YouthSoup: A Podcast by Listen Up Youth Radio

In early July our Summer Media Intensive cohort members sat down with SMI facilitators (Youth Media Collective members) for two separate YouthForum-style conversations about the season we were working on, and the episodes they would all have done by the end of the summer. This was a training on how to use the podcast studio we share with our friends the St Paul Neighborhood Network, and on how we run YouthForums at Listen Up. When we do these trainings we always say "if it's content worth sharing, we can share it! If we decide not to, it was still a good conversation." This time folks thought it was worth sharing!Whether you've already listened to the whole season or not, tune in to hear cohort members and our youth facilitators were thinking about the importance of words and language while they were in the midst of pre-production!

Part 1: Join Adelaide as she explores gender identity in indigenous cultures and how labels are used to describe identity. This episode delves into the history of two-spirit people, showcasing their beautiful contributions through centuries, and the challenges they face. With the help of guest speakers Liish Kozlowski, the first two-spirit and nonbinary Minnesota representative, Arnold-Dahl Wooley, the founder of Two-spirit Advocacy, and Kai Coyne, a teen artist with extensive experience living through and with labels, the episode is both educational and immersive. Not only does it discuss Native American history through labels, but it also thinks critically about the negative attributes of Western language when it comes to identity.Part 2: On this episode of Listen Up Youth Radio we will explore the different ways hate speech affects people in day to day life both physically and mentally. This episode is produced by Abdirahman who thinks that this topic needs to be acknowledged more. What prompted me to talk about hate speech more is seeing how people regulate it even though its not okay he states. Abdirahman interviewed Matt Alvarez who is a producer for Minnesota Public Radio and Louis Abraham who is a fellow Summer Media Intensive Producer at Listen Up, and is on track to starting college classes in psychology.

Join Lucy and Marley as they discuss examples of gossiping and marketing and how theyre very prominent examples of how words are used everyday though you may not usually think of the effects. The purpose of our episode is to encourage people to think deeper about words they say and see everyday. Because that's key to having a more mindful society. In part 1 Lucy interviews school counselor Marie Hassell and two anonymous classmates. In part 2 Marley interviews Ms. Sheletta from Sheletta Makes Me Laugh (https://www.shelettamakesmelaugh.com/) and Samantha HoangLong from Sahan Journal (https://sahanjournal.com/staff/).

Part 1: Interview with an Up-and-Coming Content Creator: Cancel culture, Public Scrutiny, and Digital FootprintsListen in on Dinashas (also known as xodinashadrae on tiktok) interview on how she feels being next in line for center stage where she gets to share her creativity with the world. Getting an insight on her thoughts regarding topics like cancel culture and public security. Produced by Summer Media Intensive Producer Fardawsa.Part 2: The Importance of Zines: Underrepresented Voices from the Hardcore SceneIn this episode, Alexandria interviews zine makers Maddie and Vero about their work on Cat Fight as well as the local music scene. Learn more about the nature and history of zines as a medium for highlighting the voices of marginalized people and distributing information within communities.Fardawsas episode uses audio by sinatra314, available on freesound.org through a Creative Commons attribution license:places_aaand_action.wav by sinatra314 -- https://freesound.org/s/58414/ -- License: Attribution 3.0places_with_echo.wav by sinatra314 -- https://freesound.org/s/58419/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

Part 1: Exploring the world of language, Rana finds and discusses the weight language carries with her two classmates Asha and Muskan, and with linguist Dr. Michelle Benegas. So, words matter - but what happens when your words aren't understood or are lost in translation? In this episode we look at language barriers beyond the single moments in which they occur, finding out why they might happen, and how to deal with them. Part 2: This episode highlights music in English and Spanish. Summer Media Intensive cohort member Avdon interviews Twin Cities artists Lady Midnight and mixdsignals to get their opinions on how music changes across languages and cultures.

Hear what different artists think of music and what it represents, the similarities and differences on people's answers, and how important music is to so many people. Join Listen Up's 2025 Summer Media Cohort members Louis, Ryanna, and Salman for the first episode of the season.Guests in this podcast include:Part 1: Youth musician Jordan AllenPart 2: Musicians Alexandra aka Echos and Thomas KrammPart 3: Twin Cities musician Desdamona and Listen Up Youth Radio Lead Producer EdenListen to the artists featured in this episode here:Echos- Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/echosofficial- Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@echosofficialThomas Kramm- Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@ThomasJKrammDesdamona- Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3-JtQLWP7MKfHIP5IJH2lQ- Bandcamp https://desdamona.bandcamp.com/

In our first ever live audience recording, Hiwi and Rena talk with Aziz Bisanz and Tarek Aboueid about sound, movement, and relentless hope and joy in Palestinian resistance during the ongoing genocide. This recording took place during the Season 7 Preview Party, at the University of Minnesota's Liberal Arts Engagement Hub on April 30, 2025. You may hear people coming and going or eating tacos in the background.* A note from Aziz: We want to honor the ancestors of the land we drum and dance upon, Mni Sota Makoce, the land where the water meets the sky. We stand in alignment, respect and solidarity with the original and continual tenders of this land, the Dakota and Anishinabe people and we are holding the relationship and interconnectedness of these struggles.This episode is the eighth and final episode in our 7th season, "Voicing Resistance," completed in residency at the University of Minnesota's Liberal Arts Engagement Hub.This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Join our fabulous members Josie, Alex, and Eden on a journey through the sounds of resistance in Counterculture. From punk to jazz to metal, they explore how musical counterculture has evolvedwhat's changed, what's stayed bold, and how different scenes keep pushing back. Featuring interviews with Keith Williams and Tri Vo.Music in this episode is "Hello Dolly" by Keith's band The Land O' Dixie Rented Mules Band, used with permission from the artist. This episode is the seventh in our 7th season, "Voicing Resistance," completed in residency at the University of Minnesota's Liberal Arts Engagement Hub.This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Siyam is on her second poetry journey, this time acknowledging how resistance is shown through poetry. Resistance in poetry challenges oppression, injustice, and personal struggles. Learning how poetry is a powerful tool of defiance and transformation. Join Siyam as she explores how poets from different backgrounds balance poetry and resistance, featuring interviews with Mohamed Saleh in Minnesota, Iffat Rahman in England, and Soreti Kadir in Kenya.This episode is the sixth in our 7th season, "Voicing Resistance," completed in residency at the University of Minnesota's Liberal Arts Engagement Hub.This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Produced by YMC member Rena, this episode explores different methods of language preservation, focusing on Ojibwemowin, the language spoken by the Ojibwe people of so-called Canada and Turtle Island . This episode features Renas' friend Caley Coyne, an Alaskan Native (Athabascan and Yupik) who has lived in Minnesota her whole life and began learning Ojibwemowin when she was young, and John-Paul Chalykoff, an Anishinaabe Studies professor and a member of the Michipicoten First Nation Ojibwe community who uses music and puppetry to revitalize Ojibwemowin.This episode is the fifth in our 7th season, "Voicing Resistance," completed in residency at the University of Minnesota's Liberal Arts Engagement Hub.This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Part 2 of 2: In our journey of voicing resistances, join Solo and Hiwi on YouthSoup as we dive into the world of public radio with Dr. Laura Garbes and Cydney Grannan. From challenging exclusion to uplifting authentic storytelling, we explore how integrity and voice are reshaping the future of public media.This episode is the fourth in our 7th season, "Voicing Resistance," completed in residency at the University of Minnesota's Liberal Arts Engagement Hub.This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Part 1 of 2: In our journey of voicing resistances, join Solo and Hiwi on YouthSoup as we dive into the world of public radio with Dr. Laura Garbes and Cydney Grannan. From challenging exclusion to uplifting authentic storytelling, we explore how integrity and voice are reshaping the future of public media.This episode is the third in our 7th season, "Voicing Resistance," completed in residency at the University of Minnesota's Liberal Arts Engagement Hub.This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

In this episode of Listen Up Youth Radio, we will look into the complex world of censorship with Dr. Sima Shakhsari, a professor at the University of Minnesota and a longtime advocate for marginalized communities. From student protests against war-related investments to the censorship of voices speaking out against injustice, we explore how censorship works in media, academia, and activism. We also talk about how narratives around refugees, gender, and civil society are shaped or silenced through state and digital control. Join us as we unpack the personal and political stakes of speaking out in a censored world.This episode is the second in our 7th season, "Voicing Resistance," completed in residency at the University of Minnesota's Liberal Arts Engagement Hub.This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Join Hiwi and the Sudanese Student Union at the University of Minnesota as they explore how sound through music, poetry, and protest shapes Sudanese culture and resistance. Discover how these expressions preserve heritage and fuel unity amid the ongoing war in Sudan.This episode is the first in our 7th season, "Voicing Resistance," completed in residency at the University of Minnesota's Liberal Arts Engagement Hub.This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Join us - as a collective, along with our guest Dana Silverman from SPNN - as we explore what it means to be a youth in today's world. As individuals from both Gen Z and Millennial generations, we reflect on how we define youth and youthfulness in the era of social media. From shifting perceptions over time to the cultural and societal forces shaping our experiences, we dive into the impact of modern technology, identity, and community.Tune in for an open discussion on what it truly means to be young in an ever-evolving world.

Summer Media Intensive 2024, Bonus Episode: To close out our publication of SMI 2024, were excited to share the results of an experimental pop-up recording studio. We hope you enjoy this funny little episode, featuring some wonderful members of the Listen Up community!

Summer Media Intensive 2024, Part 4: Join Siham as she talks about multimedia visual arts and has the chance to interview professional visual artist Hend Al-Mansour. She dives into depth about the importance behind its cultural representation and audience impact, while Hend tells her more about the creation behind it.Find out more about Hend's work on her website www.hendalmansour.com, and check out her exhibit up at SooVAC in Minneapolis until January 5, 2005 - and her murals around the Twin Cities!

Summer Media Intensive 2024, Part 3: In this episode, Hamza Ali talks about mental health within video games. He sits down with his friends Hamse and Dinasha to talk about their favorite video games and how video games have improved their mental health. Even if you don't play video games, Hamza hopes that you can see how video games can positively affect others' lives. In the other half of this episode, Hamse Sahardid dives into his Somali culture and cuisine. He interviews his friend and his sister as they cook a classic Somali meal and talk about how their culture's food represents them and the cultural meaning behind it all.

Summer Media Intensive 2024, Part 2: In this episode of youth soup, Josie and Destiney talk about the importance of art. Josie sits down with her close friends James and Hadiyah to talk about the importance of art education and what that means to them. Later in the episode, Josie talks to her 8th grade English teacher, Mr. Mulhern to get a teacher's perspective on the situation. Destiney talks about the more personal aspects of art; how it improved her mental health, how it can improve mental health, and how art is important to her in general.

Summer Media Intensive 2024, Part 1: Movies have had a long history of misrepresenting or showing Queer and Black people in a negative lightwith the Horror genre being one of the biggest offenders. In this episode Dinasha and Kiara dive into stereotypes and how they negatively affect culture and communities. We will also talk about how movies are changing and making an effort to create positive representation while also including intersectionality between Queer and Black people.SPOILER WARNING: Psycho, Draculas Daughter, Windows, Sleepaway Camp, Silence of The Lambs, Get Out, Night of the Living Dead.