YouthSoup: A Podcast by Listen Up Youth Radio

In early July our Summer Media Intensive cohort members sat down with SMI facilitators (Youth Media Collective members) for two separate YouthForum-style conversations about the season we were working on, and the episodes they would all have done by the end of the summer. This was a training on how to use the podcast studio we share with our friends the St Paul Neighborhood Network, and on how we...

Part 1: Join Adelaide as she explores gender identity in indigenous cultures and how labels are used to describe identity. This episode delves into the history of two-spirit people, showcasing their beautiful contributions through centuries, and the challenges they face. With the help of guest speakers Liish Kozlowski, the first two-spirit and nonbinary Minnesota representative, Arnold-Dahl Wooley...

Join Lucy and Marley as they discuss examples of gossiping and marketing and how theyre very prominent examples of how words are used everyday though you may not usually think of the effects. The purpose of our episode is to encourage people to think deeper about words they say and see everyday. Because that's key to having a more mindful society. In part 1 Lucy interviews school counselor Marie H...

Part 1: Interview with an Up-and-Coming Content Creator: Cancel culture, Public Scrutiny, and Digital Footprints Listen in on Dinashas (also known as xodinashadrae on tiktok) interview on how she feels being next in line for center stage where she gets to share her creativity with the world. Getting an insight on her thoughts regarding topics like cancel culture and public security. Produced by Su...

Part 1: Exploring the world of language, Rana finds and discusses the weight language carries with her two classmates Asha and Muskan, and with linguist Dr. Michelle Benegas. So, words matter - but what happens when your words aren't understood or are lost in translation? In this episode we look at language barriers beyond the single moments in which they occur, finding out why they might happen,...

Hear what different artists think of music and what it represents, the similarities and differences on people's answers, and how important music is to so many people. Join Listen Up's 2025 Summer Media Cohort members Louis, Ryanna, and Salman for the first episode of the season. Guests in this podcast include: Part 1: Youth musician Jordan Allen Part 2: Musicians Alexandra aka Echos and Thomas Kra...

In our first ever live audience recording, Hiwi and Rena talk with Aziz Bisanz and Tarek Aboueid about sound, movement, and relentless hope and joy in Palestinian resistance during the ongoing genocide. This recording took place during the Season 7 Preview Party,  at the University of Minnesota's Liberal Arts Engagement Hub on April 30, 2025. You may hear people coming and going or eating tac...

Join our fabulous members Josie, Alex, and Eden on a journey through the sounds of resistance in Counterculture. From punk to jazz to metal, they explore how musical counterculture has evolvedwhat's changed, what's stayed bold, and how different scenes keep pushing back. Featuring interviews with Keith Williams and Tri Vo. Music in this episode is "Hello Dolly" by Keith's band The Land O' Dixie Re...

Siyam is on her second poetry journey, this time acknowledging how resistance is shown through poetry. Resistance in poetry challenges oppression, injustice, and personal struggles. Learning how poetry is a powerful tool of defiance and transformation. Join Siyam as she explores how poets from different backgrounds balance poetry and resistance, featuring interviews with  Mohamed Saleh in Min...

Produced by YMC member Rena, this episode explores different methods of language preservation, focusing on Ojibwemowin, the language spoken by the Ojibwe people of so-called Canada and Turtle Island . This episode features Renas' friend Caley Coyne, an Alaskan Native (Athabascan and Yupik) who has lived in Minnesota her whole life and began learning Ojibwemowin when she was young, and John-Paul Ch...

Part 2 of 2: In our journey of voicing resistances, join Solo and Hiwi on YouthSoup as we dive into the world of public radio with Dr. Laura Garbes and Cydney Grannan. From challenging exclusion to uplifting authentic storytelling, we explore how integrity and voice are reshaping the future of public media. This episode is the fourth in our 7th season, "Voicing Resistance," completed in residency...

Part 1 of 2: In our journey of voicing resistances, join Solo and Hiwi on YouthSoup as we dive into the world of public radio with Dr. Laura Garbes and Cydney Grannan. From challenging exclusion to uplifting authentic storytelling, we explore how integrity and voice are reshaping the future of public media. This episode is the third in our 7th season, "Voicing Resistance," completed in residency a...

In this episode of Listen Up Youth Radio, we will look into the complex world of censorship with Dr. Sima Shakhsari, a professor at the University of Minnesota and a longtime advocate for marginalized communities. From student protests against war-related investments to the censorship of voices speaking out against injustice, we explore how censorship works in media, academia, and activism. We als...

Join Hiwi and the Sudanese Student Union at the University of Minnesota as they explore how sound through music, poetry, and protest shapes Sudanese culture and resistance. Discover how these expressions preserve heritage and fuel unity amid the ongoing war in Sudan. This episode is the first in our 7th season, "Voicing Resistance," completed in residency at the University of Minnesota's Liberal A...

Join us - as a collective, along with our guest Dana Silverman from SPNN - as we explore what it means to be a youth in today's world. As individuals from both Gen Z and Millennial generations, we reflect on how we define youth and youthfulness in the era of social media. From shifting perceptions over time to the cultural and societal forces shaping our experiences, we dive into the impact of mod...

Summer Media Intensive 2024, Bonus Episode: To close out our publication of SMI 2024, were excited to share the results of an experimental pop-up recording studio. We hope you enjoy this funny little episode, featuring some wonderful members of the Listen Up community!

Summer Media Intensive 2024, Part 4: Join Siham as she talks about multimedia visual arts and has the chance to interview professional visual artist Hend Al-Mansour. She dives into depth about the importance behind its cultural representation and audience impact, while Hend tells her more about the creation behind it. Find out more about Hend's work on her website www.hendalmansour.com, and check...

Summer Media Intensive 2024, Part 3: In this episode, Hamza Ali talks about mental health within video games. He sits down with his friends Hamse and Dinasha to talk about their favorite video games and how video games have improved their mental health. Even if you don't play video games, Hamza hopes that you can see how video games can positively affect others' lives. In the other half of this ep...

Summer Media Intensive 2024, Part 2: In this episode of youth soup, Josie and Destiney talk about the importance of art. Josie sits down with her close friends James and Hadiyah to talk about the importance of art education and what that means to them. Later in the episode, Josie talks to her 8th grade English teacher, Mr. Mulhern to get a teacher's perspective on the situation. Destiney talks abo...

Summer Media Intensive 2024, Part 1: Movies have had a long history of misrepresenting or showing Queer and Black people in a negative lightwith the Horror genre being one of the biggest offenders. In this episode Dinasha and Kiara dive into stereotypes and how they negatively affect culture and communities. We will also talk about how movies are changing and making an effort to create positive re...

In this episode, Hiwi sits down with Abdul Yousuph, a political science and international relations graduate from the University of Addis Ababa, to talk about how Ethiopian identity has changed across generations. Abdul shares what being Ethiopian meant for his generation and reflects on how recent conflicts and our history of internal colonization have shaped what it means for us, the youth, toda...

Listen in on Siyams new YouthSoup episode in which she takes a deep dive into poetry, exploring the power of words and how they can evoke emotions, paint vivid pictures, and tell compelling stories. Joined by poets Sagirah Shahid and Ibtisam Sid. We asked Sagirah how listeners can find her work - she recommended folks look for the local organization Mizna ( mizna.org ), one place where Sagirah's p...

Teens coming together to talk about a topic usually kept lowkey. In this episode Solo, Hiwi, and Siyam deep dive into the profound and mysterious subject of death. Exploring various perspectives, including cultural beliefs and personal experiences. Aiming to shed light on the often taboo topic and providing a space for reflection and understanding. Come along on this journey with many curiosities,...

In this episode, Rena chats with Astrid, a wonderful Urban Roots staff member and the biggest beet lover. They talk all about food justice, youth work, and cooking! Tune in to hear about our food stories! (This is one of Renas favorite episodes ever, thanks to Astrid)