Generation Collaboration is a youth-led podcast focusing on stories of leadership and change throughout Colorado. Hosts and local high school students Brayden and Sonakshi guide listeners through conversations with community leaders in Denver. 

In each episode, Brayden and Sonakshi connect with local leaders and youth to discuss a range of social and cultural themes through an intergenerational lens. Episodes thus far have covered topics including equity in school classrooms, criminal justice reform, and youth participation in community organizing. 

Generation Collaboration is produced by Youth on Record and Colorado Young Leaders with support from CiviCO. The latest episode of Generation Collaboration, released today September 14, 2022, explores the stories and experiences of BIPOC students who attend Colorado universities. The conversation dives deep into access to higher education, classroom culture, campus diversity, intentional community, and institutional critique. 

Brayden and Sonakshi talked to University of Denver student Mia Payne, who shared her advice for incoming first year students at predominantly white institutions. 

“Coming from a very diverse [high] school, my school was basically majority brown and black, and going to a university, I would just say manage your expectations. I know that’s not the advice that everyone wants to hear, ‘Oh, it’s going to be great. ‘It’s going to be so easy to acclimate to being around a bunch of, let’s be honest, white people.’ But at the end of the day, that’s what the world is, it’s majority white people. So, I would say find your community when you get to university.” 

Youth on Record's podcast programs prepare young creatives for work in the growing podcast industry. The most recent three episodes of Generation Collaboration were engineered by Production Intern, Devonte Parker, a recent graduate of Northeast Early College, a Denver Public School. Devonte, who still works as a paid production intern at Youth on Record, was interviewed on NPR’s Here and Now this past spring after submitting a short essay he wrote and recorded during his internship.

Youth on Record’s Youth Success Manager David Ladon is the executive producer of Generation Collaboration and supports all podcast interns as they learn the professional skills required to thrive in the audio arts and entertainment industry. 

“Our podcast internship program is designed to give young people access to the technology, mentorship, and time to produce professional-quality audio about the topics and themes that are important to them,” Ladon said. “From music, fashion, and relationships, to mental health, inequality, and the environment, interns tap into their own curiosity and expertise to create evocative sonic experiences.”

Tune in to gain inspiration with stories highlighting leaders of change in our community and youth empowerment. 

You can find this podcast on all major platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Google Podcasts, and Amazon Music.  

About Youth on Record:

At Youth on Record, we believe that all young people, including those who are at-risk and written-off, have the ability to turn their lives around. We are committed to ensuring that the youth we serve graduate from high school and are ready to enter the workforce, and transition to college or enter advanced technical training and careers. 

Our programs empower 3,000 teens in some of Denver’s most vulnerable communities to make life choices that positively impact their future by teaching them to develop the coping tools, inspiration, and wherewithal to succeed in today’s world and to become leaders of tomorrow.  

Generation Collaboration is one of those crucial programs. Not only is it a way to plug graduates into careers, but it presents an opportunity for current students to learn critical technical skills and prepare them to enter the creative industry.