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RadioActive

Stories produced by students participating in our youth media program. Meet the current youth producers, and learn more about the intensive, fun and free introductory radio journalism workshops we offer throughout the year. 

caption: The summer 2023 class of RadioActive Youth Media.
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The summer 2023 class of RadioActive Youth Media.
KUOW Photo/Lila Lakehart

Episodes

  • caption: Mr. Woo looks over Hong Kong, his home for most of his life.

    'It was like a typhoon striking': How Hong Kong's attitude toward protests has changed

    In 2019, the streets of Hong Kong were filled with tear gas and umbrellas. But how did they get to that point, and what’s happening now? RadioActive’s Lucas Deng wanted to learn more about how protests have changed in Hong Kong over time. So he spoke with a family friend, Mr. Woo, who has lived in Hong Kong for most of his life.

  • caption: My dad, Sam Jansons (third from left), and his bandmates Sam Ross, Jeffrey Henry and Laurence Goldenstar when they were younger.

    'Music is medicine': How my dad’s relationship with music evolved with him

    Music has always been important to Sam Jansons. When he was 16, he heard the drums in the Led Zeppelin song "Kashmir" and decided he wanted to play. Since then, he’s expanded to playing guitar, writing songs, and even messing around with his daughter's piano a bit. RadioActive’s Josie Jansons has this story about her dad, her family, and the role music plays in their lives.

  • caption: Aparna Srinivasan poses for a portrait.

    Putting herself FIRST: One teen's experience on an all-gender robotics team

    STEM career fields — science, technology, engineering and math — are traditionally male-dominated. But in FIRST robotics, Interlake High School senior Aparna Srinivasan finds community and belonging, despite the underrepresentation of women of color in robotics. RadioActive's Evelyn Jiang interviewed Aparna about her experience.

  • caption: Failelei Papatu standing on the pier at Edmonds Marina beach in early July 2021.

    How my dad finds motivation, from Samoa to the States

    When RadioActive's Terina Papatu pictures her dad, Failelei Papatu, she sees the motivated father of three young girls, a hard worker, and a proud Samoan. And she says his dedication to his family has only gotten stronger since moving to the United States. Terina has this story about her family.

  • caption: The Jackson Park Youth Coalition playground committee.

    These Seattle teens organized to change 'inhumane' living conditions at their housing complex

    Some residents of Jackson Park Village, a low-income housing community near Shoreline, say that it has 'inhumane' living conditions for the people — mostly families of color — who live there. Recently, young residents came together to organize for better living conditions by starting the Jackson Park Youth Coalition. RadioActive’s Sadeen Al Ziyad talked to her friend and neighbor Yerusalam Kamara who helped found the Coalition.

  • caption: Gideon Hall and Ada Walther, graduates of RadioActive's 2022 Intro to Radio Journalism Workshop and the hosts of this showcase, in the KUOW studios.

    A RadioActive youth storytelling showcase

    What can interviews with the people we care about tell us about humanity as a whole? Radioactive Youth Media invites you to listen to a one-hour storytelling showcase, originally broadcast on KUOW 94.9. Join Gideon Hall and Ada Walther on a voyage through time.

  • caption: Tae-Hyang and Nam-Sook Yu on a recent trip to Seoul, South Korea.

    How my grandparents braved tragedy after immigrating to America, and what it means for me

    Each person who chooses to immigrate to the United States brings their own unique story and set of circumstances. For Tae-Hyang and Nam-Sook Yu, that was taking a chance and moving from South Korea to the United States. The settled in Seattle, where they faced discrimination and prejudice for the sake of their daughters’ education. RadioActive’s Hayden Andersen has this story about his grandparents and his family history.

  • caption: Dhana Viswanathan and her husband, Balaji Viswanathan, at their wedding ceremony in Puducherry, India in 2015.

    'Cool way to meet the love of your life': One woman's arranged marriage journey

    Arranged marriage is common throughout India. Most married couples are set up by family, friends, or a matchmaker. But the practice isn't as common in the United States, where some people stereotype arranged marriages as unconventional or unloving. RadioActive’s Anjali Einstein talked to her family friend Dhana Viswanathan about her own experience with arranged marriage, and the beautiful love story that came out of the custom.

  • caption: Rosie Short Robinson, the matriarch of Indigo May's family, standing in front of her house. Year and location unknown.

    The often unheard Black journey: My great-great-grandmother’s migration story

    Black Americans are often left out of American resettlement narratives. But many have rich stories pertaining to the Great Migration of the 20th century, during which Black families moved from the rural South to northern states in pursuit of a better life. RadioActive's Indigo Mays learned about the story of her great-great-grandmother, Rosie Short Robinson, as told through her grandmother Carol Chism.

  • caption: Thousands of students rallied on the steps of Seattle City Hall on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, after walking out of class in protest of gun violence in schools. Less than one week ago, a deadly shooting occurred at Seattle's Ingraham High School.

    How local youth are taking on school gun violence

    Gun violence in schools has only gotten more common in the past decade. Often, it’s young people themselves who are shouldering the burden of finding solutions to the crisis. Youth reporters Antonio Nevarez and Hayden Andersen explain what local youth advocates want to see, and how young people can get involved in solutions.

  • caption: RadioActive youth producers working together at KUOW and on Zoom in 2022.

    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.