RadioActive's 2022 through stories by teens
RadioActive youth producers published 38 audio stories in 2022.
The stories range from news stories about the foster care system, school lunch and disability rights, to fictional audio dramas. The thing they all have in common? Each story was produced by a Seattle-area teen.
If you missed any of these incredible perspectives from young people, catch up with the stories below.
Education
Stories about school and the education system.
During the pandemic, school lunch became free for all students, regardless of their family’s income. That was thanks to federal government waivers. But those waivers expired on June 30. RadioActive’s Colin Yuen spoke to advocates for keeping school lunch free for all.
For many students with disabilities, online classes during the pandemic came with new challenges, and a loss of their usual, face-to-face classroom support. RadioActive's Lily Turner, who is deaf in one ear and has trouble hearing in the other, has this story about lessons learned during the pandemic and how schools can do better to make sure all students can fully participate.
Washington schools are not required to offer meals that accommodate students’ religious beliefs, like kosher or halal meals. RadioActive's Rahmah Abdulazeez looked into how not having many halal lunch options at school affects Muslim students like her.
When RadioActive’s Eva Solorio graduated from middle school, she was ready for a change. So she chose to go to a nearby high school, instead of the one all her friends were going to. But it turned out to be a bigger change than she expected.
Elementary teacher Fernell Miller noticed the lack of mental health support for students of color during the pandemic and decided to do something about it. The Root of Our Youth, an organization Miller started, offers students like RadioActive's Zana Stewart a space for healing, joy, and connection.
RadioActive's Najuma Abadir and her best friend, Sadeen, are Muslim teens who attend a mostly non-Muslim high school. Here's how they're making their school a more inclusive place for Muslim students like them.
Around two million high school graduates go on to attend college each year in the United States. Jakha Tunkara is a recent high school graduate who feels that the school system failed to properly prepare her for college. RadioActive's Muhammad Tunkara talks with his sister Jakha about the obstacles she faced.
Tens of thousands of Seattle students are getting an extended summer break after Seattle Public Schools educators went on strike Wednesday. RadioActive's Marian Mohamed, Hayden Andersen and Micah Riggio contributed to this episode of Soundside.
Media
Stories about the media we consume and how it shapes us.
People seem to love crime content. But is it ethical? RadioActive's Alayna Ly, Morgen White and Colin Yuen talked to true-crime listeners and creators and a media ethicist to find out.
From video games and D&D to fandoms and cosplay, RadioActive's Indigo Mays, Dash Pinck and Carter Ortiz share the stories of people who create and consume media that changes lives.
Environment
Stories about the natural world.
Just how deep can someone’s connection to the water be? Join RadioActive's McKenna Kilayko, Kea Lani Diamond and Hayden Andersen on a journey through the layers of the ocean.
The first time RadioActive's Rhea Beecher's grandfather showed them the ocean, they were underwhelmed. Rhea was 12 years old and totally unimpressed. But the second time Rhea and their grandfather went to the ocean, three years later, it just hit different.
Community
Stories about our neighborhoods and the places we gather.
For the past seven months on Friday afternoons, residents of Kent’s Walnut Park neighborhood have been able to pick up fresh produce and dry goods from an outdoor market. And it’s all free. RadioActive’s Marian Mohamed talked with Walnut Park residents about what the market means to them.
This August, Seattle’s Pike Place Market celebrated its 115th birthday. Since 1907, the iconic market has been home to small businesses, street-performing musicians, fish throwing, fresh produce, and even the first-ever Starbucks. RadioActive’s Antonio Nevarez went to Pike Place Market to talk to tourists, regulars, and store owners about the Market today.
When RadioActive’s Emily Chua thinks about the public library, she pictures the maze of bookshelves, the tables and chairs, and even the squeak of an ungreased wheel as a librarian walks by with a book cart. All that went away when the pandemic hit. But teenagers in King County eventually found a new way to hang out at the library.
Attendance numbers were almost back to pre-pandemic levels this year at Emerald City Comic Con, Seattle’s annual comic and pop culture convention. RadioActive’s Alayna Ly went to Comic Con for her first time, and brings us this audio postcard.
Family & Role Models
Stories about our families and the people who guide us.
RadioActive's Leila M’baye comes from three generations of successful businesswomen. Participating in the family business is something of a tradition in Leila’s family. Leila talked to her mom about her great-grandma, the woman who started it all.
Seeing a part of yourself represented on the big screen doesn't mean you feel welcome within your own community. RadioActive's Antonio Nevarez sat down with his friend Micky to talk about the importance of queer role models.
When RadioActive's Eva Solorio was in middle school, she developed an eating disorder. Her mom, Ana Iglesias, stepped up to support her. And as Ana and Eva learned more about eating disorders, they confronted their own family's stigma against seeking care for mental health.
Hugo Guerra grew up in a tough home environment in Guatemala. He used his guitar to cope and help overcome challenges as a teenager. When he immigrated to the United States, his guitar became a tool to survive. RadioActive's Adrian Guerra shares his dad Hugo's story.
Petty Officer Serigne Diakhate spent nearly a year out at sea on an extended deployment. Navy Deployments usually last about six months but because of Covid, this became the longest Naval deployment since the Vietnam War. RadioActive’s Khassim Diakhate tells his brother Serigne's story.
Michell Nguyen sets high standards for her daughter, RadioActive's Jennifer Nguyen. Jennifer sat down with her mom to talk about where those standards came from: Michell's experience working in a sugar factory in Vietnam at age 13.
Yuk and Cho Yuen have run a barbershop out of the basement of their Beacon Hill home for 40 years. RadioActive's Colin Yuen talked to Yuk, his grandma, about her immigration story, her love story, and what he has to learn from her.
Arts & Life
Stories from our daily lives.
Mia Crump is a musically talented teen determined to claim her space in the music industry, despite not seeing herself and other people with disabilities represented in it. Her friend since middle school, RadioActive's Lily Turner, shares Mia’s story of determination for making and playing music.
There are currently more than 400,000 children and teens in foster care in the United States. RadioActive's Kemijah Slaughter was one of those children. As a senior in high school, Kemijah is empowered to tell her story on her own terms.
On this episode of the RadioActive podcast, Rhea Beecher, Eva Solorio and Emily Chua bring you three stories about how and why people make life-changing decisions.
RadioActive 's Lyn Strober-Cohen looked into how the queer experience has changed — and stayed the same — over the decades.
If you wear makeup, you've likely gotten mixed messages about the right way to wear it, or if it's OK to wear it at all. People of all ages and genders wear makeup. But RadioActive's Najuma Abadir was especially interested in how conflicting messages around makeup can affect young women like her.
Folklorico – dances of the people – is a style of dance from Mexico. And for many Mexican American teens, it serves as a connection to a culture not commonly represented in mass media. Fifteen-year-old Kylie Hooks is a Folklorico performer. RadioActive's Josie Gonzalez has the story of Kylie's relationship with the dance.
Why do we dream? Are there any hidden or underlying messages in our dreams? How does our culture affect the way we talk about dreams? Najuma Abadir, Adar Abdi and Jennifer Nguyen asked around in this dreamy episode of the RadioActive podcast.
RadioActive's Adar Abdi and her friend Heena Vahora love food — cooking it, eating it and talking about it. They're also both first-generation Americans, who say they know the feeling of being the odd one out. In this conversation, the two discuss culture, diversity, family and the beauty of food — all while cooking together.
Self-Discovery & Self-Love
Stories of finding ourselves.
For RadioActive's Morgen White, pole dancing is a sanctuary. Taking pole dancing classes has boosted her confidence and strengthened her self-love. In this essay, she explores the importance of appreciating herself as a sexual being, and being fully herself in front of others who respect and value her body as her own.
In this personal essay, RadioActive's Rhea Beecher reflects on identity, family, religion, coming out, and embracing your true self.
Nikẹ Adejumobi’s hair and self-esteem were damaged. But over time, she regained both healthy curls and confidence. Nike talked about it with her friend, RadioActive's Alayna Ly.
Muslim women are powerful and can choose to wear a headscarf or not, says RadioActive’s Rahmah Abdulazeez. Rahmah wrote a poem about how she and her sister deal with discrimination as hijabis in the United States. Rahmah wove her poem together with moments from a conversation with her sister, Zahraa Abdulazeez.
Fiction
Audio dramas and satire.
Choices, wins, and losses — getting through high school is kind of like playing a video game. In this sound-rich, fictional audio story, RadioActive’s Alayna Ly explores the transition from high school to whatever comes next. Can you level up without breaking down?
Sam is the host of a true-crime YouTube series called "You Got Harmed." And there's nothing Sam won't do to get more subscribers. RadioActive's Lyn Strober-Cohen, Antonio Nevarez and Rahmah Abdulazeez bring this hilarious, satirical audio drama to life.
In this fictional audio drama by RadioActive's Jennifer Nguyen, two teens meet and fall for each other online during the pandemic. But connecting in real life is much harder.
All the stories on this list were produced in KUOW's RadioActive Youth Media workshops for high school and college-age youth.
Support for KUOW's RadioActive comes from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center and BECU.
