Youth Radio Perspectives Archive
Youth Radio has produced personal commentaries for Perspectives for more than a decade. Currently, they contribute one commentary a month. Below is an archive of their most recent work.
Youth Radio was founded in 1990 on the deeply held belief that underserved youth, ages 14-24 years old, have the creativity, technical skills, and entrepreneurial spirit to become leaders in the multi-media industry and in the community. Today, more than 300 Youth Radio reports and commentaries are broadcast each year on National Public Radio programs such as All Things Considered and Morning Edition, on-line outlets like CNN.com and iTunes, and on public radio stations across the country.
Youth Radio Perspectives
Perspectives | Thursday, Feb 02, 2012, 7:35 AM
Me and My Shadow
Youth Radio's Derek Williams has come to accept himself, despite his unhealthy obesity.
Perspectives | Thursday, Jan 05, 2012, 7:35 AM
My Own Path
Youth Radio's Sayre Quevedo couldn't afford four-year college, but he's building a future his own way.
Perspectives | Thursday, Dec 08, 2011, 7:35 AM
Membership in the Club
Youth Radio's Asha Richardson's chance at a Silicon Valley career is limited by her race and where she lives.
Perspectives | Thursday, Nov 10, 2011, 7:35 AM
Invisible Men
Youth Radio's Pendarvis Harshaw tries to keep black high school students from dropping out.
Perspectives | Thursday, Oct 13, 2011, 7:35 AM
Occupation Wall Street
Some of Jesse Bussell's business school classmates want to occupy Wall Street. Others want an occupation there.
Perspectives | Thursday, Sep 08, 2011, 7:35 AM
Hijacked
Youth Radio's Belia Saavedra mourns the hijacking of planes and stories on September 11th.
Perspectives | Thursday, Aug 18, 2011, 7:35 AM
Virtual Beauty
Youth Radio's Bianca Brooks agrees with a study that links Facebook and narcissism.
Perspectives | Thursday, Jul 21, 2011, 7:35 AM
Summer Love Lessons
Youth Radio's Rachel Krantz takes her first love on the road and discovers love is about more than romance.
Perspectives | Thursday, Jun 23, 2011, 7:35 AM
Financial Literacy
Youth Radio's Maya Cueva was taught economics in high school -- but not personal finance.
Perspectives | Thursday, May 26, 2011, 7:35 AM
Learning to Laugh
Graduating from high school, Youth Radio's Kazia Berman best lesson learned was how to laugh.
Perspectives | Thursday, Apr 28, 2011, 7:35 AM
Silence
Youth Radio's Sayre Quevedo looks at the recent beating and sexual assault of a transgender woman in the Mission.
Perspectives | Thursday, Mar 31, 2011, 7:35 AM
It's Not Easy Being Green
Youth Radio's Caitlin Grey says her college peers are apathetic about the environment.
Perspectives | Thursday, Mar 03, 2011, 7:35 AM
Thanks, Dr. Seuss
How a Dr. Seuss story saved Youth Radio's Rayana Godfrey.
Perspectives | Monday, Feb 07, 2011, 7:35 AM
Tiger Daughter
Youth Radio's Robyn Gee reflects on the Tiger Mother controversy.
Perspectives | Thursday, Jan 06, 2011, 7:35 AM
Raising Muffin
Youth Radio's Rynesha Snowden knows what it takes for a teenager to raise a child.
Perspectives | Thursday, Dec 02, 2010, 7:35 AM
Half Way Out
Youth Radio's Sayre Quevedo loves his family, but he dreads the holiday because he's been keeping a secret -- until last Thursday.
Perspectives | Thursday, Nov 04, 2010, 7:35 AM
The Dream Act
Born in Mexico but raised in the U.S. since age two, Youth Radio's Estafania longs for U.S. citizenship.
Perspectives | Thursday, Oct 07, 2010, 7:35 AM
Breakup to Makeup
Facebook has changed the way Youth Radio's Melody Or thinks about relationships.
Perspectives | Thursday, Sep 09, 2010, 7:35 AM
Back to Unschooled
Youth Radio's Sam Fuller isn't in school or home schooled. He's unschooled -- and he likes it.
Perspectives | Thursday, Aug 12, 2010, 7:35 AM
Activism Takes a Summer Break
Youth Radio's Danielle Nahal worries that student protests of tuition hikes have been replaced by complacence.
Perspectives | Thursday, Jul 15, 2010, 7:35 AM
Coping With the Mehserle Verdict
Youth Radio's Leon Sykes' reaction to the Mehserle trial is a product of his experience living in Oakland.
Perspectives | Thursday, Jun 17, 2010, 7:35 AM
A Brand New Dad
Father's Day has new meaning for Youth Radio's Orlando Campbell. Just two weeks ago, he became a dad.
Perspectives | Friday, May 28, 2010, 12:40 AM
Finding Balance
Youth Radio's Ella Ross and Nick Bellizzi lead very different lives, including their Friday nights. But as it turns out--they're both chasing the same thing.
Perspectives | Thursday, May 20, 2010, 7:35 AM
Confessions of a College Adviser
When Dione Lien was planning her higher education, she was told not to worry about how much it cost. And as Youth Radio's college counselor, that's the same advice she readily passed along. But not now. Because that would be lying.
Perspectives | Thursday, Apr 22, 2010, 7:35 AM
Violence Comes Home
For Youth Radio's Mario Hammond, Oakland's violence isn't just in the headlines anymore. It's come home in a tragic way.
Perspectives | Thursday, Mar 25, 2010, 7:35 AM
Beauty Amidst Chaos
March is Women's History Month, celebrating the contributions of women and their struggle against inequality. Youth Radio's Bianca Yarborough has had her own turbulent history -- but her determination to overcome never fades.
Perspectives | Thursday, Feb 25, 2010, 7:35 AM
Credit Cards and Band Aids
A new federal law to curb the credit card industry's abusive targeting of young people takes effect this week, but Youth Radio's Asha Richardson wonders whether the act is a band aid answer to a superglue problem.
Perspectives | Thursday, Jan 28, 2010, 7:35 AM
My Week Without Texting
A recent study found that every day the average teen spends an average of seven hours and 38 minutes texting. That's no surprise to Youth Radio's Sarah Hamik.
Perspectives | Thursday, Dec 31, 2009, 7:35 AM
Me and Mr. World Wide Web
Youth Radio's Asha Richardson was only eight when the world prepared for Y2K. But instead of chaos, the millennium gave way to a technology explosion that coincided with her adolescence.
Perspectives | Thursday, Dec 03, 2009, 7:35 AM
The Future is Now
Youth Radio's Caitlin Grey will be a youth representative to the international climate change conference in Copenhagen, where she feels her future is on the line.
Perspectives | Thursday, Nov 05, 2009, 7:37 AM
A Penny Saved
When she immigrated to this country, Youth Radio's Denise Tejada was taught relentlessly by her father about saving, credit and real estate. Now, at 20 years old, she's bought her own home.
Perspectives | Thursday, Oct 08, 2009, 7:37 AM
Depression 101
As a college freshman, Youth Radio's Ankitha Bharadwaj was forced to school herself in the basics of depression ... her own.
Perspectives | Thursday, Sep 10, 2009, 7:37 AM
Grief and the Other 'G' Thing
Youth Radio's Derek Williams struggles to deal with the death of his mother while trying to follow her advice to always keep moving forward.
Perspectives | Monday, Aug 31, 2009, 7:37 AM
Teen Suicide
Three teens have committed suicide at the same Caltrain crossing this year. Two of them were Arjun Singh's Palo Alto classmates.
Perspectives | Thursday, Aug 13, 2009, 7:37 AM
Military Justice?
Youth Radio's Joseph Christopher Rocha was a highly commended sailor serving in the Middle East. But he was gay, and the only one to pay for the abuse and humiliation that followed was himself.
Perspectives | Thursday, Jul 16, 2009, 7:37 AM
Dear Superintendent
Oakland is getting a new superintendent of schools, and Youth Radio's Venus Morris has some advice for how he might get off to a good start.
Perspectives | Wednesday, Jun 17, 2009, 7:37 AM
The Gays of Our Lives
Youth Radio's Mark Anthony Waters is no gay rights leader. But like many gay young people, every day he's called to perform small acts of personal courage.
Perspectives | Thursday, May 21, 2009, 7:37 AM
A Different World
Youth Radio's Asha Richardson is about to graduate from her tiny charter high school where, compared to life at a very big school, she's learned different things differently.
Perspectives | Wednesday, Apr 22, 2009, 7:37 AM
Black and Green
Earth Days have been largely white affairs, but African-Americans like Youth Radio's Ahmina James are looking to add more color to the environmental movement.
Perspectives | Sunday, Apr 05, 2009, 7:37 AM
Model City Naught
Youth Radio's King Anyi Howell reflects on a year of stark news for his hometown of Oakland.
Perspectives | Thursday, Mar 05, 2009, 7:37 AM
Virtual Education
At 20 years old and with the economy tanking, Youth Radio's Lauren Silverman figures this is a good time to get a financial education -- even if it's of the virtual variety.
Perspectives | Thursday, Feb 05, 2009, 7:37 AM
Learning By Example, The Hard Way
Youth Radio's Rynesha Snowden is learning lessons about sex and maturity the hard way from an aunt that's younger than her and making dangerous choices.
Perspectives | Thursday, Jan 15, 2009, 7:37 AM
Beauty and Ugliness
The shooting death of Oscar Grant by a BART policeman prompts Youth Radio's Brandon McFarland to contemplate the pain and pride of his difficult life in Oakland.
Perspectives | Thursday, Jan 08, 2009, 7:37 AM
Bills and Babies
When Youth Radio's Mark Anthony Waters entered the job market, he was determined to avoid a life of bills and babies. But his dream is fading with the new economy.
Perspectives | Thursday, Dec 18, 2008, 7:37 AM
War on Christmas
Youth Radio's Nico Savidge has been to the front lines in the War on Christmas -- and reports that the French are winning.
Perspectives | Thursday, Nov 13, 2008, 7:37 AM
One Out of Two is Bad
With the election of Barack Obama and the passage of Prop. 8, Youth Radio's Mark Anthony Waters figures that 50 percent is still an "F."
Perspectives | Thursday, Oct 16, 2008, 7:37 AM
Hard Work
For Youth Radio's Denise Tejada and her hard-working family of immigrants, the financial crisis threatens to destroy their American Dream.
Perspectives | Thursday, Sep 18, 2008, 7:37 AM
A Real Conversation About Teen Pregnancy
Youth Radio's Alana Germany says the hullabaloo over Bristol Palin's pregnancy is not a serious conversation about the realities of teen pregnancy.
Perspectives | Thursday, Aug 21, 2008, 7:37 AM
Slacktivists
Youth Radio's Nico Savidge comments on the new phenomenon of "slacktivists" -- young slackers who connect to social and political movements on the web.
Perspectives | Thursday, Jul 24, 2008, 7:37 AM
The Longest Hug
They lived the right way -- and still they were gunned down. All that's left is the longest hug in the young life of Youth Radio's Orlando Campbell.
