Organizational Goals

Profound changes in the media marketplace, persistent conditions faced by the nation’s low income youth and communities, and new developments at Youth Radio together set the stage for Youth Radio’s planned expansion.

Youth Radio

In January 2006 Youth Radio purchased a 20,000 sq. ft. building at 17th and Broadway in Downtown Oakland for $2.9 million to develop and launch the Youth Media International (YMI) Network. The YMI Network positions Youth Radio to move forward into a period of significant growth over the next three years. This is a critical time for building Youth Radio’s organizational capacity and furthering its organizational credibility. Youth Radio is developing as an organization of board and staff working together; developing in financial resources and investments; developing as a driving force for community and economic development in Oakland. Our strategic organizational goals for this time period will be aligned to this reality and will focus on smart financial planning and effective community partnerships to make certain we continue to build a strong and vital organization.

The goals described below include our overall organizational goals as well as specific goals for each program. The approach is clearly centered on maintaining one integrated organization. Youth Radio intends to take full advantage of the unique opportunity we have to construct an organizational model to deliver the highest quality multi-media training programs and content in the United States and abroad and to dramatically impact 2,500 young people each year, the community, the economy and the converged media workforce. Youth Radio’s objective is to position the YMI Network as the platform for Youth Radio to launch three leading-edge economic development and workforce training initiatives, including:

The Youth Development Media Center

To train low-income youth to produce and distribute the highest standards of new media content, including journalism training and story telling across the range of developing platforms from podcast to satellite to cell phone. read more

The Professional Technology and Engineering Center

To prepare young people for media and IT industry-specific jobs, including radio, film, music, web and video production, as well as IT and computer related tech jobs across industries. Students will work with media professionals from Skywalker Sound and Pixar Animation to be exposed to hands-on training in IT, engineering and studio management. read more

The Professional Multi-Media Production Center

To expose young people to hands-on work producing and distributing converged media content in our state-of-the art newsroom; voice, video and music studios; eight edit booths; web office; and central control room wired for existing and new media technologies. read more

Research and Development Throughout

Each of the above three initiatives will create earned income opportunities, to be explored through focused Research and Development. By developing Youth Radio’s Research and Development capacity the organization will be able to engage young people in new opportunities to develop and manage multi-media-related income generating ventures and to contribute to Oakland’s economic revitalization. Potential fee-for-service business opportunities include a youth media content or music production startup company, development of ‘Teach Youth Radio’ as an on-line venue for our searchable archive and rental of Youth Radio’s studios to sound, radio and video professionals. read more