WNYC RADIO ROOKIES
Since 1999, Radio Rookies has been conducting workshops across New York, in predominantly under-resourced neighborhoods, training young people to use words and sounds to tell true stories. Upon completion, the Rookies' documentaries air on WNYC - usually during Morning Edition (5am to 9am weekdays on WNYC 93.9 FM and online at wnyc.org)
16-year-old Joshua from Essex Street Academy in NYC
In my opinion I don’t think it’s a problem.
I think what happens, happens.
You can’t change the past you can only learn from it. If the girl did what ever she did sexually that’s her and the man or female she do it with’s business.
Don’t do nothing dumb that might have an outcome that’s going to come out bad.
It’s like if you robbed a bank and shot a cop, but you don’t want any jail time. You want forgiveness and want to make everyone forget it.
16-year-old Samantha Diaz from Essex Street Academy in NYC:
Nude pictures.
How would you feel if your boyfriend/ girlfriend showed the nude pictures you send to them, trusting they won’t share them, to their friends?
People judge the girls who send nude pictures to their boyfriends and when those pictures are released people refer to the girl as a “slut” or “whore”. They think that because the girl sends her boyfriend a nude picture of her she’s “easy”.
Why does no one say anything about the boyfriend? Don’t people think it was wrong of the boyfriend to share the pictures that were handed to him with trust? Do you think the girl wants everyone to know what she looks like without clothes on?
This is the part when people say, “then why did she do it?”
When people trust someone they don’t expect things to backfire, they don’t expect betrayal. It’s wrong for someone to betray them like that. Teenagers do things because it feels right at the moment. We might regret it in the future but things happen.
I knew a girl once, she had sex with her boyfriend for the first time. She was tired of being a virgin and she truly believed that she loved him. How do I know this? Her boyfriend was my friend. We were talking when he told me the story of how he took her virginity. I felt disturbed by all the details. He had a smug look on his face and I also knew that he was telling me his story just to seem cool, after all he had a reputation to live up to.
He told everyone he knew about the girl. The next day people whispered about her and called her a “freak”. People laughed at her. She was just a freshman getting knocked up by a senior, so who cares? She cared. I remember seeing how betrayed she looked, how she cried in the bathroom surrounded by her friends. She knew her boyfriend’s reputation but she honestly thought she was different.
“Seriously _______ ? Did you seriously have to tell everyone you knocked up ______? That’s really messed up.” I told my friend. He responded with, “She’s cool but I never really liked her. She’s really annoying and she’s mad flirty.”
Did he care about what he did to her? No.
Radio Rookies is hosting a two-part conversation on April 4th, 2013, for teenagers about the realities of sexual cyberbullying and what can be done about it.
* Online live chat on our website during the school day from 1PM-2PM EST
* Teen town hall event after school at WNYC’s Greene Space from 4PM-6PM EST
Teen hosts Temitayo and AJ will facilitate a community conversation focused on what teenagers, educators, parents and social media sites can do to help stop this disturbing trend.
If you’re interested in taking part in the in-class live chat and/or after school town hall event email us at radiorookies@wnyc.org.
Listen to the story that started the conversation: “Sexual Cyberbullying: The Modern Day Letter A”
![Since his first term in office Obama has promised a path to citizenship for the estimated 1.76 million undocumented immigrants, who were brought to the U.S. as children. The hope was getting the Dream Act, which is legislation that would provide conditional permanent residency to this group, if they completed two years in the military or two years at a four-year institution of higher learning, passed. But failing to do that, Obama passed Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals on June 15, 2012. There is a lot of “tricky” language around what Deferred Action is, but basically it tells immigration officers that undocumented young people are not a threat to Homeland Security. It allows these young people to apply for a 2-year legal stay, which will allow them to work and is subject to renewal.
One of our very own Radio Rookie graduates, Sara Martinez, is a current “Dreamer” turned activist around this issue. Her parents brought her to New York from Mexico when she was one year old. I wanted to know her reaction to Obama’s Deferred Action announcement. [Read More Here]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/66e5b6023825d208687d60707eae115d/tumblr_mhci48f1T61r3mvp1o1_500.jpg)
Since his first term in office Obama has promised a path to citizenship for the estimated 1.76 million undocumented immigrants, who were brought to the U.S. as children. The hope was getting the Dream Act, which is legislation that would provide conditional permanent residency to this group, if they completed two years in the military or two years at a four-year institution of higher learning, passed. But failing to do that, Obama passed Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals on June 15, 2012.
There is a lot of “tricky” language around what Deferred Action is, but basically it tells immigration officers that undocumented young people are not a threat to Homeland Security. It allows these young people to apply for a 2-year legal stay, which will allow them to work and is subject to renewal.
One of our very own Radio Rookie graduates, Sara Martinez, is a current “Dreamer” turned activist around this issue. Her parents brought her to New York from Mexico when she was one year old. I wanted to know her reaction to Obama’s Deferred Action announcement. [Read More Here]
Like most Americans, Radio Rookies producer Veralyn Williams, was glued to her TV most of the day yesterday, enjoying all the 2013 Inauguration festivities. Here are her Top 5 favorite moments:
5. Barack and Michelle Obama trying to sneak in a kiss, but daughter Sasha almost catches them with her camera phone. Definitely gets the adorable award of the day! (gif courtesy of gawker)
4. NBC’s Al Roker gets star struck when Vice President Joe Biden shakes his handshake. Yes- he actually drops his mic Kanye-West-Style.
3. Beyonce closes out the morning ceremony by singing the Nation Anthem. Her look, hair, and voice were flawless!
2. Once again dressed by designer Jason Wu- First Lady Michelle Obama in red for the inaugural ball! #Beautiful
1. Of course President Obama’s second Inaugural Speech comes in at number one! He set out his goals for the next four years- proclaiming that the task of this generation is to make the “values of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness real for every American.”
In case we missed it— what was your favorite Inaugural moment?
What did you think of President Obama’s Inauguration Speech yesterday? Towards the end Obama said:
You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time – not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.
Do you agree?
![The Evolution of Teen Gossiping and Bullying: Told by Radio Rookie Reporters: By giving New York City teenagers the tools to tell stories specific to their realities for over a decade, it is no surprise that Radio Rookies’ stories reflect how some teen issues have evolved over the years. This is especially true when it comes to the thin line between gossiping and bullying. Going through the Rookies archive, one can hear how the emergence of the internet and social media has amplified this issue— an issue that has existed throughout history. [Read More Here]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/96e7f0da2b59f828130b2a24b9755125/tumblr_mg2kjmd3uk1r3mvp1o1_500.jpg)
The Evolution of Teen Gossiping and Bullying: Told by Radio Rookie Reporters: By giving New York City teenagers the tools to tell stories specific to their realities for over a decade, it is no surprise that Radio Rookies’ stories reflect how some teen issues have evolved over the years. This is especially true when it comes to the thin line between gossiping and bullying. Going through the Rookies archive, one can hear how the emergence of the internet and social media has amplified this issue— an issue that has existed throughout history. [Read More Here]
Interview people on the street- aka getting VOX POP tape- from total strangers can be very scary, but this do-it-yourself (DIY) video might help! In it Radio Rookies grads give some tricks and interviewing techniques that will help you be successful at getting REAL answers to your questions.
This VOX POP DIY video is the first in a series of do-it-yourself videos we’re creating that will teach people to make their own stories. This pilot video is part of a series of DIY How-Tos for young people, educators and general public interested in learning how to create stories using digital media.
Putting these tips to the test, five Radio Rookies gathered VOX POP in the Bronx this summer to learn more about how residents of the borough, which is 90 percent black and Latino, interact with the police. Want to hear what they gathered? Check out: The Effect of Stop and Frisk in the Bronx
Want to learn how to hack a website? Check out out #HowTo @Hackasaurus! http://popcorn.webmadecontent.org/1of #DIY #Hacktivate #MozFest
.@VeralynMedia learns @hackasaurus from @HeatherPayne!
