Broadcasting the sound of a child

Imagine a combination of KWLC Radio and PALS, add an emphasis on global learning, and you will have a basic description of the Luther College Children’s Radio Foundation (LCCRF), Luther’s newest student organization.

Image courtesy of Ashley Urspringer.

Founded as a college chapter of the international nonprofit based in Cape Town, South Africa, LCCRF partners Luther students with middle and high school students from the Decorah community to produce radio content. Assisted by the Luther student, the Decorah youth will create a broadcast to be streamed online and shared internationally with other CRF participants.

“I think this will be a really good way to get kids in touch with kids their own age on the other side of the world,” LCCRF President Ashley Urspringer (‘14) said. “It also gives Decorah kids a chance to speak out and learn a bit about radio.”
For many years, developing international relationships has been an educational priority at Luther. LCCRF attempts to embody this goal by helping Decorah youth expand their horizons as well.

“Now that our world is increasingly globalized, it’s important that we’re able to understand our global neighbors in a more deep way,” Cate Anderson (‘14) said. “When you have an understanding of their lives, it’s easier to not feel resentment toward them.”
LCCRF is still in the initial stages of their mission as an organization, but Urspringer, Anderson and others have many plans for the organization. Some ideas for broadcasts include stories written by students, radio diaries and local journalism. There is also potential for a radio pen pal program in which Decorah students would exchange questions with students in other countries via recordings.

“We basically have a blank slate,” Anderson said. “It’s really exciting because we can make it into whatever we want it to be, within the bounds of the larger organization.”

Urspringer pursued the idea of a CRF chapter after discovering the work of Luther alum Mike Rahfaldt (‘97), who presented several on-campus presentations concerning the CRF in Feb. 2011. Rahfaldt is the current Executive Director of CRF International.

Image courtesy of Ashley Urspringer.

Rahfaldt’s visit to campus also caught the interest of Sam Simataa (‘13). Simataa interned for CRF in Cape Town this past summer, assisting with the organization’s social media and technical maintenance. He also worked with local CRF participants, children working on radio projects in the community.

“A lot of the kids were very excited when we came around,” Simataa said. “They [CRF] went into communities that are not really good for kids, places that are well-known in South Africa for gang violence … By going to these neighborhoods and actually giving the children a voice, it’s really empowering for them. It breaks down their barriers to interacting with the community.”

Empowerment and education are the primary goals of LCCRF. With the help of other Luther students, Urspringer hopes to give Decorah youth an outlet for their ideas through the medium of radio.

“It’s something that a lot of kids don’t realize is still a really good format to get your word out,” Urspringer said. “They will have an opportunity to pick what they want to write about, record it and know there’s an audience that will listen to them. There are not very many opportunities to do that.”

Students interested in joining LCCRF can contact Ashley Urspringer at urspas01@luther.edu. No experience in radio is needed.