WHO WE ARE

Listen Up is a social enterprise non-profit working at the intersection of youth employment, civic engagement, and media storytelling providing programming for Twin Cities young people ages 14-24.

Listen Up started as a podcast conceived by the “Just Listen” crew of young people from the 66W Apartment Building Community Council in September 2017. “Just Listen” became one of the first shows when Listen Up went live on KRSM Radio (98.9FM) in Minneapolis, MN on June, 2018. In January 2019 the show started broadcasting on KRSM’s sister station, WFNU (94.1FM) in St. Paul, MN. Since then, Listen Up has grown to provide year round paid youth media programs for youth and young adults.

Staff

Youth Media Collective Production MANAGER

  • Rena Curtis is a sophomore in high school and has been part of Listen Up since the summer of 2021. He is a producer, facilitator, and youth lead and is currently exploring more forms of storytelling like podcasting and film. Rena has a mild obsession with New Girl and his cat Mimi, loves reading, writing, and getting into shenanigans whenever possible. He is almost always listening to music, playing guitar, and avoiding homework.

youth media collective member-Producer

Youth Media Collective LEAD GRAPHICS DESIGNER

  • Hiwi is originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is an Ethiopian-Yemeni American citizen. She is a senior at Humboldt High School and is finishing up her associate's degree at Saint Paul College. Hiwi enjoys learning from a multicultural, diverse environment, similar to the one she grew up in Ethiopia. Hiwi is from the Harari ethnic group in Ethiopia, and she joined Listen Up to learn and gain experience in radio production, hoping to bring back what she learned to Harar, Ethiopia for media justice.

  • Gloria Ngwa is currently a junior in high school attending Washington Technology Magnet School. She has been a part of Listen Up Youth Radio since Fall of 2022. Gloria has always been a writer from an early age, and she continues to use her gift in the media industry. She is an aspiring journalist, storyteller, and news anchor in hopes of telling compelling news that informs and uplifts underrepresented people. Sharing her voice to change negative perceptions of people in the BIPOC community is something she’s passionate about. Before Listen Up, she participated in ThreeSixty Journalism and SPEAK MPLS. Her work has been featured twice on Pioneer Press. Outside of the journalism field, you can catch her reading, writing, going out with friends, shopping, and playing badminton.

Youth Media Collective Social Media Manager

youth media collective member-Producer

Executive Director

  • Siyam Osman is an Oromo-American born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is going into sophomore year at a new school. As well as an intern/producer at ListenUp! Youth Radio. She likes talking to her friends and going to new places. During her free time she likes listening to K-pop and watching K-dramas. Siyam also enjoys playing sports, and doing anything creative.

  • Solomie Tesema is currently a Junior in highschool and working to get her associates degree at Metropolitan State University. She was born in Ethiopia and lived most of her life in Minnesota. She is very passionate about media justice and advocating for the things she believes in. She is also very passionate about journalism especially podcasting and she hopes to bring different people from different walks of life and share their experiences.

  • Jordan Lee Thompson is an art worker and educator of mixed ancestry based out of Northeast Minneapolis on occupied Dakota and Anishinaabe land. He believes that the future depends on the stories we tell and how well we tell them; building the future he wants to live in means working with others to envision and build towards their own desired futures. His past roles include leadership and head facilitator of an award-winning film and animation youth program, co-director for a pickup dance company, coordinator for an Arab film festival, and manager to a crew of teen staff working towards a future of environmental justice at the Science Museum. Outside of his work for Listen Up, Jordan is a narrative artist and a freelance media artist/educator/consultant for local and national artists and arts/activist orgs. Jordan holds a BFA in Painting, a BA in Art History and Arts Management, and a certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Iowa.

Summer Media Intensive Cohort 2023

  • Dana is a producer at Listen up youth radio. She went to Capitol Hill GTM for 8 years and is going into highschool this year at Highland Park. She was in WEB in 8th grade and took a Digital Video Production class. She enjoys creative writing, reading, drawing, photography, and listening to music.

  • Luka Cook is a producer with Listen Up! Youth Radio. They attend Saint Paul Academy and are soon to be freshmen. They have a passion for history as a National History Day state qualifier and they have an equal passion for swimming as a two time age-group state participant and one time senior state participant. They swim with Saint Paul Sparks during the high school season and Minnesota Flyers swim club during the off-season. In their free time they like to bake, go on walks and discover new music their current favorite artist is Joyce Manor.

  • Brooklyn is from Chicago, Il but currently lives in Minneapolis, MN, attending Columbia Heights High-School. She is currently a summer youth producer at Listen Up Youth Radio. In her high-school career so far she has participated in volleyball, band, speech, and softball. In her freetime she likes baking, painting, bike riding, and watching shows with her friends and family. In the feature she hopes to go to college and medical school and become a doctor.

  • Kay Nguyen is a student who goes to Como Park Senior High School. They have received an A honor roll and an award from Minnesota YMCA Center For Youth Voice. They have Customer Service Skills, they are Creativity, Hardworking and Bilingual. They love to read, draw, play volleyball and video games, and go on walks.

  • This is Lanah Nguyen from Saint Paul. She is part of Listen Up Youth Radio for the summer and is a fan of watching anime, trying new foods(without onions or tomatoes), and listening to music like K-Pop, R&B, and jazz. She enjoys interior decorating, chatting with friends about anything, and admiring her toy shark. Her favorite things to do is exploring new coffee shops around the neighborhood, playing her violin, spending time with family(especially her mom), and baking for friends and family.

  • Ben O’Leary is a Sophomore at Highland Park Senior High School in Saint Paul. This is his third year with RighTrack and has an interest in creating different media such as video and sound. He likes to learn about different stuff like culture and the latest technology. In his free time, he likes to read, watch TV, and listen to different styles of music. He is excited about what the future has to offer.

  • Siyam Osman is an Oromo-American born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is going into sophomore year at a new school. As well as an intern/producer at ListenUp! Youth Radio. She likes talking to her friends and going to new places. During her free time she likes listening to K-pop and watching K-dramas. Siyam also enjoys playing sports, and doing anything creative.

  • Emerson Riggin is from Seattle, Washington and moved to Minneapolis Minnesota 8 years ago. He is currently in Highschool going into 10th grade. He is trying to learn as much about tech as he can while he is still in highschool so he can pursue a career in media arts after college. He enjoys doing active things like biking, snowboarding and baseball in his free time. He is an outgoing person that likes meeting new people and especially making new friends.

  • Hi, I’m Hamza. I’m an intern for Listen Up Youth Radio through Step Up. I go to Thomas Edison High School and during my time I’ve participated and facilitated in my previous school's newspaper and activities such as interviewing different students and teachers about problems they see and different ideas for solutions they might have. In that time I have gained experience in talking to many different people and approaching strangers in a variety of positive ways that I know will help in my current position. I was born In Minneapolis and I believe helping and talking to many people can make a great impact for everyone and change the world for the better or worse and that's why I love this area of work so much.

  • Diamond is a young aspiring media producer who loves writing, painting, and all things creative. She recently finished Middle School and is excited to start High School. Diamond enjoys creating digital media and writing captivating poems.

 

Radio Hosts

Board Members

Committee Members

Past Board + Committee Members

2023 Board Members: Yasmin Abdurahman, Ella Barbosa, Teia Evans, Mik Finnegan, Laura Garbes, Gabrielle Gracia, Jillene Khan, Jacy Landi, Abdi Mohamed, Fred Norter, Tenny Stinson, Esther West, Rachel Yang; 2023 Committee Members: Samantha Bailey, Katherine DeCelle, Emily Krumberger, Mia Lambert, Jules Porter, Stacy Schleeter

2022 Board Members: Mohamed Abdurahman, Katherine DeCelle, Teia Evans, Helena Kouame, Emily Krumberger, Mia Lambert, Meti Negewo, Fred Norter, Jules Porter, Tenny Stinson, Esther West, Rachel Yang; 2022 Committee Members: Samantha Bailey, Katherine DeCelle

2021 Advisory Board: Samantha Bailey, Shaunie Grigsby, Sean James, Nolan Morice, Jules Porter, Dee Wells

Founding Board Members: Anniessa Antar, Britney Chino, Ijoema Ugboa, Rayna Acha, Tarik Thornton, Zaraia Fabunmi

Founding Members

Partners

Our collaborators have included: Access Philanthropy, Black Table Arts, Great River School, FilmNorth, KARE 11, KFAI Radio, Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center (Science Museum of Minnesota), KRSM Radio, MediaJustice, MIGIZI Communications, Minnesota Humanities Center, Planned Parenthood Teen Council of the Twin Cities, Right Track (St Paul Parks and Recreation), ShiftMN, SPEAK MPLS, St. Paul Neighborhood Network, Step Up (Achieve Twin Cities), ThreeSixty Journalism, Twin Cities Public Television, the South High School V.O.I.C.E.S. class, WFNU Frogtown Radio, and the Young People’s Action Coalition.

 

Former Listen Up Youth Radio radio hosts, Youth Media Collective members, and board members Helena Kouame, Mia Lambert, Britney Chino, and Ijeoma Ugboajah teaching a workshop in the early days of Listen Up

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.