River Stories Podcast
In the summer of 2019 Urban Roots interns worked with The Other Media Group and Great River passage on a photography and story telling exhibit. The partnership was a huge success so this summer all three programs got back together to work on another project.
Due to the challenges during the summer of 2020 youth had to brainstorm projects that they could work on virtually, they eventually decided on an idea to create a podcast where youth interns interview members of the community about their “river stories”. These are stories about member’s relation with water and the natural world around them.
Listen to the podcast:
We partnered with six local artists to create a visual for each story you just heard. All of the artists listened to the podcast, were given a general concept by the youth, submitted three possible images, the youth voted, and below you will find the finished products.
“I love that the Twin Cities [has] a lot of good public green spaces around the river…Now with COVID, I’ve been going on walks with my parents because that way we can be outside and spend quality time with each other.” – Marcos
“I grew up in Laos as a very young child…the Mekong River in Laos and the river here and the many bodies of water here is an important part of our community.” – Kazua
“I go through the woods a lot. It’s quiet and peaceful. I like to hear birds chirping too…I like to just walk, keep my mind open, clear… I like to have a career in nature because that means I get to be more active. I like seeing animals. I like the sound of the river.” – Muhamud
“We like to plant things like corn…I go outside a lot. I go to my garden a lot. I enjoy going there and caring for my plants. I like being outside a lot, it’s very relaxing.” – Yeng
“I was picking up trash in the neighborhood, I think I had a good affect on the community because… other people were driving past…them seeing me picking up trash they might have the thought to…be more cautious of what they do with their trash.” – Aaron
