Radio Vida (Radio Life)

Chicago, IL, 2002

Radio Arte, a bilingual youth-operated radio station in Chicago's Pilsen/Little Village neighborhood, and the Benito Juarez High School encouraged members of their community to become more aware of the impact of substance abuse and find new ways to reduce addiction. To do this, the two organizations explored youth attitudes about the media's portrayal of addiction and demonstrated the importance of including youth voices in discussion and problem solving.

Benito Juarez High School provided a working space and a group of young people to take part in a series of workshops exploring a past Radio Arte series that dealt with youth substance abuse. These testimonies and discussions helped inform a new radio series focusing on the impact of Radio Arte and the media in reaching youth. These interviews were pre-recorded and aired in English and Spanish. In addition, two live programs featuring a panel of diverse viewpoints about the drug situation in the Pilsen/Little Village community were aired. The panel was composed of health professionals, youth and parents. Because programming addresses effective media approaches in reaching youth, youth were included in all planning and discussion.

Through this collaboration, Radio Arte and Benito Juarez High School assessed the impact Radio Arte has among youth through programs like Radio Vida, continued to educate students and listeners of issues affecting the Pilsen/Little Village and Latino youth community of Chicago and determined the percentage of listeners interested in learning more about these topics to ensure that they are not only addressing issues affecting their community, but addressing them effectively.

Contact Information

Radio Vida (Radio Life)
Jorge Valdivia, General Manager
Tel: 312-455-9455

Benito Juarez High School
Natividad Loredo, Principal
Tel: 773-534-7030

Awards:

WRTE Round Three
$15,000
— Membership & Pledge Drive for Radio Vida, a collaboration with Benito Juarez High School
$5,000 — The WGN Neediest Kids Fund
$10,000 Coming Up Taller Award
— The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities

Round Two
Special Merit, Pre-produced Local Public Affairs Broadcasting
— National Federation of Community Broadcasters
Additional funding was received from the Michael Reese Foundation.