Youth Empowerment Radio

Cybersecurity, Agency & Online Consent (Part 1) | Youth Empowerment Radio S3E13

Host Carmen welcomes MJ, a cybersecurity expert and owner of Tiny Gigantic, to Youth Empowerment Radio (Season 3, Episode 13, Part 1) for a conversation about digital security, agency, and consent online. MJ shares their background—Korean adoptee, queer, early tech interests, photojournalism, and community organizing—and explains ...

Marijuana, Anxiety, and How to Talk to Youth About Addiction (with Amber Hollingsworth)

Host Carmen continues her conversation with addictions counselor Amber Hollingsworth on Youth Empowerment Radio, focusing on teen marijuana use and practical ways to support young people. Amber explains that marijuana can be physically and psychologically addictive and is hard to identify because its negative impacts develop slowly, often increas...

Youth Empowerment Radio | Season 3 • Episode 11 (Part 1)

Do you really have to hit rock bottom before things can change?

In Part 1 of this powerful conversation, host Carmen sits down with addiction counselor and Put the Shovel Down creator Amber Hollingsworth to challenge some of the biggest myths surrounding addiction—especially among youth and young adults.

Amber brings over 20 years of experience working with individuals and...

Nature, Community & Accessibility in Adaptive Outdoor Recreation | Youth Empowerment Radio S3E10 (Part 2)

Host Carmen continues her conversation with Katie Ostadewick of Colorado Discover Ability about how outdoor recreation supports mental, physical, and social wellbeing, including work with local VA recreational therapy and veterans. Katie describes participants arriving discouraged by weather or doubt and leaving with smiles,...

Host Carmen welcomes Kady Ostowick, executive director of Colorado Discover Ability (CDA) in Grand Junction, Colorado, a nonprofit providing adaptive outdoor recreation for people with disabilities. Katie shares how she pivoted from a for-profit tech career to leading CDA, and outlines CDA’s programs including winter skiing and snowboarding, a large Special Olympics skiing/snowboarding team, seasonal cycling on local paved tr...

Youth Empowerment Radio S3E8 (Part 2): Luke Mickelson on Child Bedlessness & Taking Tiny Moments to Action

Host Carmen continues her conversation with Luke Mickelson, founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, about child bedlessness, its ripple effects on health and life outcomes, and why the issue is often invisible. Luke explains how local SHP chapters operate like a franchise model: sponsors donate about $300 per bed (including mat...

From a Farm Kid to 400,000 Beds: Luke Mickelson’s Sleep in Heavenly Peace Origin Story | Youth Empowerment Radio S3E7 (Part 1)

Host Carmen interviews Luke Mickelson, founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit that builds and delivers beds to children. Luke shares his background growing up in a small Idaho town, lessons about community service, and a personal period of doubt that shifted his view of success. As a church yo...

Youth Leadership in Action: Building Connection and Systems Change with Youth MOVE Nevada

Host Carmen continues her conversation with Brenna, youth leader of Youth MOVE Nevada, focusing on Nevada’s rural isolation, lack of community connection, and the importance of social connection for health and healing. Brenna describes chapter challenges such as reaching rural youth and increasing awareness that youth voices are welcome, ...

Youth Move Nevada’s Brenna on Youth Advocacy, Mental Health Challenges, and System-Level Youth Voice

Host Carmen interviews Brenna, team facilitator and youth leader with Youth Move Nevada, about her path from working at Nevada PEP to youth advocacy, including how learning about disabilities led her to seek an ADHD evaluation and feel empowered by diagnosis and self-advocacy. Brenna explains Youth Move Nevada’s origins a...

Youth Empowerment Radio S3E4: Real Talk Mental Health Support Group at Oaktree Youth Resources

In Season 3, Episode 4 of Youth Empowerment Radio, interns Brooke and Berkeley from Oaktree Youth Resources describe Real Talk, a weekly mental health support group held every Tuesday from 4–5 PM. They explain that the group aims to provide a safe, supportive, consistent space where youth can share successes and challenges, seek advi...

Youth Empowerment Radio S3E3: Olivia of Youth MOVE Pinellas on Youth-Led Mental Health Advocacy

In episode three of season three of Youth Empowerment Radio, host Carmen speaks with Olivia, president of Youth MOVE Pinellas in Pinellas County, Florida, a youth-led chapter under Youth MOVE National supported by NAMI. Olivia shares how she joined in September 2024, why youth advocacy around mental health and education matters, and how t...

Youth Empowerment Radio S3E2: Making Data Accessible with Colorado Equity Compass

In Season 3, Episode 2 of Youth Empowerment Radio, host Carmen Sosso and co-host Claud Figaro talk with Alina and Lauren from Colorado Equity Compass about using data to support equity and social justice in Colorado. They introduce the Colorado Equity Compass as a free, public resource that combines accessible data tools, community stories, tra...

Youth Empowerment Radio host Carmen opens season three with Shaka Mitchell, executive director of the Come Together Music Project, a nonprofit using music to deepen connection and bridge political, socioeconomic, and generational divides. Shaka shares how COVID-era isolation and rising polarization inspired “Song Swap,” a monthly gathering where participants share songs by category and the personal stories behind them, ...

Understanding Power Dynamics: Interview with Dr. Amanda Aguilera | Youth Empowerment Radio

Join Audrey on the Youth Empowerment Radio podcast as she interviews Dr. Amanda Aguilera, the Executive Director of the Right Use of Power Institute. In this insightful episode, Dr. Aguilera dives deep into the nuances of power dynamics, the importance of being 'power conscious,' and the significance of youth voice in today's society. Learn ab...

Empowering Youth Voices: Advocacy in Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Systems

This is part 1 in a 2-part series. In this episode of the Youth Empowerment Radio podcast by Youth Move Colorado, host Carmen kicks off a series on youth voice and advocacy. They are joined by Braden Babcock, Shelby Costello, and Dominique, three youth advocates with lived experiences in the juvenile justice and foster care systems. The discussion ...

In Episode 18 of Youth Empowerment Radio, Part Two of the special series on youth voice and advocacy, host Carmen speaks with Tori and Jordan about the importance of inspiring, amplifying, and utilizing youth voices to create meaningful change. The discussion highlights the issues of trauma and re-traumatization, the need for genuine listening, and the challenges youth face in advocacy spaces. They emphasize creating inclusive spac...

Empowering Youth Voices: Advocacy and Change in Colorado - Part 1 | Youth Empowerment Radio Ep. 17

Join us for Episode 17 of Youth Empowerment Radio, the first part of a special series on the power of youth voice and advocacy. Host Carmen sits down with advocates Tori Schuler and Jordan to explore how to inspire and amplify youth voices to drive meaningful changes in laws and policies. They share personal journeys from foste...

Understanding Mile High Behavioral Healthcare: Programs, Services, and Community Impact

In this episode, Audree steps in for Savannah to interview Bob Dorshimer, CEO of Mile High Behavioral Healthcare. Bob provides an in-depth overview of the organization's history, its specialized programs for various vulnerable groups, including gender-specific services, LGBTQ+ initiatives, and youth support services. He discusses the inno...

Elevating Connections: Supporting Siblings and Youth in Foster Care Through the Arts

In this episode, Savanaha interviews Stacey Sanders, the founder and executive director of Elevating Connections, an organization dedicated to reuniting siblings separated by the foster care system and empowering foster youth through artistic expression. Stacey discusses the organization's mission, its programs like Empowering Youth Expressi...