LISTEN

Randy Eccles

The interfaith community speaks at LISTEN

Vanessa Ferguson

Thanks to a Healing Illinois grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Field Foundation of Illinois, administered by the United Way of Central Illinois, the NPR Illinois team is visiting several diverse communities to discuss what it's like to live in central Illinois. In this LISTEN session, you hear from the interfaith community. With help from the Greater Springfield Interfaith Association, we spoke to several different leaders and representatives from various faith communities in Springfield including the Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Baha'i and Buddhist communities.
Vanessa Ferguson

The international student community speaks at LISTEN

Beatrice Bonner

Thanks to a Healing Illinois grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Field Foundation of Illinois, administered by the United Way of Central Illinois, the NPR Illinois team is visiting several diverse communities to discuss what it's like to live in central Illinois. In this LISTEN session, you hear from international students that attend UIS as they discuss their experiences in Springfield, some of the challenges they face, and how they work to keep their culture alive away from home.

Community Voices

Petersburg speaks at LISTEN

Vanessa Ferguson

With the shrinking media landscape, many communities are underrepresented in the media. To hear from these communities, NPR Illinois hosts an event called LISTEN. The Petersburg, Ill. community was chosen for the March LISTEN event and with the help of Broadgauge, a local restaurant and event space, NPR Illinois spoke to several area residents and learned about the joys, challenges and media usage in the community. Community Voices co-hosts Vanessa Ferguson and Randy Eccles listen back to the event recording and provide analysis of the topics discussed. LISTEN in Petersburg was funded by a grant from the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln.
Community Voices

Alberta Commey, citizen journalist from Southeast High School | Community Voices

Alberta Commey

Alberta Commey is a student at Southeast High School with an interest in journalism. She helped lead our first NPR Illinois LISTEN session at the high school during which we asked students about their views on the media. The session was also designed to identify citizen journalists who can report on issues important to underrepresented communities. Commey reported on the event and the experience on her fellow students.
Community Voices

Southeast High students share what needs to change in the media at NPR Illinois LISTEN session

Vanessa Ferguson

NPR Illinois hosted its first LISTEN session, a program designed to hear feedback about the media from unheard parts of the community. For this first session the Community Voices team visited Southeast High school to ask students what it's like to be a student today, how they find news and how the media can change to entice younger listeners. The program was created thanks to a donor through the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln. If you have a group that would like to be heard, please email communityvoices@nprillinois.org.