By Natulia Momo
Ten high school students turned one week of summer reporting into stories heard by thousands of Minnesotans.
During MPR News Radio Camp, a partnership between MPR News and ThreeSixty Journalism, high school students reported, wrote and produced original radio stories about the Special Olympics USA Games, held in Minneapolis in late June. All stories aired on All Things Considered with Clay Masters. Listen to them here.
This year, the games took place during the same week as the annual camp. Campers learned the basics of audio reporting and reporting on people with intellectual disabilities, conducted one-on-one interviews in the field, attended a press conference, and captured meaningful audio from the center of the action, bringing their stories to life.
Before stepping onto the field at Huntington Bank Stadium, students trained alongside mentors from MPR News and ThreeSixty. They learned about what makes a strong story, brainstormed Interview questions, got hands-on Tascam recorder training and practiced capturing clear, high-quality sounds and voices.
“[Radio camp] was my first journalism experience,” said Lundy’N Jasper, an incoming high school sophomore. “I truly enjoyed it. Not only did I learn a lot about editing audio or rules of interviewing, but I also watched myself grow as an individual and made strong connections.”
Camp took place at MPR News, giving students a behind the scenes window into how public radio operates. They met radio host Angela Davis, who shared her experience behind the microphone and offered insight into the work of a talk show host.
Mentors from MPR News and ThreeSixty powered the workshop, helping students complete professional pieces and discover themselves and their voices as journalists in the process.
“I was confident they could do it,” said Lisa Ryan, an MPR News editor who helped lead the experience. “And it was so rewarding to see their confidence build as the days went on.”
Camp leaders included Ryan, Denzel Belin, Kyra Miles, and Andrea Pierre from MPR News, freelance audio producer Brendan Kelly, and the entire ThreeSixty staff.
By the end of the week, students had honed their skills, produced a professionally published radio story from beginning to end, and deepened their understanding of the responsibility of learning and sharing another person’s story.
This unique, intensive journalism learning opportunity was funded in part by Minnesota’s Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment through MPR News.
