IN OTHER NEWS AS THOSE WHO WORK THERE like to joke, the Alaska Teen
GRANT REPORT
By Anne Vollertsen
The Alaska Teen Media Institute gives youth skills and opportunities to investigate the world, find a future in media 30
A L A S K A H U M A N I T I E S F O R U M S P R I N G 2021
Media Institute (ATMI) is finally old enough to drive. For the last sixteen years, they have been pitching, producing, and broadcasting stories about local teens and the issues that matter to them. ATMI first aired hour-long broadcasts of In Other News in 2004. The show was conceived of by a group of teens in response to what they felt were pervasive, negative misconceptions about young people. Working with prominent backers interested in youth development, they founded Spirit of Youth, a local non-profit organization that distributed press releases to local news organizations to share stories of teens making positive contributions in their community. Then, some of the participating students thought, “Why don’t we make the stories?” says Rosey Robards, ATMI’s director since 2007. This inspired the creation of ATMI and, specifically, In Other News. Since its inception, the monthly radio program has provided teens with career development and networking opportunities. In turn, youth producers have created award-winning work with the show. Stories such as Kendrick Whiteman’s “School Start Times,” and Ezra Dan, Michael Johnson, and Piper Sato’s “Yup’ik Spelling Bee for Beginners,” earned Youth Journalism International first place awards. Cornilius Nelson, a 2018 graduate of Bartlett High School who is now working as a Fab Lab Assistant with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, was one of sixteen producers selected from an interna-
