by Garrett Polunci, staff writer

In October, CPR News reached out to students in the journalism program at PPSC and invited them to take part in their program, Listening Across Divides. This program is meant to inform listeners about the issues on their ballots and general election information. By incorporating the voices of local students to better connect with youth listeners.

Two students who participated in the program this year were willing to share the details of their experience.  When asked what motivated them to say yes to this opportunity, they each had their own reasons.

Michael Sanchez expressed enthusiasm about being able to work alongside CPR News on this project saying, “I have a great deal of respect for what CPR does and so I wanted to be a part of the project.” While another student, Seth Phillips, attributed his interest more to building up their resume by saying that “it seemed like a good opportunity to practice being on the radio since I want to pursue radio as a career.”

Though for different reasons, both of these students jumped at the opportunity to be apart of this informational program.

When questioned about their expectations before the experience, they expressed hope that it would be a “productive and respectful environment.” Sanchez expected a roundtable format with an open-ended discussion of the upcoming ballot measures. Phillips was prepared for things to become more confrontational however stating that, “I have a policy of expect the best and prepare for the worst.”

After participating in the program, they shared how their experience compared to these expectations. Sanchez remarked that, “The only thing that didn’t happen as I expected was that it wasn’t a round-table discussion, instead it more Q & A focused.” Phillips found it to be an enjoyable experience. Though he was prepared to have a heated discussion he was met with the opposite, Phillips said that “Everyone was very respectful, and we all had very interesting points.”

They each had their own unique reflections on what they had learned through this experience. Sanchez was pleasantly surprised to see that the CPR News station seemed to be lively and doing well for themselves. While Phillips opened up a bit about one specific thing, he learned that surprised him. Phillips said, “I learned a lot about other ways of viewing things and about the concept of 3rd spaces.”

Third spaces refer to social areas that are outside of your work and home environment. They provide an opportunity for people to connect and spend time building their communities. Some common examples of third spaces would be churches, parks, gyms and cafes.

While he was familiar with these types of environments, the term itself was very new information to Phillips.  They also both expressed that the experience had readied them for more radio related opportunities.  They had beat the nervousness of going on the radio for the first time and now they both feel more comfortable being on the air.

When asked if they would recommend this opportunity to others, they both expressed a strong desire too.  Sanchez outlined why this experience would benefit students who participated, saying that interacting with a well-established news corporation such as NPR, “is a great way to voice themselves and have their perspectives heard.” Phillips was enthusiastic about recommending the experience to others.

He outlined how if you were less experienced or informed about the world of politics, this program would help you to create a perspective that in Phillips’ words, “can help you to see some of the grey areas that are hidden by the red and blue. Their replies exemplify the significance of the opportunity, and how much it can help to shape healthy holistic perspectives when approaching political issues or discussions.

Finally, each student had the chance to share anything they wanted about their experiences that these questions did not address. Michael Sanchez explained that the experience was so positive that he found himself wanting to help increase the listenership of CPR News.

While Phillips reiterated how beneficial it was saying, “It was an incredibly pleasant and enjoyable experience that helped me in to define myself politically and enhanced my view of politics.” The resounding positive experiences of these two students certainly speaks for itself. Hopefully CPR News plans to continue this program soon and invite more PPSC students to participate.

Here is the link to listen to the program they created, it is under section 3: https://www.cpr.org/show-episode/nov-1-2024-alien-enemies-act-seeking-common-ground-why-hurricane-forecasts-come-from-colorado/