We enjoy sharing our ideas and learning from others. Based on the professional development and consulting we've provided to schools and community centers, we have learned that the key barriers to success are usually not access to equipment or funding, but instead a need for (i) strong, well-honed programs and projects that provide youth with enough structure to be successful while still allowing creativity and (ii) training for adults in equipment use as well as principals for creating a trusted space in which youth will feel comfortable expressing themselves authentically.

With respect to programs, we have developed dozens of tested and documented processes to support projects we have implemented and refined repeatedly. While our methods include details and suggestions, they also allow room for ample flexibility since it is essential that the methods used reflect the culture of the youth, neighborhood, school/community center, and region of those involved. Programs we have offered and tested repeatedly include youth creation of public service announcements, person-on-the street interviews, commentaries, documentaries (including interviews with experts), roundtable discussions, live talk shows, personal narratives (including hundreds of well-honed prompts) and oral history collection. With respect to training, SLB has provided classroom-style and informal training to hundreds of educators, librarians, and other adults with an emphasis on gaining comfort with the equipment, project ideas, and best practices.

While the practices and methods described above are important for scalability, we also believe its imperative to use systems that are open-source, world-deployable, and low-cost solutions wherever possible. For example:

While we often teach students using editing software they will see in industry (e.g., Adobe Audition), we also provide recommendations for freeware such as Audacity, Reaper,  and Goldwave, all available at no cost. 

While U.S.-based radio content solutions are plentiful, we favor systems that are designed for use throughout the world. Software we use or recommend for others include products from Spacial Audio (South Africa, U.S.), RadioJar (Greece) and Airtime (Czech Republic), all best-in-class, available in virtually all languages, and used in hundreds of countries.