Illinois Youth Media - documentary projects by young producers, supported by Illinois Public Media

 
Graphic by Kurt Bielema

Gun Violence

This podcast series gives a voice to individuals in the Champaign-Urbana community who are working to prevent gun violence. Through the perspective of our interviewees, we learn about efforts to combat the rising number of gun shootings occurring in Champaign County. This project hopes to bring light on how gun violence affects our community and provides a space for discussion on how firearms can function more safely as a part of our society.

This podcast series is a part of Uni High School's Oral History Project, featuring interviews conducted in 2019 by Uni's class of 2023, and features interviews with people on all sides of the gun debate.

Youth Media Workshop presents More Than A Bus Ride: Desegregating Champaign Schools

More Than A Bus Ride

More Than a Bus Ride: Desegregating Champaign Schools examines the process and implications of the 1968 plan that desegregated public schools in Champaign, Illinois.

Immigrants’ Journeys: Challenges and Opportunities in Champaign-Urbana

War. Poverty. Politics. Economic and educational opportunities. These are some of the reasons people from around the world have come to central Illinois as asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants. Hear their stories of overcoming and persevering in Immigrants' Journeys: Challenges and Opportunities in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois a new documentary by Uni High.

Rebuilding Foundations CD front cover

Rebuilding Foundations

Rebuilding Foundations follows students at University Laboratory High School to Clarksdale, Mississippi, and other Delta communities to see how Habitat for Humanity and other organizations are bringing opportunity and renewed purpose to people's lives. 

A table with produce - corn, tomatoes, squash, eggplant, and other vegetables

Plowing Ahead

Plowing Ahead: Portraits of Farming in east central Illinois explains historical trends and current farming practices and sheds light on the lives of farmers through stories of perseverance, hard work, and ingenuity.

The Right to Marry

The Right to Marry Project's goal is to explore the right to marry in contemporary American society.  This project examines changes in laws, ideas, attitudes and practices regarding interracial, intercultural and same-sex marriage from the perspectives of individuals, couples, and families in east central Illinois from the 20th century to the present.  We also seek to understand the experiences of people in non-traditional marriages, and how such experiences have evolved as laws and perspectives, in our local community and in the broader nation, have changed over time. 

military dogtags with the American flag behind

Military Personnel Project

Insights into the experiences of service members and changes in the military from the mid-20th century to the present.

City of Champaign logo

Letters to the Future

A commissioned project by the City of Champaign, IL for its 150th anniversary celebration.