LIVE: “On Our Minds” Season 2

APPLY TO BE A STUDENT HOST: Two new student hosts will get to work with SRL Youth Media Producers to:

• Script and record intros, credits, and host conversations
• Research, prep, and conduct interviews with mental health experts or influencers

APPLY TO PRODUCE A STORY: Produce an audio story for one of our episodes with the help of SRL Youth Media Producers. What will this special audio project look like? Here are the steps:

• Pitch us your audio story ideas.
• SRL will choose 5-10 story pitches.*
• Selected students will get the chance to work one-on-one with SRL Youth Media Producers (YMPs) in December-March, helping you learn all about audio production, recording, scripting, and editing.
• Student producers may also record a debrief conversation with “On Our Minds” hosts about what they learned producing their story. These conversations will be included in the podcast episodes.

*If your story is not selected for “On Our Minds”, you can still produce the story as a regular SRL assignment. Finished pieces will be published as audio stories on SRL’s YouTube channel and website.

On Our Minds” Season Two will consist of five episodes. The focus of this season is how challenging events in our lives really affect our mental health and wellbeing. Stories should look at: What are the ways that ___________ affects my/your mental health? Possible fill-in-the-blanks include:

• Immigration
• Living as LGBTQ+
• Thinking about/experiencing climate change
• Experiencing racial or class inequality
• Applying to college or choosing another path for after high school
• Competing or performing at high levels in sports or extracurriculars
• [Experiencing other stressful events or circumstances]

Students’ final edited pieces should be 3-10 min. Students can choose to:

• Produce your own story (could include additional interviews with family members, friends, teachers, coaches, etc)
• Produce a profile, conversation, or interview focused on another young person (could include additional interviews)
• Produce a news package story (includes multiple interviews and voiceover reporting)

Regardless of format, make sure you are telling the STORY (not just opinions) of the young person/people featured. The best stories are ones that bring to life: characters and their emotions, scenes and actions, challenges and conflicts. Some guiding questions:

• Tell us about your experience with [TOPIC, for example: your family immigrating to the U.S./coming out or living as LGBTQ+, etc]. What were your most challenging moments? How did you deal with these challenges?
• Describe how your mental health has been affected along the way?
• How have you coped? Who have you turned to for help? What have you learned/are learning from your experiences?

Aug-Nov:

Teachers share this document with their students. YMPs meet with students and teachers to answer any questions about these special opportunities. Students brainstorm story ideas and consider applying to be a host.

Nov 1:

• SRL “ON OUR MINDS” PITCHES DUE. Students may submit more than one story idea.
• "ON OUR MINDS” HOST APPLICATIONS DUE. Students who applied last year may re-apply.

mid-Nov 2021:

SRL announces student-hosts and student-producers (based on pitches). Again, if your pitch is not selected for the podcast, you can still produce the story as a regular SRL assignment to be published on SRL’s YouTube channel.

mid-Nov-Jan:

Student-producers hone pitches and pre-produce with support from SRL Youth Media Producers (YMPs).

Jan-Feb:

Student-hosts receive podcast training and plan expert interviews. Students-producers produce, record, and edit their audio stories with help from SRL YMPs.

Feb 28:

ROUGH CUTS of audio stories DUE and YMPs give feedback.

March 15:

FINAL CUTS of audio stories DUE.

March-April:

Student-producers record conversations with podcast-hosts about their experience working on their stories. These conversations will be included in the podcast episodes.

March-May:

Podcast-hosts record their parts and interview experts or influencers on episode topics. Hosts will need to commit about 5 hours per week during these months.

May 2022:

“On Our Minds” Season 2 release! One episode per week published during May’s “Mental Health Awareness Month.”