I love this piece!

I love the quirky pop-culture phenomenon's that are indicative of our times. Perhaps the best examples in contemporary society is "blogging" and "Staycation", the latter of which is explored in this piece by producer Libby Donovan of Blunt Youth Radio AND former great Youth Editorial Board member for Generation PRX!

The "Staycation" has come on to the scene recently and seemingly out of nowhere, probably in wake of the sluggish economy. The "Staycation" is a nicely packaged marketing campaign tool from local tourist industries who suspect to bite the bullet thanks to high gas prices. And so instead of reaching out to out-of-state folks, we're seeing a concerted effort to target locals.

In the opening scene Libby does a nice job showing us just how big of a phenom the "Staycation" has become by reading an ad from the local publication the Sunday Telegram and then also playing an actual televison commercial. It's hilariously effective.

Libby then explores exactly what a "Staycation" is and how it might be advantageous to teenagers vactioning with their parents by allowing them the opportunity to ditch the 'rents occasionally.

Finally! A youth radio team that breaks away from the conventional personal essay that seems so popular and over-done on the youth radio airwaves. Santa Fe Youth Radio has produced something extraordinarily refreshing with "Swatch".

"Swatch" is a radio drama that explores the universally-known idea of not knowing what you have until you loose it. It's a concept that we need reminding to keep us grateful and humble.

"Swatch" offers a good deal of humor interjected throughout the plot including the opening scene when some dudes much higher up on the hierarchy-of-popularity throw the buck-toothed main character Trevor in the trash (which Trevor admits is better than the dumpster - although were not told why - this might have been a good opportunity to continue the joke and humor).

There's also a character that takes on a Christopher Walken persona that's simply spot-on.

The sound effects undoubtedly enhances the story, however they can sound a little awkward at times. It's obvious that the sounds were downloaded audio. The producers might have been better off by trying to create the sounds on their own. But obviously equipment might have made this impossible.

Another really cool element of "Swatch" is how it came to be. The producer's description tells us that the story was created in one-class period. The producers sat down with a dry erase board and created the plot on the fly. It sounds wonderfully organic and collaborative. It must have been a blast to produce, it certainly was a blast to listen to. I hope we see more youth radio dramas as a result.

What makes Weekday's High pieces so appealing is the "FUBU" factor - For Us By Us. All the Weekday's High pieces features raw youth culture.

In this episode, dubbed appropriately as "Audio Gold", producer's/host's Lillian Warner and Bryce Jacobson tap the Olympic craze by cleverly extending the metaphor into real life by going out in public and asking people for their olympic like moments, moments of triumph and failure (which immediately reminded me of the "momentous occasions" from Jordan Jesse GO! podcasts and Bay area cartoonist Keith Knight's Life's Little Victories column - i.e. getting an impossibly large armload of laundry from the washer to the dryer without dropping anything on the floor").

I was super excited to hear what kind of answers the team was able to conjure up, but to be honest, I was disappointed. Only 3 answers were featured. I really thought a whole show could be dedicated to this theme. After checking out the Weekday High website and blog - which deserves major kudos - I learned that the team had trouble eliciting quality responses. Maybe this presented a perfect opportunity for some fiction?

The second half of the episode featured an audio postcard from a youth reporter at the scene of a dodgeball game. The reporter asks Dodgeball fans and participants why they like the game so much. The answers are hilarious and very raw. Anytime you hear the word "hella" you know its authentically youth and West Coast.

Host's Lillian and Bryce are hilarious throughout the episode! They have a great chemistry. They cue up the segments with hilarious skits and dialogue!

I'll definitely be tuning into Weekday High more often, Lillian and Bryce are just too funny not to. Not to mention the product they put together is quality; chaotic, informal, and fun as hell.

"Growing Up Without A Father" sounds like a deeply personal diary entry in which 13 year old James Oliver discloses his experiences of being raised without his Dad around for the majority of his life.

James starts his story by talking with Mr. Landry, his principal, in order to gain perspective on why it's important to have father figures in our lives and ideas for how fathers are supposed to take care of their children. This particular segment of the piece struck me the most because I felt it showcased the ultimate danger of those who don't have a father figure: How do I become a good father once I bare children if I have no one to learn from? These behaviors can be a vicious cycle, generation after generation abandoning their children because it's all they know, it's all they've experienced. It's important that those who have grown up without a father be rebellious by breaking the cycle. Likewise, it's important that more people like Principal Landry offer perspectives on fatherhood to those in need.

The piece also cites some alarming statistics about how many fathers are incarcerated in the state of Louisiana.

The whole piece seems to be redeeming for James. It must be extremley relieving to talk about these things out in the open and to construct it in a highly creative form. That doesn't make it easy. I applaud James' courage and bravery for producing such a highly personal piece!

Throughout "West Wing Moment" producer William Nelligan proves to be a great orator. William authoritatively tells us how the popular television series "The West Wing" became a gateway for his political interest. First it was "The West Wing", then history novels, and finally The New York Times; the accumulation of these things led William to to experience poliitcs up close and personal by going to the New Hampshire primary.

I genuinely like this piece, especially in the way that William is able to deliver it. He sounds like a bonafide news radio journalist. I do feel however that William comes off to be a little condescending towards his piers at times.

William ends the piece nicely by going back to the main idea behind the piece, signing off with an optimistic declaration that others his age will find their gateyway into the political landscape, aka their "West Wing Moment."

David Barber-Callaghan is caught in a classic high-school quagmire; should he or should he not go to his Senior High School Prom? It's a complicated matter filled with questions that need answering. Complicating the matter is the seemingly tenuous obligation of going. David searches for answers and in doing so, delivers a wonderful piece of radio.

David is concerned with the duality of the prom scene. We learn this when David says, "I love to dance, but I know I'll hate the music. I'd like to dress up to the nine's and look my best, but I hate the sheer materialism of prom. I want a date, but I don't want to risk rejection by actually asking anyone."

As Dickens tells us in A Tale Of Two Cities, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." And that's precisely the problem for David. What if it's the latter?

In search for answers David cleverly seeks out past graduates for advice. A very nice touch on his part.

David also seeks out answers from his fellow classmates. In doing so we hear both sides of the coin. We hear from those who are totally adamant about going and answer in a way that seems to suggest your insane if you don't go. And then we hear from other's who shrug prom off as a waste of money and distasteful dancing.

And so the quagmire continues. David focuses his inquiry on one final question, will he have fun? A Facebook event invitation seems to suggest so.

In the end we don't know whether David goes or not, a real cliff-hanger. I would absolutley love to hear a follow up piece to this! Did he go? We're dying to know! David, tell us already will you! Encore! Encore! Encore!

P.S. - I love the thumbnail picture!!! If ever there was a picture that captured the "sheer materialism" and the sort of obligated nature of prom, this is it! The picture alone lures me in to listen.

P.S.S. - People don't say "dress up to the nine's" enough.

Generation Y'ers, I pose a question to you, how many times have you heard your grandparents & parents start a disgruntled rant by saying "Kids these days..." & then proceed to say something along the lines of "spend way too many hours playing video games", "could care less about what's happening in the world", "have no work ethic at all", and my personal favorite, "listen to their music WAY TOO LOUD".

There's no doubt that youth today suffer from the negative dispostions of our elders. It can be tough to dispel the misconceptions of those who have been labeled as the "Greatest Generation". It's time for a more accurate depiction. Helping the cause is Dolna Smithback of Santa Fe Youth Radio. In her piece "How Can Humans Get Along", Dolna effectively showcases the strengths of our generation by creating this piece in which she attends the New Mexico Peace Works Conference (NMPWC) amongst an international community of young people.

The most charming part of the piece is when we hear from NMPWC keynote speaker Ocean Robbins, young founder of the Non-Profit organization "Yes Now" (and also great grandson of the wonderful man who gave us Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors! (somehow I can't imagine anyone named Ocean not working in the Non-Profit sector)). Ocean tells an Aesop-like tale of fruit flies that's gaurenteed to make you smile and feel good on the inside. His voice is direct, oddly familiar, and he commands the moment. For the most part Dolna captures his storytelling insight, however the audio is a bit soft here and therefore loses a bit of its power.

The piece also features Dolna interviewing her piers at the conference. Dolna is able to garner some wonderful responses, nothing short of inspiring.

The piece overall flows nicely from segment to segment and well-crafted, a real professional job here on Dolna's part. Thank you Dolna for helping the cause!

Remember the television show Kids Say the Darndest Things? Of course you do, chances are you loved it too. How could you not? A kid?s perception of this crazy mixed-up world is as adorable as a basket full of newborn kittens. In ?Stuffed Animals? David Green and his Third Grade Audio team have put together three wonderfully whimsical pieces here. Each piece explores the bond between kids and their stuffed animals, something we can all relate to. Throughout ?Stuffed Animals? kid?s take turns sharing the names and stories of their favorite stuffed cuddly-creatures.

There are a couple of reasons why this piece is such a joy to listen to. For starters, it?s the fact that not once do we hear an adult voice, it?s strictly the kids running the show and the piece is better because of it. Another reason why this works so well is because these kids are super comfortable around the microphone. Each tells their story with their own unique personality shining through, which is probably thanks to the fact that the kid?s often interviewed each other. I highly doubt a middle-aged stranger trying to put together this piece could have elicited such wonderful narration. As the kids share their stories laughter often erupts in the background, it then quickly becomes contagious to the listener.

Maybe the coolest thing about these radio pieces is the fact that they?re written and recorded by the 3rd graders themselves (I?m sure David gives a helping hand too). These lucky kids get the invaluable experience of producing radio pieces, whereas the coolest thing I ever produced in 3rd grade was a macaroni necklace.

Last but not least, I want to go on record for saying that ?Bratwurst? is the best possible name you can give a stuffed animal (a name that one little girl gave her stuffed dog). Somehow I feel the scientific method can actually prove this, I?m working on it anyways.

Three cheers to the 3rd graders for putting together ?Stuffed Animals?:

Hip Hip Hooray!
Hip Hip Hooray!
Hip Hip Hooray!