2009 Media Hits


2009 was a record breaking year for media hits. Mikva students were the talk of the town -  appearing everywhere, on TV, radio, online, and in print. Take a look at the media hits from 2009 below.

FALL/WINTER 2009

November 23, 2009. Mikva Challenge's Youth Activism Conference is the subject of David Schaper's National Public Radio piece "Chicago Teens Encourage Nonviolent Actions." In the story, Schaper interviewed a couple Mikva students working on youth violence in their communities, and Mikva's Youth Safety Council Director, Jaime Arteaga, about strategies to combat this growing problem in Chicago. Listen to the clip here (2:05 mark), or read the full transcript here:  icon Chicago_Teens_Encourage_Nonviolent_Actions.pdf (30 KB)

November 23, 2009. Board of Education member, Damani Bolden, talks about education policy with Chicago Public Radio journalist Jennifer Lacey. Damani, who is a former Mikva Education Council member, credits Mikva Challenge for getting him and others involved in their communities. Click here to listen to his interview, titled "Student Board Member Sounds Off on Education Policies."

November 5, 2009. Mikva's Youth Safety Council member, Floyd Brown, was one of four panelists discussing the growing problem of violence in Chicago communities at the Chicago History Museum on Thursday, November 5th. The panel discussion, titled "Chicago's Deadly Streets", is part of the CAN TV series "In The Know", and was moderated by Sun Times Columnist, Laura Washington. A recording of the panel discussion is available here on the Chicago Public Radio's website, and will be aired on local CAN TV Channel 21 on Sunday, November 29th at 5pm, and again on Thursday, December 3rd at 2pm.

October 16, 2009. Jonathan Harvey and Shunnetta Brown from the Mikva Youth Safety Council are the subject of Chicago Tribune reporter Kristin Mack's article "Jonathan Harvey: Violence is nothing a teenager should ever get used to." Read the full article below:
icon Jonathan_Harvey_-_Violence_is_Nothing_a_Teenager_S (124 KB)

October 11, 2009. Teen Health Council members began their monthly radio show today with Public Health Commissioner, Dr. Terry Mason on WVON (1650AM) from 10-11am. Council members reflected on their work this summer, and shared action steps for the fall.

October 9, 2009. Sarah Martinez from Mikva's Youth Safety Council and Mayor Daley were guest stars on the Gayle King's show on Oprah's Radio station XM 156. Sarah and the Mayor discussed how they are trying to combat youth violence in Chicago. 

October 7, 2009. In a timely response to US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, and  US Attorney General, Eric Holder's visit to Fenger High School in Chicago, Mikva's Youth Safety Council held a press conference yesterday evening to unveil their Blueprint for Peace, which offers their solutions to youth violence. Representatives from many of the major media outlets in Chicago attended the event, including Fox News, ABC7 Chicago, Chicago Public Radio, Chicago Tonight, and the Chicago Tribune. Here are a couple of the media hits generated from the event:

  • ABC7 Chicago: Youth Safety Council Member Sarah Martinez is featured in Stacy Baca's piece,"Community Reacts to Youth Violence Summit." (2:19 mark)
  • Chicago Breaking News: Chicago Tribune reporter William Lee discusses the policy recommendations of the Council in his article, "Teens Recommend Ways to Curb Youth Violence." Read the full article below:
    icon Teens_Recommend_Ways_to_Curb_Youth_Violence.pdf (59 KB)
  • Fox Chicago News: Youth Safety Council members are spotlighted in Lilia Chacon's piece, "Students Seek to Resolve Youth Violence."
  • Chicago Tonight: Rich Samuel interviews the Youth Safety Council members to find out their reactions on Duncan and Holder's visit. Click here to see the clip (YSC members at the 3:48 mark).
To learn more about the work of the Youth Safety Council, and to read their Blueprint for Peace, click here

September 26, 2009. Maureen Forte interviewed three leaders from the Education Council on the show N' The Know with Moe on WCFJ 1470 AM;  council leaders discussed their policy recommendations for reiventing high schools in Chicago and their lobbying efforts this fall. Click here to learn more about the Education Council. 

SUMMER 2009

For the first time in the history of the organization, the Mikva Challenge hired over 130 young people this summer to serve as interns in the offices of elected officials, and as members of our Youth Safety, Teen Health and Education Councils. These three citywide youth policymaking councils had some tough issues to tackle, and their work this summer generated some significant media attention. Here is a list of some of the media hits these councils garnered:

  • YouTube: The Teen Health Council unveils three Public Service Announcement style videos about adolescent nutrition, health practices and drug use on YouTube on September 4, 2009. Click here to see clips. 
  • VOCALO 89.5FM: On September 3, 2009, members of the Education Council appeared live on radio station Vocalo 89.5FM to discuss with researcher, Sue Sporte from the Consortium on Chicago School Research, their recommendations for reinventing high schools in Chicago. Click here to hear what the students had to say about high schools in Chicago.  
  • Chicago-Tonight WTTW Channel 11: Three members of the Education Council appeared live on local PBS station WTTW Channel 11 on Monday, August 31, 2009 to discuss their work this summer on the popular TV show, "Chicago Tonight". Click here to view the show on WTTW's website.
  • CAN TV Channel 21: Three students from the Youth Safety Council were the focus of the TV show "Community, Media and You" hosted by Community Media Workshop President, Thom Clarke. The show aired on August 29, 2009, and again on September 12, 2009, at 8pm on CAN TV Channel 21. Click here to see the show on Community Media Workshop's website.
  • Catalyst-Chicago: Members of the Education Council are featured in a post by Sarah Karp on Tuesday, August 25, 2009 titled "Chicago Students Give Recommendations To Fix Failing High Schools". Read the full article below:
    icon Chicago_Students_Give_Recommendations_to_Fix_Faili (17 KB)
  • Chicago Sun-Times Editorial: The Education Council is the subject of "Teens Have Good Ideas on Fixing High Schools," August, 24, 2009. Read the complete article here: icon Teens_have_good_ideas_on_fixing_high_schools.pdf (26 KB)
  • Chi-Town Daily News: The Education Council is highlighted in a blog by Peter Sachs titled "Students Give Huberman Tips For Fixing High Schools" on August 24, 2009. Read the full article here: 
    icon Students_Give_Huberman_Tips_For_Fixing_High_School (29 KB)
  • Chicago Sun-Times: Staff reporter, Maudlyne Ihejirika, writes on August 24, 2009 about the Education Council's recommendations to Ron Huberman this summer in an article titled "Teen Panel Offers Advice on 'Reinventing" High Schools." Read the full article here: icon Teen_Panel_Offers_Advice_on_Reinventing_High_Schoo (34 KB)
  • Chicago Public Radio WBEZ 91.5FM: The Education Council's work this summer is the focus of a Chicago Public Radio piece on August 21, 2009 titled "Students Offer Schools Chief Advice on How To Fix High Schools". Click here to listen to the show, or read the full transcript of the interview below:
    icon Students_Offer_Schools_Chief_Advice_on_How_to_Fix_ (37 KB)
  • YouTube: The Education Council created an Audio Slideshow to reflect on their experiences this summer on YouTube on August 13, 2009. Click here to see clip.
  • Chicago Sun-Times: The Youth Safety Council is the spotlight of Mark Brown's article on August 2, 2009, "Battle Hardened Vets See It All From The Front Lines." Read the full article here: icon Battle_Hardened_Vets_See_It_All_From_The_Front_Lin (19 KB)
  • The Hawk-Eye: On July 12, 2009, Diane Heldt writes about the Teen Health Council and Youth Safety Council's research boot camp at the University of Iowa in this article titled "Teens Learn the P's of Polling," published in this Burlington, Iowa newspaper, The Hawk-Eye. Read the full article here: icon Teens_learn_Ps_of_Polling.pdf (27 KB) 
  • The Daily Iowan: Members of the Youth Safety Council and Teen Health Council are the spotlight of this article by Claire Perlman, on July 7, 2009 titled "Chicago Teens Learn Polling from UI-Political Science Profs," published in the University of Iowa newspaper. Read the full article below:
    icon Chicago_Teens_Learn_Polling_from_UI-Political_Scie (35 KB)

 

WINTER/SPRING 2009

WBEZ 91.5FM Chicago Public Radio's host, Linda Lutton, interviewed Mikva's Peace & Leadership Council students at Fenger High School in a piece titled "At A South Side School, Kids Hire Teachers" on May 29, 2009. PLC students at Fenger High School, a turnaround school, were involved in the hiring of new teachers, counselors, and school administrators at Fenger High School. Click here to hear the students speak about their experiences, or read the full transcript of the interview below:

  icon At_A_Southside_School,_Kids_Hire_Teachers.pdf (188 KB)

The work of the Mikva Challenge is profiled by political writer, Joanna Klonsky, on the What Kids Can Do website in February, 2009. Click below to read her remarks:
icon What_Kids_Can_Do.pdf (497 KB)

A number of Mikva Inauguration-bound students were the subject of a CBS 2 segment titled "Youths Rewarded with Inauguration Tickets" on January 16, 2009. Click below to read full transcript of the segment: icon Youths_Rewarded_with_Inauguration_Tickets.pdf (46 KB)


MIKVA CHALLENGE IN PRINT

  • Mikva Challenge is recognized in the opening pages of Richard Wolffe's new book, Renegade: The Making of a President © 2009. Wolffe describes the Chicago polling place where Obama voted on Election Day 2008, and guess who was there to be interviewed by him? None other than Mikva's student judges! Click here to read more about Mikva's Student Judge Program.
  • In Janet Bixby's new book, Educating Democratic Citizens in Troubled Times © 2008, Mikva Challenge is the subject of Chapter 10, appropriately titled "To Think, Live, and Breathe Politics." Bixby, a professor at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon, used Mikva as a case study of how a local organization can build civic identity in young people in unique and powerful ways.
Donate Now

Click Here for Our Newsletter

Get Involved