Terrascope Youth Radio

August 15th, 2007 - July 31st, 2013 | PROJECT

In Terrascope Youth Radio, urban teens develop, report, write, produce and host radio programming on environmental topics. Their work is broadcast and distributed nationally and online through partnerships with the Public Radio Exchange and numerous local stations. Terrascope Youth Radio leverages the success of the rapidly growing youth radio movement, empowering teen participants while reaching thousands of their peers with relevant, interesting and scientifically accurate information. The project has major impacts on three primary audiences: Urban youth, a notoriously difficult audience for messages having to do with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Who better than their peers to understand what will interest, inspire and excite them? Through Terrascope Youth Radio they hear stories told in voices like their own, by other young people who understand what they care about and want to hear. The program's teen participants, who emerge with greater interest in STEM subjects, greater communication skills and valuable work experience that empowers them to continue their studies. Other youth radio programs nationwide, with whom Terrascope Youth Radio collaborates, helping their participants to acquire greater appreciation and understanding of STEM topics and strengthening their ability to present these subjects to their listeners. Some Terrascope Youth Radio special projects: In collaboration with New Hampshire Public Radio and Generation PRX, created two nationally distributed, hour-long specials about teens and the environment, produced entirely by young people from around the country. Worked with Boston Children's Museum to create an audio tour of green features of the museum's new LEED-certified building. This is now the museum's only official audio tour. Partnered with Hudson River Clearwater to create a series of Clearwater Moments, broadcast weekly on Northeast Public Radio.

Project Website(s)

(no project website provided)

Project Products

http://web.mit.edu/tyr
Terrascope Youth Radio at Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Final Evaluation Report
Terrascope Youth Radio presentation

Team Members

Ari Epstein, Principal Investigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Rafael Bras, Former Co-Principal Investigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Irene Goodman, Evaluator, Goodman Research Group, Inc.
Michelle Farnum, Co-Principal Investigator, City of Cambridge

Funders

Funding Source: NSF
Funding Program: ISE/AISL
Award Number: 0714655
Funding Amount: 2999957

Tags

Access and Inclusion: Urban
Audience: Museum | ISE Professionals | Youth | Teen (up to 17)
Discipline: Ecology | forestry | agriculture | Geoscience and geography | Life science
Resource Type: Project Descriptions
Environment Type: Broadcast Media | Media and Technology | Websites | Mobile Apps | Online Media