'Happiness is the most rebellious act.' Stories of resilience and connection for families during Covid-19
In this special episode of the RadioActive podcast first produced for the Podapalooza Podcast Festival in April 2020, hosts Simone St. Pierre Nelson and Enya Garcia showcase nine stories about family produced entirely by young people. Lila Shroff was the show's producer.
This hour of youth radio features stories made by teens in RadioActive Youth Media's long-running Intro to Radio Journalism workshops.
The stories featured in this showcase can be found at the links below.
Connecting to family through technology:
My family Skypes over dinner, but sometimes it's not enough. Producer Patrick Liu's family is an ocean away. But they still manage to have dinner together a few nights a week.
War destroyed our family. Facebook brought us back together. Producer Izzy's great aunt Milagros lost touch with her brother after the Nicaraguan revolution. Thirty years later, they found each other.
My grandpa sang songs to fight for freedom. Now I sing them too. Producer Medha Kumar lives in Seattle, but her grandpa lives in India. Despite the distance, they connect through their love of music.
Families processing trauma together:
Sober for 27 years. Now her son is experimenting with drugs produced by Enya Garcia. How do you prevent your kid from making the same mistakes you did?
After a racist attack, my mom hid her trauma to protect me. Now I want to help her heal produced by Leila Abe. Up to 60 percent of Americans have experienced trauma in their lives. But if trauma is so common, why is it so hard for us to recognize?
A white woman slapped my mom on a Seattle bus. She picked on the wrong woman. Producer Kenny Ou fights back against stereotypes.
Self-discovery through family:
My mom wants me to have an arranged marriage. But I'm not sure. Will producer Ritika Managuli choose her own path to love, or go down the traditional arranged marriage route like her mother?
My mom found a sperm donor. 16 years later, he accidentally found us produced by Morgen White. Can a stranger become family?
I didn't know my mom was non-binary until I started to question my gender identity. Producer Marci Flynn develops a deeper connection with her mom.
These stories were created in KUOW's RadioActive Youth Media Intro to Radio Journalism workshops for high school students.
Find RadioActive on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and on the RadioActive podcast.
Support for KUOW's RadioActive comes from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center.
