RadioActive

Join Daniel Colindres-Flores, Rediet Giday and Sidh Shroff as they walk down Jackson Street and explore its rich cultural history. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/a-walk-down-jackson-street-seattle-s-jazz-legacy [ RadioActive Youth Media is KUOW’s radio journalism and audio storytelling program for young people. This story was entirely youth-produced, from the writing to the audio ed...

Trees? Water? Coffee? Tech? In this episode of the RadioActive podcast, Phillip Zhou, Gavin Muhlfelder and Alex Mengisteab go from neighborhood to neighborhood gathering stories about everything that makes the Emerald City unique. Content note: This story briefly mentions drug addiction. [ RadioActive Youth Media is KUOW’s radio journalism and audio storytelling program for young people. This stor...

People who are conventionally attractive are often treated differently — treated better — than people who aren't. That's "pretty privilege." And when pretty privilege is based on Eurocentric beauty standards, it can further marginalize people of color, people with large bodies, queer people and disabled people. In this episode of the RadioActive podcast, Nyla Moxley, Jana Le and Taniya Guster disc...

Language is the foundation of life. All of our actions, perspectives, and cultures stem from how we communicate with others. Our communities are tied to their methods of communication. But what happens when we lose our ability to speak? In this episode of the RadioActive podcast, Maymuna Yusuf, Red Debebe and Eliham Mohammed reflect on the trials and tribulations of staying connected to their nati...

Tweens growing up with social media deal with rapidly changing beauty standards and social pressures.  In this episode of the RadioActive podcast, Jehan Hashi, Josue Villalobos and Vivi Cardenas-Habell look into how tweens navigate this digital space, and why it matters.  Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/how-tweens-are-navigating-social-media-s-beauty-standards [ RadioActive...

The Lambert House in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood is a place where LGBTQ youth can find community, belonging, and support. It's been around for more than thirty years, but it shut down at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. During that time, it found a new life online, and was able to reach more youth than ever before. RadioActive' s Ada Walther takes us into the Lambert House and intro...

The process of becoming a U.S. citizen is often a long and complicated one. RadioActive’s Eva Solorio talked with a family member about his journey to becoming an American citizen after immigrating from Mexico at eight years old. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/being-a-citizen-means-you-are-free-one-immigrant-s-journey-toward-american-citizenship RadioActive Youth Media is KUOW's rad...

High school students in Seattle Public Schools are taught sex education once, in ninth grade health class . RadioActive 's Lily Turner recently graduated from Nathan Hale High School, where she saw the lack of sex ed throughout high school cause confusion and misinformation among her classmates. But all this is about to change. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/changes-are-coming-to-se...

Young Women Empowered, also known as Y-WE, is a youth development organization that’s been around for about 10 years. Their mission is to cultivate the power of diverse young people to be leaders and changemakers. RadioActive’s Sadeen Al Ziyad looked into how Y-WE uplifts youth, especially youth of color, through programs that offer skill-building, joy, and a sense of belonging. Episode webpage: h...

It can be easy to slip into a cycle of going to work or school, and then coming home, day in and day out. You might feel the need for another place to go, to get away from that routine. But during the pandemic lockdown, there were suddenly a lot fewer of these "third places." RadioActive’s Gideon Hall looked at one of his ‘third places’ – a Seattle music organization – and how they’re coming back...

At least 53,000 people experienced homelessness in King County last year. And that number is on the rise.  RadioActive’s Hayden Yu Andersen talked with two people who are dedicated to addressing King County's homelessness crisis. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/how-two-people-are-addressing-seattle-s-homelessness-crisis [ RadioActive Youth Media is KUOW's radio journalism and au...

Last fall, King County Metro and many other Washington transit agencies made fares free for youth 18 and under. Fabian Hernandez-Angel is one of these youths who uses this program to get to and from school. But, he’s going to be turning 19 soon, meaning he’ll no longer be eligible for the program. RadioActive's Colin Yuen has more. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/public-transit-is-no...

For many first-generation Americans, it can be hard to balance multiple cultures.  Amadou Gaye was the first member of his Senegalese family to be born in the United States. Growing up, his mom stressed the importance of prioritizing his education while maintaining a connection to his Senegalese heritage.  RadioActive’s Idrissa Gaye has this story about what he learned from his older bro...

When you think of hula, you might picture dances you’ve seen in Disney movies, or on a summer trip to Hawaiʻi. But that’s just scratching the surface of what hula is. There’s so much more. And RadioActive Youth Media’s Terina Papatu is here to show you. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/the-story-of-one-kumu-keeping-her-hula-lineage [RadioActive Youth Media is KUOW's radio journalism a...

Growing up, RadioActive's Indigo Mays loved going to the doctor’s office. She went to the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in the Central District. But that location has been closed for more than a year. Now, Mays explores the history, recent controversy, and legacy of the Odessa Brown Clinic. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/the-legacy-of-the-odessa-brown-clinic [RadioActive Youth Medi...

A festival featuring six plays written, produced, and performed by Deaf creatives is back. Deaf Spotlight, a Seattle arts non-profit, hosted its third Short Play Festival in March. It was in-person this year, after moving online due to the pandemic. RadioActive’s Dash Pinck takes us there. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/deaf-creatives-put-a-springtime-spin-on-seattle-theater The epi...

In February, the city council voted to make Seattle the first city in the country to ban discrimination based on a person’s caste.  The vote was a watershed for those who say that caste discrimination exists even in the United States. And for one supporter of the measure, it was a chance to open up about an identity that she had kept hidden.  Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories...

RadioActive is transmitting some weirdness into the airwaves. What happens when RadioActive youth producers can make *anything* they want? Some weird and wonderful radio magic, that’s what. Listen to an hour of our creative, experimental, and just-plain-weird audio stories on this RadioActive showcase.  Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/radioactive-showcase-experimental RadioActiv...

In August 2021, the United States’ longest standing war came to an end as the military withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban fundamentalist group returned to power. Thousands of Afghan people became refugees and came to the U.S. One of those people is Abdul Nasir.  RadioActive ’s Micah Riggio lives with Abdul, and has this story of how his family hosts refugees like Abdul as they begin ne...

RadioActive's Ada Walther loves horror films. Ada sat down with local filmmaker Abie Ekenezar to talk about the genre. They talked about how Abie got into making horror films, and what they see as the future of horror, sci-fi, and speculative fiction. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/not-just-mayhem-and-gore-how-one-seattle-filmmaker-found-their-place-in-horror [RadioActive Youth Medi...

The decision to leave home is never an easy one. Immigrating 6,000 miles for a chance at a better life is a significant risk. RadioActive’s Idrissa Gaye tells the story of how his mom, May Gueye, said goodbye to friends, family and a stable job in Senegal to pursue higher education in the United States. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/6000-miles-and-a-chance-my-mom-s-pursuit-of-a-bet...

In the luxe hills of Calabasas, California, near the homes of Hollywood stars, there are two treatment centers for teens who are struggling with mental health and addiction. RadioActive’s Caden LaMar talked to Kai, an alumni of a one of these residential treatment centers, about his experience there. Content and audio note: The audio recordings in this story are distorted at times due to a recorde...

We all deserve a space where we can be unapologetically ourselves. Sylvie Crowe, a director, costume designer, and actor at Bellevue Youth Theater, is part of a new generation of creatives who are fighting to create that space for disabled and LGBTQ+ people. RadioActive's Dashiell Pinck talked with Sylvie, and has more. Episode Webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/sylvie-crowe-acting-for-accessib...

In a world of concrete and chain link that's overwhelmingly gray, the urge to beautify our communities isn't an uncommon one. But it takes a special kind of person to take the leap of actually doing something about it. RadioActive's Gideon Hall spoke to Christy Caravaglio, who, for the last four years, has been adding brilliant color to her local urban landscape. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow....

Elly McCarthy is a teacher at Pacific Crest School, a Montessori school in Ballard. RadioActive’s McKenna Kilayko talked with Elly about practicing empathy-based communication and interaction in the classroom. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/respect-empathy-montessori-teaching [RadioActive Youth Media is KUOW's radio journalism and audio storytelling program for young people. This st...