Youth Perspectives on Immigration

KQED Public Radio Airs Youth ‘Perspectives’ about Immigration

Sunday, July 1 at 4:30 pm and Wednesday, July 4 at 6:30pm

KQED 88.5 FM San Francisco and 89.3 FM Sacramento

SAN FRANCISCO, June 27, 2007 – High school students tackle immigration through audio essays in a special edition of Perspectives from KQED Public Radio (www.kqed.org/radio) on Sunday, July 1 at 4:30 pm, and Wednesday, July 4 at 6:30pm. 

KQED invited Northern Californian students in the ninth to twelfth grades to submit essays about how immigration has affected them, their family, or their friends.  The 30-minute essay compilation includes opinion pieces, serious commentaries, and funny stories that reflect the students’ personal experiences with immigration and what it means to them.  Entries were judged on writing style and originality, and the winners recorded their essays in their own voices at the KQED studios.

“Young people don’t often have the opportunity to have their voices heard,” said Raul Ramirez, director of news and public affairs for KQED Public Radio. “KQED is committed to reporting news and information from all Northern Californian communities and wanted to provide a medium in which young people could express their thoughts and share their stories.”

The winners of Perspectives’ 2007 youth contest are:

·         “Church and Community” by Autumn, age 18, San Francisco
·         “Immigration” by Erick, age 16, Atherton
·         “My Journey to America” by Jimena, age 17, San Mateo
·         “That’s Why I Came to America” by Penisimani, age 16, Atherton
·         “My First Experience at the Dance Party” by Tatsuhiro, age 15, Atherton
·         “Escaping Violence. Discovering Violence” by Torbertha, age 17, Oakland

The special edition of Perspectives will be available for online streaming at www.kqed.org/perspectives after its broadcast on July 2.

bh