WTIP’s Youth Radio students go world-wide

Three commentaries from WTIP’s Youth Radio Project students have been selected to air on Germany’s Radijojo, the World Children’s Radio Network.

Pieces by Cook County students Kayla Stacey, Molly Zafft and Sterling Anderson will be broadcast by Radijojo – a non-profit, non commercial network with material produced by young people for young people.

Radijojo has recently launched a transatlantic youth radio project called “Across the Ocean.” Sterling Anderson’s “Moving Away” will be the first of the Youth Radio Project commentaries to be aired internationally. Molly Zafft’s “Prom: the gift of formality” and Kayla Stacey’s “Whales in the Big Lake?” will follow.

“At WTIP, we know the high quality of production that is coming out of the WTIP Youth Radio Project,” said the station’s Program Director Roger Linehan. The pieces have aired on WTIP throughout 2011, and several pieces have been picked up by other non-commercial stations around the state.  “It’s great to have Kayla, Molly and Sterling’s work validated by an international producer like Radijojo in Berlin and to know that their voices will be played far beyond the North Shore of Lake Superior.”

Radijojo World Children's Radio Network has established educational projects in such countries as Afghanistan, India, Sierra Leone, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, China, Chile, Ghana, Tanzania and Namibia, as well as connecting young people throughout the US, Canada and Europe.

Radijojo has been given the European Union’s International Association of Journalists and Internews award as one of the 30 top projects in Europe in the field of media and diversity by UNICEF and by the Federal Government of Germany.

“The WTIP Youth Project producers, Linehan added, “are joining some of the best young producers in the world with their selection by Radijojo. Kayla, Molly and Sterling deserve a lot of credit for this accomplishment.” The selected pieces were created as part of WTIP’s Youth Radio Project, which was made possible by two grants, one from the Northland Foundation and one from the Knight Fund of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.

Patrons for Radijojo's European Chapter include German chancellor Angela Merkel and internationally-known conductor-pianist Daniel Barenboim. Radijojo is a member of the World Association of Community Radios (AMARC).