NextGenRadio

Finding, coaching and training public media’s next generation.

what does it mean to be ‘home’ ?

Next Generation Radio is a five-day multimedia project highlighting the experiences of people in the Gulf States.

This project was produced in May 2023 in partnership with the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration among public media stations in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana and NPR.

A drag queen in a large blonde wig speaking into a microphone as she addresses the crowd. In her other hand she holds a purple butterfly net behind her head used to collect money.

ALABAMA STUDENT FINDS HOME IN THE COMFORT OF HER MIND

Pictured is Next Generation Radio participant Kait Lavo.

by MARISSA LACEY

Jameia Boone, 20, grew up in a home of structure and stability in Mississippi, but that all changed once she moved to Troy, Alabama, for college. Now, she has a new home, something she calls her “mind space,” and it’s always ready for her when she needs it.

Coach Jay and four students of various ages are running together as they hold up a giant Muay Thai glove.

NEW ORLEANS COACH USES MUAY THAI TO REACH YOUTH 1 KICK AT A TIME

by ARETHA MCKINNEY

Jarret “Coach Jay” Spaulding, 37, teaches Muay Thai at an Uptown New Orleans gym. He hopes to provide discipline and a sense of home to students in the ring.

A shrimping boat floats down a bright blue bayou with foliage on either side and seabirds flying in the foreground. On the boat’s floor is a pile of scattered shrimp as a full net trails behind. The interview’s subject, Lora Ann, stands towards the back of the deck smiling at the sky while her sister, dad, and grandfather stand towards the middle chatting.

FAMILY AND FOOD ARE CENTRAL TO HOUMA TRIBAL CHIEF’S SENSE OF HOME

by OWEN RACER

Lora Ann Chaisson, 58, is the Principal Chief of the United Houma Nation in Southeast Louisiana. Residing in Pointe-aux-Chênes near Isle De Jean Charles, the Indigenous tribe of nearly 19,000 embodies her feelings of home: family, food, and the bayou.

A portrait of Delena Chappel surrounded by roses and a community of women of color smiling at one another.

THROUGH SOCIAL CLUBS AND EDUCATION, BIRMINGHAM WOMAN CREATES COMMUNITY

by RACHEL PARKER

Delena Chappel, 46, was raised in Philadelphia, but her family had deep roots in Alabama and the Civil Rights Movement. When she moved to Birmingham as a teenager, she experienced a cultural shift, and she works to extend a sense of community to her students and other Black women.

‘WE ARE THE SAFE PLACE’: A DAYCARE CENTER AND A MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY

by TEKELLA FOSTER

Deborah Holmes’ daycare center in a small Mississippi town has provided a home for the parents and children in her community for 24 years.