Late last month, KUOW announced the station was ending its RadioActive Youth Media program. For 20 years, RadioActive brought listeners the stories and perspectives of young people in the Pacific Northwest. Soundside producer Noel Gasca reflects on what the program has meant to the over 6,000 youth who participated - and what will be lost ..read more

Soundside revisits a story produced by RadioActive alum Avery Styer back in 2016. Eight years ago, Avery took us to a space in Capitol Hill that had a special spot in their life - Lambert House, a community center for LGBTQ+ youth. Since that original story, Avery has aged out of the youth programs Lambert House currently offers, but that doesn’t mean they’ve moved on ..read more

Late last month, KUOW announced the station was ending its RadioActive Youth Media program. For 20 years, RadioActive brought listeners the stories and perspectives of young people in the Pacific Northwest. Soundside producer Noel Gasca reflects on what the program has meant to the over 6,000 youth who participated - and what will be lost ..read more

It’s been more than 20 years since the U.S. invaded Iraq. For Darren Fisher, it’s been more than 20 years since he said, "No" to that invasion. RadioActive’s Olivia Asmann has the story of one young Marine’s objection to fighting in the so-called war on terror. This story discusses the realities of the military and war. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/why-one-young-marine-refused-to-fight-in-iraq [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 editing ..read more

RadioActive’s Vivi Cardenas-Habell says the Seattle Fandango Project played a key role in her upbringing. But she didn’t fully appreciate it until Covid took it away. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/building-community-is-an-act-of-social-justice-at-the-seattle-fandango-project [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 editing ..read more

Aaron Ton's grandparents and their children lived comfortably in southern Vietnam. But everything changed on April 30, 1975. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/my-grandfather-s-little-story-a-journey-through-war-and-prison-in-vietnam [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 editing ..read more

Seattle is home to 10% of the Eritrean population in the United States. Many Eritrean immigrants found political asylum in the U.S. in the 1980s and 90s due to the Eritrean War of Independence. For some young first-generation Eritrean Americans like RadioActive's Alex Mengisteab, this history feels both close and slightly out of reach. So to better understand it, Alex talked to his family friend Habtom Hagos about his experiences growing up as a child during the war. This story discusses the realities of war and thoughts of suicide. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/separated-from ..read more

A cancer diagnosis "sucks." And the hospital stays that follow don't make it any easier. 17-year-old Harry McGovern wanted to make a difference for other teenage cancer patients like him. So he started The First Night Project. RadioActive’s Sidh Shroff has this story about his friend. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/the-first-night-project-makes-cancer-ward-stays-a-little-easier-for-teens [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 editing ..read more

For some students coming from under-resourced high schools, going to college seems like a beacon of light that will solve all their problems. Students are told that at college they'll gain access to things they didn't have in high school — health care, stable housing, regular meals, a gym, tutoring, extra-curricular activities, and more. But when Khanh Doan got into their dream university, they quickly realized going to college wouldn't end their struggle with depression. RadioActive’s Jana Le has this story about her friend. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/first-generation-low-i ..read more

When RadioActive's Rediet Giday was three months old, her family moved to the United States — without her. Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/joy-and-happiness-was-left-behind-the-price-my-family-paid-for-the-american-dream [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 editing ..read more