lobsterman

From The Telling Room | 06:18

Thirteen year old Toby Choyt of Maine meets a retired lobsterman on Portland's historic Widgery Wharf and tells his story.

P1020298_2_small During The Telling Room's "Everybody Has a Story" Documentary Camp this past summer, one of the students, Toby, 13, approached a man painting fisherman shacks on Widgery Wharf. Toby was hoping to interview him about the wharf's history. What resulted from that interview and subsequent visits to the wharf, first with pen and paper, then with camera, was the story of this man, Jackie Grant, and his life on the sea. Toby realized that everyone, no matter their job, age, lifestyle or outward appearance, has a story to tell. He was surprised at the kindness and openness of Jackie Grant and how easy it was to talk to him and get to know him. Toby's written piece audio recorded and paired with photography. It went on to place as a semi-finalist in the 2012 New York City Digital Waves Youth Media Festival Multimedia Slam put on by WMPG's Blunt Youth Radio Project and WNYC's Radio Rookies. It was also featured on MPBN's Maine Things Considered. 

Chicken S*#T Bingo

From Youth Spin - KOOP 91.7 FM | 04:26

Music Icons with Anna. Chicken S*#T Bingo has been an Austin Texas institution for quit some time now and Dale Watson has been the figure head for this special event. Our twelve year old Spinner, Anna, dug deep into the history and the culture of this unique and interesting game and came up with this beauty of a youth radio piece. Let your ears be wowed. Seriously this is one of my favorite pieces that has ever come out of Youth Spin since 1996.

Default-piece-image-2 Music Icons with Anna. Chicken S*#T Bingo has been an Austin Texas institution for quit some time now and Dale Watson has been the figure head for this special event. Our twelve year old Spinner, Anna, dug deep into the history and the culture of this unique and interesting game and came up with this beauty of a youth radio piece. Let your ears be wowed. Seriously this is one of my favorite pieces that has ever come out of Youth Spin since 1996.

Good Loose Free

From outLoud Radio at Youth Radio | 02:36

Jesse “enjoys life, and living it with all kinds of costumes on.” When he was put in charge of his monastery’s tailor shop, he shook things up. He connected color, clothing, sexuality and spirituality during our Intergenerational Storytelling Project.

Jesse_small Jesse “enjoys life, and living it with all kinds of costumes on.” When he was put in charge of his monastery’s tailor shop, he shook things up. He connected color, clothing, sexuality and spirituality during our Intergenerational Storytelling Project.

A Runner's Highs and Lows

From Terrascope Radio | Part of the People and their Places series | 02:30

What if everybody ran everywhere, and walking seemed as slow as crawling?

Running_small Wesley Lau runs everywhere. Everywhere. And he thinks you should, too....

Crushes

From Brooklyn College Radio | 04:40

Crushes or puppy love are feelings of love, romance or infatuation felt by people during childhood and even adolescence.

Crushes_small Crushes or puppy love are feelings of love, romance or infatuation felt by people during childhood and even adolescence.

Found Letters to My Granddaughter by Walter Payton College Prep's Poetry Team

From WBEZ | Part of the Louder Than a Bomb 2013 series | 03:09

"Found Letters to My Granddaughter" is a team piece performed by the poetry team of Walter Payton College Prep: junior Kamaria Woods, 17, senior Max Bouvagnet, 18, senior Henry Nash, 17, and junior Morgan Aranda, 17. This was the second year of competition for Max, Henry and Morgan, and the first for Kamaria. Their piece is about a veteran and his wife struggling to cope with the effects of his illness.

Ltab2013_walterpayton_small "Found Letters to My Granddaughter" is a team piece performed by the poetry team of Walter Payton College Prep: junior Kamaria Woods, 17, senior Max Bouvagnet, 18, senior Henry Nash, 17, and junior Morgan Aranda, 17. This was the second year of competition for Max, Henry and Morgan, and the first for Kamaria. Their piece is about a veteran and his wife struggling to cope with the effects of his illness.

Wendy Davis Filibuster

From Youth Spin - KOOP 91.7 FM | 02:20

During the Wendy Davis Filibuster the nation was glued to their radios and television sets to see the outcome of this now historic moment. Wendy was the talk of the nation and although the law would effect the teen population more than anyone there was rarely talk of how teenagers felt of viewed this law. At only eleven years old Clara, like Wendy, chose to stand up and work for what they believe in. Clara was one of the only youth perspectives I heard about this youth-centric issue.

Default-piece-image-1 During the Wendy Davis Filibuster the nation was glued to their radios and television sets to see the outcome of this now historic moment. Wendy was the talk of the nation and although the law would effect the teen population more than anyone there was rarely talk of how teenagers felt of viewed this law. At only eleven years old Clara, like Wendy, chose to stand up and work for what they believe in. Clara was one of the only youth perspectives I heard about this youth-centric issue.

My Mother

From Fusion Youth Radio | Part of the FYR Season 2 series | 02:26

Staff Reporter Kenya, speaks about the significant role her mother has had on her life.

Fyr_boombox_small Staff Reporter Kenya, speaks about the significant role her mother has had on her life.

Grandmother

From The Telling Room | 01:49

When Maryama Abdi came with her family to this country from Somalia, she left behind someone very dear to her.

Dsc_0157_small High School student Maryama Abdi left her home country of Somalia as a young girl and began a new life in Maine. Her grandmother, a very dear person to Abdi, remained in Africa. Abdi later joined a creative writing program at The Telling Room for international high schoolers called Young Writers & Leaders where she wrote this poem for her Grandmother.

Yamaan interviews his dad about jail

From Jesse Chanin | Part of the My Choice My Voice series | 06:01

My Choice My Voice teen Yamaan interviews his father about his time in jail and how he turned that all around to become a successful college student.

Nice_photo__1024x683__small My Choice My Voice teen Yamaan interviews his father about his time in jail and how he turned that all around to become a successful college student.

Hello, My Name Is....

From The Center for Documentary Studies | 54:00

A one-hour collection of short pieces about names and the naming of stuff, produced by undergrad and graduate students at Duke University. Hosted by John Biewen of the Center for Documentary Studies.

Listening-hub-600_small A hosted compilation of short docs, two to six minutes long. The pieces: 

Thanks for the Name, by Grace Farson
What's in a Word? by Ashley Mooney
Army Acronyms, by Dillon Buckner
To a Beginning, by Jagmeet Mac
A Fern Named Gaga, by Clare Fieseler
Name Changer, by Eunice Kim
Monday Monday's Anonymity, by Ted Phillips
The Silence Ends Here, by Madeline Miller
First, Middle, Last, by Ligaiya Romero
To Own a Name, by Ben Finkel
Name As Ink, by Wilson Sayre  

How are Teens Really Using Snapchat?

From Youth Radio | 03:05

A new photo-sharing app has quickly become popular-- especially among teens--precisely because its photos have limited lives--10 seconds at the most. It's called Snapchat. While the app has sparked fears over sexting, Youth Radio's Sunday Simon reports how teens are really using it.

Snapchat-photo-ca73906212142ca708379a6ac76b97bdfb189c36-s40_small We used to speak of a Kodak moment, a fleeting event that you want to capture in a picture to last a lifetime. So what do you call a photo that you only want to keep for a moment? Some new photo-sharing apps have become popular precisely because the photos have limited lives. Facebook Poke and Wickr both make photos self-destruct. And then there's Snapchat, pictures last 10 seconds at the most. It is the most popular of this kind, especially among teens.

This story orignally aired on NPR's All Things Considered.

Stand My Ground I

From Littleglobe | 03:32

Charles-Austin Ross tells about his family, growing up, and finding his voice when opposition might stand in the way of his future.

Downloadedfile_small Charles-Austin Ross, a student at Santa Fe University of Art and Design, shares a story about what standing his ground has meant to him. By remembering vividly what it was like to grow up with his divorced parents, and finding his voice as a young adult. 

Next Year Will Be Better

From Game Theory Academy | Part of the Money Diaries series | 05:43

Caelin Robinson learns how stressful running a household can be from his mother. The insight she provides him will change his life.

Gtalogosquare_small

Caelin Robinson lives in a crowded house where his mother is responsible for its financial maintenance. It's a struggle all too real for many Americans. Money Diaries is a series where Oakland youth talk about their relationship with money. The narratives personal and the reflective nature of the diary lends educational insight both for the recorder and the listener. 

Boy Scouts partially lift gay ban

From Media for the Public Good, Inc. - OutCasting Media | 29:00

On May 23, the Boy Scouts of America voted to lift its ban on gay youth members. The ban on gay adult leaders still stands. This program looks at the history of the ban and the forces that led its partial lifting.

Wdfh-oc_small

Since the late 1970s, the Boy Scouts of America (B.S.A.) has had a policy that bans gay youth and adult leaders from membership in the Boy Scouts.  In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that B.S.A. had the legal right to continue this discriminatory policy.  In the years since, organizations have been formed to fight the ban through other channels. 

 

Meanwhile, B.S.A. has ejected Scouts and adult leaders whose homosexuality came its attention.  Others, after becoming aware of the policy, left Scouting on their own.  Untold numbers have declined to get involved at all.

 

More than 60% of volunteer Scouting leaders voted on Thursday, May 23, to partially lift the ban, but only to the extent that it covers youth Scouting members; under the proposed change, gay adult leaders will still be banned.

 

Will it now be safe for gay Scouts to come out?  What message does the partial change send?  Will it be enough to enable B.S.A. to regain some of the support and membership it has lost?  Perhaps most importantly, why is the B.S.A. reluctant to make a sweeping statement that discrimination is simply wrong?

 

This edition of OutCasting explores these complex issues through discussions with people who are or have been involved with the fight to overturn the ban, including:

  • Evan Wolfson, the civil rights attorney who represented a gay Scout whose ejection from Scouting led to the U.S. Supreme Court case Boy Scouts v. James Dale ;

  • Zach Wahls, the executive director of Scouts for Equality ;

  • Mark Noel, the executive director of the Inclusive Scouting Network who was ejected under the gay ban shortly after the Supreme Court decided the James Dale case;

  • Michelle Tompkins, national media manager of the Girl Scouts of the United States;

  • Christoph, who left Scouting;

  • David, a current Scout who opposes the ban; and

  • Michael, who is still closeted in Scouting.

Malkia Cyril Interviewed About Media Justice

From Generation Justice Admin | 09:05

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Media Literacy Project, Malkia Cyril, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Media Justice, talked with Generation Justice's Jason Fuller about the media justice movement, and the contributions of the Media Literacy Project.

Malkia-headshot1_small The Media Literacy Project (MLP) works locally and nationally on media justice issues.   The Center for Media Justice, a national organization out of Oakland California, has been a national partner to MLP. The Center for Media Justice was created to strengthen media activism and communication capacity of grassroots social justice movements. Over the past 15 years, their award-winning work has empowered media justice leaders. Malkia Cyril Executive Director and Founder of  the Center for Media Justice joins us to discuss her work. Malkia has been featured in many media outlets such as, the New York Times, Democracy Now, the Huffington Post, and Essence Magazine.