C.A.T. (Caring About Teens)
Moab, UT, 2002
On a recent KZMU radio series—FIRE: Fundamental Issues and Real Events—the 17-year-old host invited local teen mothers, parents of teen mothers and health care professionals to the studio for a one-hour live broadcast with on-air call ins. The guests discussed teen pregnancy, its possible causes and impacts. This series showcased what public radio does best—highlight local issues, seek input and increase education—and served as the seed for the creation of a larger series devoted to teen health in Moab.
Moab's Community Radio, KZMU, teamed up with Four Corners Community Behavioral Health Inc. (FCCBH)—the largest provider of adolescent mental health services, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and pregnancy prevention in the county—to raise community awareness about health and social issues facing teens living in Grand County, Utah. CAT: Caring About Teens—a radio series, website, and teen health fair devoted specifically to teen issues—is their joint effort.
Four Corners, KZMU, and local teens aired a 12-part radio series, January through March 2003, devoted to adolescent health issues and resources in their community. Each show, hosted by two teens and an adult moderator, featured health professionals and teen guests. Topics included: Depression; Alcohol and Drugs; Eating Disorders; Relationships; College—To Go or Not To Go; Teen Pregnancy; Popularity/Peer Pressure; Racism; Navajo Culture: A Teen Perspective; and There's Nothing to Do!: Teen Life in Moab. A second show on Teen Pregnancy was aired entirely in Spanish. All have been archived, and shared with a coalition of Rocky Mountain community radio stations. The culminating event was a free Teen Health Fair and dance held at the local community arts center, offering parents and teens information and activities on issues that were highlighted in the series.
The organizations sought to provide accurate information about health issues affecting adolescents in their community, a forum where teens and parents could ask questions of health professionals, and links for teens and parents to access local, regional and national resources. The success of the project is evidenced in that the teen hosts are continuing to broadcast live programs in the same time slot on other contemporary and world issues they are facing.
Contact Information
C.A.T. (Caring About Teens)
Bob Owen, Production Manager
Tel: 435-259-8824
Four Corners Behavioral Health
Mara Shurgot, Project Director
Tel: 435-259-6131
Awards:
KZMU Round Four
$750.00 for 200 Extreme Safety posters
— Moab Area Travel Council
Web site funding
— Grand County Travel Council
Youth radio group invited to attend festival at no cost
— The Third Coast International Audio Festival (2005)
KZMU Round Three
$450 to bring the Utah Hispanic Dance Alliance to Teen Fair 2003
— Canyonlands Arts Council
$500 in-kind for lodging and food for Teen Fair 2003
— Hotel Off Center and Boomer's Supermarket