From the Streets to Berkeley’s Airwaves

Berkeley teen Brandon McFarland spent most of his youth on the streets of Oakland, surrounded by crime and drugs.

But today, McFarland, 19, spends his days trying to prevent others from disappearing down that path by teaching children at Berkeley's Youth Radio about a more promising option: music and news production.

McFarland "accidentally" joined the program's production team three years ago after he was approached by "Whiz," a broadcast training director who offered him a chance to join the cast of a radio show.

"I was a standard no-future kid," McFarland said. "The program made me realize I could do something really true. Youth Radio saved my life."

For more than a decade, Youth Radio has been providing a fresh perspective on political and social concerns and ensuring that the younger generation can contribute to

mainstream media.

Youth Radio sends teen reporters to cover stories ranging from youth stereotypes to national drug epidemics and, most recently, Hurricane Katrina. For many young adults, the radio acts as an outlet for them to voice their opinions and keep them on a stable path for the future.

"The program provides kids with an option to come and learn," said DeSean Robinson, a 19-year-old media literacy teacher at Youth Radio. "It provides an option for kids to come and get paid rather than hustling in the streets or lying around the house."

With the price of community college classes on the rise, Youth Radio's free training program helps teenagers learn and begin to network for future jobs, Robinson said.

Students from ages 14-17 join the 11-week program and learn journalism fundamentals, sound engineering and DJ skills. Once they graduate from the course, they have the opportunity to intern or work at the station and at other media outlets.

"The youth development team helps students prepare for a higher education, develop job skills and obtain internships," said Nishat Kurwa, Youth Radio's news director. "The program helps with the kids' self-esteem and builds confidence as they share ideas and stories to the world."

Students often come from low-income areas throughout Oakland and Berkeley. The organization, which operates mostly on donations, encourages students to draw from personal experiences when reporting.

"The youth may have a fresh take on issues being covered by the adult media," Kurwa said.

The program was founded in 1992 as a regular two-minute commentary on KQED, a public radio station in San Francisco, but has since expanded to radio stations such as National Public Radio and KPFA, gathering an audience of 15 million listeners every year.

Youth Radio has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Peabody Award in 2002 which recognized the program as one of the premier national youth organizations offering news with youth perspective.

"It was a great affirmation to see the creativity and originality that the students bring to the radio to be acknowledged by the mainstream media," Kurwa said.

Yesterday, Youth Radio received its second Edward R. Murrow Award for its broadcast series "Reflections on Return from War: Youth Voices" from the Radio Television News Directors Association.

"Youth Radio gives teenagers a voice, it gives us a chance to get our opinions out," Robinson said.

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