YR Media Organization

<h3 class="widgettitle widget-title" style="color:#ffffff !important;">Lifting voices. Changing conversations. Empowering the next generation.</h3> <h2>Join the media movement.</h2>

Our Story

Our Story

History

YR Media has been handing the mic to young people since 1993. Originally known as Youth Radio, we were formed by our founder Ellin O’Leary to uplift the voices of youth in underrepresented communities by giving them a platform to share their experiences, express themselves creatively and build critical skills in journalism, the arts and media.  

Each year, we engage more than 3,000 young people via media arts education programming and internships. Graduates of our programs work in newsrooms, tech companies and record labels – helping to ensure that media, arts, and other creative industries reflect the rich diversity of our nation.  

Timeline

  • 1993
    Youth Radio was founded by Ellin O’Leary

    in Berkeley CA, in response to a wave of violence in the Bay Area that led to the overcriminalization of young people of color. Through Youth Radio’s platform, local youth were able to share their stories and combat the prevailing media narrative.

  • 2000
    Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award
  • 2001
    Youth Radio received a Peabody Award

    The Institutional Award for its work to uplift youth voice.

  • 2001
    Edward R. Murrow Award
  • 2005
    Edward R. Murrow Award
  • 2007
    YR Media Purchases Building

    With the help of our funders and community support, YR Media purchases, and renovates, a four-story building in downtown Oakland creating a unique, creative space for young people in the heart of the city.

  • 2010
    Youth Radio received its second Peabody Award

    In collaboration with Huffington Post and NPR, for the work “Trafficked: A Youth Radio Investigation,” a multiplatform series investigating the child sex trafficking epidemic.

  • 2010
    Edward R. Murrow Award
  • 2010
    Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
  • 2010
    Red Cross Heroes Award
  • 2011
    Edward R. Murrow Award
  • 2012
    YR Media receives a White House Award

    YR Media receives the White House Arts and Humanities Awards and establishes the YR Media Arts Pathway.

  • 2018
    Youth Radio became YR Media
  • 2018
    Launch of YR. MEDIA

    A platform run by youth content creators publishing daily and featuring content that drives conversations around social justice, the arts and pop culture. Select content is distributed via national media partners, including The New York Times, Teen Vogue and NPR.

  • 2020
    YR Media introduces new CEO, Kyra Kyles
  • 2020
    “Unadopted” Film Selected for Film Festivals

    “Unadopted” created and co-produced by YR Media youth staffer selected for Bronze Film Festival and Salute Your Shorts Festival

Mission

YR Media equips youth, primarily BIPOC, with an immersive media arts education, top industry mentors, paid career-track employment and holistic support services.  Young people leverage these offerings to become civically engaged citizens driving systemic change and disruptors that diversify the traditional media landscape by creating stories, art and music that matter.

Yr Media Our Story - Vision

Vision

To place power in the hands of young content creators, especially those from historically underrepresented groups, and ensure their diverse voices lead the way in shaping the future of our world.