Radio Rookies Workshops
Since 1999, Radio Rookies has been conducting workshops at partnering organizations across all five boroughs New York, training young people to report on their lives and communities. During these 6-9-month-long workshops Radio Rookies learn the basics of radio journalism: from how to conduct an interview and develop a story to how to craft a script and digitally edit their audio.
BROADCAST WORKSHOP STORIES:
From September 2000 to January 2001, a Radio Rookies workshop was held in conjunction with Make the Road by Walking Inc, a non-profit organization which promotes organizing and activism in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Its youth leadership programs work with high school students to develop their organizing and communication skills, and to enable them to become more effective advocates for social justice.
The 2008 Radio Rookies Brooklyn broadcast workshop was held in partnership with the High School for Global Citizenship (HSGC) in Crown Heights. The Rookies stories explore topics ranging from why parents work so much, to child abuse, to learning how to read in high school.
The 2009 Bronx Radio Rookies workshop was in partnership with the Next Generation Center, a fantastic multi-service youth drop-in center run by the Children's Aid Society. The Bronx Rookies worked hard for months to tell their stories about poverty in the Bronx, the standards in public schools, the effects of Chernobyl, incarcerated parents, and a rare debilitating disease.
The Elmhurst Queens workshop was held at SAYA! (South Asian Youth Action). Founded in 1996, SAYA! is the first organization in the United States to serve young people with roots in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Guyana, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Trinidad. The vibrant nonprofit is located in the basement of a church in Elmhurst, just off Queens Blvd. SAYA! works with more than 400 kids a year, offering them the space to learn, grow, play, and build community. Two of SAYA!’s most successful programs include ARISE, a co-ed youth group that tackles community problems, and Desi Girls on the Rise, a girls-only leadership group.
The 2001 Radio Rookies Queens workshop was held at the YWCA in Flushing, Queens. Radio Rookie Heather Oplinger describes the Y as "a place where you can feel at home." Heather says that she's learned from the Y that education should come first. "The teachers and staff inspire me to move forwards not backwards," she says. Heather is one of many young people who take GED classes at the Flushing Y. The Y offers other services such as dance classes and choir. Its mission is to empower women and girls and to eliminate racism.
The Elmhurst Queens workshop was held at SAYA! (South Asian Youth Action). Founded in 1996, SAYA! is the first organization in the United States to serve young people with roots in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Guyana, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Trinidad. The vibrant nonprofit is located in the basement of a church in Elmhurst, just off Queens Blvd. SAYA! works with more than 400 kids a year, offering them the space to learn, grow, play, and build community. Two of SAYA!’s most successful programs include ARISE, a co-ed youth group that tackles community problems, and Desi Girls on the Rise, a girls-only leadership group.
WNYC and Columbia University offered a six-week radio workshop to a group of Harlem-based teenagers in the summer of 1999. Students aged 12 to 19 learned to report, write and produce radio stories and also how to compose and take pictures at the Photographic Center of Harlem. "The Harlem Radio and Photography Project" was partially funded by the Open Society Institute. Its young participants were given the tools to find and tell the stories most important to them.
A Radio Rookies workshop was held at The Point Community Development Center in the Hunts Point area of the South Bronx in 2001. The Point CDC is dedicated to youth development and to the cultural and economic revitalization of Hunts Point. They work with their neighbors, especially their young people, to celebrate the life and culture of the South Bronx. The Radio Rookies workshop was held at the low power radio station at the Point where some of the Hunts Point Rookies host their own radio shows. Rookies Janesse and Carmen came to the workshop from the Rosedale Achievement Center which helps young people achieve their academic and personal goals.
Radio Rookies' second workshop in Manhattan was held at the Grand Street Settlement, located right under the Williamsburg Bridge in Manhattan's Lower East Side. The Grand Street Settlement provides residents of the LES community with the tools and support they need to overcome challenges and build productive lives and futures. Grand Street redefines its programs to respond to current community needs and to the ever-changing ethnic and racial makeup of its residents, by creating programs for people of all ages- from toddlers in Day Care, teens in Summer Camp to bingo with senior citizens.
The 2012 Radio Rookies Manhattan broadcast workshop was held in partnership with the McBurney YMCA on 14th Street in Manhattan. The Rookies' stories explore topics ranging from the immigration experience, to living with sickle cell disease, to the sexual harassment of teen girls on social media sites.
The Council of Pakistan Organization (COPO) hosted the Spring 2003 Radio Rookies workshop on Coney Island Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Midwood. COPO was founded in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, when members of the South Asian community in Midwood were facing threats and many residents had questions about their rights. COPO offers legal advice, preparation for citizenship tests, and job training to people of all ethnic backgrounds. Muslim, Jewish, and other teenagers get together once a week to play basketball there. COPO's basketball program is aimed at bringing together the diverse neighborhood. "If the kids get to know each other now, they won't start fighting when they are older,” says COPO program director Jagajit Singh.
SHORT WAVE WORKSHOP STORIES:
SPECIAL SERIES: