RadioActive

It's finals week at Washington State University: A symbolic end to a difficult semester for many students. WSU roommates Dan and Campbell talked about navigating the pandemic in a social environment like college.

Camila was 17, and four months sober when the pandemic started. She shared her struggles and triumphs through maintaining that progress with KUOW's Radioactive Youth Media program. https://www.kuow.org/stories/i-stayed-sober-through-the-pandemic

There are many reasons to be anxious about the future right now. Some expectant mothers may be wondering what the future holds for their kids. That brought back some memories for Liza White, who carried a child during 9/11.

Teens in the Seattle area have been balancing the grief, loss, and uncertainty of 2020 with the ups and downs of high school. And that's what this hour of youth radio is all about. Join hosts Adar Abdi and Ruby Lee as they showcase 13 stories produced by teens during the pandemic. You'll hear from a teen musician in recovery from drug addiction and a high schooler who made the move from South Africa to SeaTac. All from RadioActive Youth Media.

At just 8 years old, my mom, Diem Pham, became a refugee of the Vietnam War. Her parents put her on a small boat, where she spent 10 days at sea and six months at a refugee camp in Malaysia. Decades later, I explore her diaspora through poetry.

Not everyone’s great-grandma sold moonshine and slept with a gun under her pillow. But my great-grandma did. Here's what she taught my mom and me about gender, growing up and moving on.

From RadioActive youth producer Hebaq Farah:

My aunt, Regina Elmi, came to the United States from Somalia by way of Kenya in 1996. At that time, multilingualism was not encouraged for immigrant children like her. So she lost the ability to speak her native languages of Swahili and Somali.

As an adult, my aunt realized her biggest regret was this loss of language. So she works to bridge the gap between educators and families to help immigrant children embrace their culture, at home and in schools.

Listen to Hebaq's conversation with her aunt on the RadioActive Youth Media podcast. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday

"My dad, Fitsum Habtemichael, was 17 years old when the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea began. 

He was given a choice: to escape and to live independently, leaving his family behind, or to remain and become a soldier. So he left."

Produced by RadioActive's Samrawite Habtemichael

New episodes of the RadioActive Youth Media podcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays

I am Korean and Irish, which makes me biracial. My Irish family came to the U.S. a long time ago, but for my Korean side, coming to America is more recent history.

My great-aunt Sue immigrated from Seoul, South Korea to Seattle when she was my age. She even graduated from Rainier Beach High School, where I'm now a sophomore. I talked to her about her immigration story, and what it can teach me about my own racial identity.

When you're the first person in your family to go to college, how do you compete?