Best of Youth Radio 2014

Each year, almost 1.5 million teens, many of them low-income, are arrested in the United States. Compared to ten years ago, fewer of these young people end up incarcerated due to cost-saving measures at the county level, but what impact do those measures have on minors and their families? In a yearlong investigation, Youth Radio tracked three under-reported trends – increase use of GPS monitoring, making parents pay for their kids’ jail time and probation, and high sums of victim restitution owed by juveniles. 

A closer look at young people working in the booming marijuana industry, and  how they navigate the grey market where growing, selling and possessing weed can be both legal and illegal. 

What kid doesn’t love candy? While parents may worry about rotting teeth, there’s another more potent risk. Traces of the powerful neurotoxin, lead, can be found in some candy. This isn’t a new concern. For more than a decade, we’ve known about harmful amounts of the metal showing up in chili-flavored sweets imported from Mexico. That problem was addressed, but the California Department of Public Health has found lead in some candies made and distributed in the US.

The fatal shooting of Michael Brown, 18, in Ferguson, Missouri resonated deeply with young people all over the country. Youth Radio’s coverage of the case includes on-the-ground reporting, and collaboration with youth around the country to amplify youth voices and perspectives.

In Stockton, California — a quiet strip mall has a double life. Come nightfall, it turns into a venue for indie rock concerts. Youth Radio, in collaboration with our partners at Stitcher, developed a single story multimedia site to tell a deeper story about the city, the youth and the unusual cross-generational partnership that sparked a new music scene.  

This video which won second place in the 2014 Bay Area Youth Media Festival explores the debate over what defines gender and what it means when people don’t fit neatly into traditional male/female gender norms.

In the wake of national protests in response to officer related shootings and grand jury decisions not to indict them, Youth Radio examines how young people and community leaders in Oakland are taking stock, and thinking about how to move forward. This reporting includes a response from Sergeant Joseph Turner of the Oakland Police Department who wrote a letter to Youth Radio.

One of the hardest things in high school is not having a computer at home. But many students in the Oakland Unified School District face this dilemma. This is the story of one 16-year-old who has to navigate life without a computer.

More than 100 teenagers in California spent a recent Saturday asking adults to buy them alcohol.  An outbreak of underage drinking?  Nope– just the opposite.  These kids gave up their time to serve as Youth Decoys in the middle of a sting.

According to a lot of young people, teens are no longer the most “phone addicted” people in the house. Parents are.