By Juliet Bromme
March 2, 2021
KZUM is teaming up with Civic Nebraska, a non-profit which exists to enrich the lives of youth through their programs and initiatives, to produce a podcast club. For eight weeks, Steffan Decker, multimedia specialist at KZUM, will provide Lincoln area high school students with an opportunity to dive into the field of podcasting, which in recent years, has taken the world by storm.
The Youth Civic Leadership and after-school academic programs are two ways that reflect Lincoln Community Learning Center’s partnership with Civic Nebraska. Kelsey Hurt, lead program staff at Civic Nebraska, says that her organization seeks to create a “more modern, robust democracy for all Nebraskans” through youth programs targeting leadership, health and voting rights. “Learning the skills and knowledge that this club is offering will allow the students to continue on with podcasting well after the 8-week session is over,” Hurt comments. This club, provided for students in the after-school program, will help introduce them to the media world.
The podcast club aims to provide students with a new way to share their voices and talents with the greater Lincoln community. By learning technical and soft skills, they will be more prepared for future careers, hobbies and activism. Renae Ninneman, youth leadership program manager at Civic Nebraska, believes that, “Bringing young people to KZUM to produce media and participate in their community will only benefit the radio station down the road and the students to know that their voices matter, and that they have a whole new avenue for speaking up and engaging.”
When Ninneman learned that there were students eager to get involved with podcasting, it felt natural for her to reach out to KZUM to see if they were interested in creating and hosting the club. KZUM had been looking for ways to work with students, so plans quickly fell into place.
In the first week, which was held over Zoom on Friday, February 12, students introduced themselves and were given a crash course targeting the basics of producing a podcast, such as weighing the necessity of internet connectivity, deciding whether listeners will have download ability and considering financial costs.
Over the course of the club, they will also work towards creating their own podcast.
“We want to give students the opportunity to take this passion of theirs and turn it into a podcast that they can be proud of,” says Hurt. The media knowledge and experience students will come away with will help them grow confidence in their own work and be comfortable in their individual creative talents.
“The best way to get started in podcasts is to do a few interviews and figure out if you like to do those,” advised Decker during the meeting. He also urged the students on Zoom to think critically about why certain podcasts are successful and to be confident in the topics they are drawn to. “If you are going to cover a podcast that you anticipate pushback for any reason, you shouldn’t stop yourself from starting podcasts that you’re passionate about,” encouraged Decker. Creatives are especially prone to criticism, but the podcast club strives to support students in their media ambitions.
And hopefully, some of the high schoolers’ voices will be heard on the community radio station in the future. Civic Nebraska and KZUM are looking forward to the opportunities this new ambition could present to students. Ninneman says, “It’s a joy to see the podcast club starting.”
The student-produced podcasts will be hosted on KZUM’s website after the eight weeks are finished. They will also air in a limited fashion on the KZUM FM-Broadcast. Stay tuned for locally-produced content from Lincoln’s creative youth!
KZUM is teaming up with Civic Nebraska, a non-profit which exists to enrich the lives of youth through their programs and initiatives, to produce a podcast club. For eight weeks, Steffan Decker, multimedia specialist at KZUM, will provide Lincoln area high school students with an opportunity to dive into the field of podcasting, which in recent years, has taken the world by storm.
The Youth Civic Leadership and after-school academic programs are two ways that reflect Lincoln Community Learning Center’s partnership with Civic Nebraska. Kelsey Hurt, lead program staff at Civic Nebraska, says that her organization seeks to create a “more modern, robust democracy for all Nebraskans” through youth programs targeting leadership, health and voting rights. “Learning the skills and knowledge that this club is offering will allow the students to continue on with podcasting well after the 8-week session is over,” Hurt comments. This club, provided for students in the after-school program, will help introduce them to the media world.
The podcast club aims to provide students with a new way to share their voices and talents with the greater Lincoln community. By learning technical and soft skills, they will be more prepared for future careers, hobbies and activism. Renae Ninneman, youth leadership program manager at Civic Nebraska, believes that, “Bringing young people to KZUM to produce media and participate in their community will only benefit the radio station down the road and the students to know that their voices matter, and that they have a whole new avenue for speaking up and engaging.”
When Ninneman learned that there were students eager to get involved with podcasting, it felt natural for her to reach out to KZUM to see if they were interested in creating and hosting the club. KZUM had been looking for ways to work with students, so plans quickly fell into place.
In the first week, which was held over Zoom on Friday, February 12, students introduced themselves and were given a crash course targeting the basics of producing a podcast, such as weighing the necessity of internet connectivity, deciding whether listeners will have download ability and considering financial costs.
Over the course of the club, they will also work towards creating their own podcast.
“We want to give students the opportunity to take this passion of theirs and turn it into a podcast that they can be proud of,” says Hurt. The media knowledge and experience students will come away with will help them grow confidence in their own work and be comfortable in their individual creative talents.
“The best way to get started in podcasts is to do a few interviews and figure out if you like to do those,” advised Decker during the meeting. He also urged the students on Zoom to think critically about why certain podcasts are successful and to be confident in the topics they are drawn to. “If you are going to cover a podcast that you anticipate pushback for any reason, you shouldn’t stop yourself from starting podcasts that you’re passionate about,” encouraged Decker. Creatives are especially prone to criticism, but the podcast club strives to support students in their media ambitions.
And hopefully, some of the high schoolers’ voices will be heard on the community radio station in the future. Civic Nebraska and KZUM are looking forward to the opportunities this new ambition could present to students. Ninneman says, “It’s a joy to see the podcast club starting.”
The student-produced podcasts will be hosted on KZUM’s website after the eight weeks are finished. They will also air in a limited fashion on the KZUM FM-Broadcast. Stay tuned for locally-produced content from Lincoln’s creative youth!
Juliet Bromme is a journalism intern with KZUM.
