Speaking of Youth
Learn what our youth have been up to since September and find out how you can hear their new podcasts on sports.
written by Estelle Timar-Wilcox, a student worker from Macalester
This fall, SPNN was able to bring its youth media group back in-person for podcasting and building media skills. Speaking of Youth hit the ground running with their first season of in-person work and has spent several weeks working hard on the next season of the podcast. They decided to focus this season on sports, and they got pretty creative with the episodes they produced under that topic — from fashion in athletics to the international soccer transfer market to how covid has affected high school sports, this season features a wide variety of stories and conversations.
The youth have gotten to practice every step in the podcasting process this fall. Everyone was excited to record and talk with each other about their topics, so they did several roundtable episodes, with everyone able to chime in. As a result, we have a lineup of upbeat, collaborative episodes with insight from all of our talented youth. The youth did all the editing for their episodes, and thanks to a music workshop hosted by one of SPNN’s interns, the youth even got the chance to put together their own theme music.
Speaking of Youth started as a podcast-only project, but we’ve gotten the chance this year to branch out into some other media skills. Youth members honed their film skills with a video shoot at Springboard for the Arts, putting together a video tour of their space. They also partnered with Hennepin County Teen Health Clinic to shoot a series of short interviews about teen health, which they’re now editing.
Recently, the youth have been learning how to make zines — short self-produced magazines. We had a couple of great photography and PhotoShop practice sessions, and we’ve put together some fun collages for Speaking of Youth’s first zine. Zines are a great platform for some creativity and experimentation, and we’ve gotten to see some of the youths’ awesome photography and visual art skills.
Whether we’re recording a podcast, editing video and photography, or taking a snack break, the best part of Speaking of Youth is the energy the youth bring to the table. They’ve taken on every project with excitement, and their great group dynamic brings a fun spark to everything they make. We’re excited to share their work with this season’s podcast! Look for new episodes of the podcast here.