What We Do

School workshops: Since 2005, SLB has provided after-school and classroom workshops with a focus on under-resourced communities, either in studio or on location. Roughly 70 projects in 50 schools are conducted per year.

Oral histories: In “Crossing Fences” African American boys gather stories from African American men in their neighborhoods. In “From There to Here,” students interview immigrants and refugees who now live in Pittsburgh. 

Youth Express: From poetry to talk shows, hip hop to string quartets, political roundtables to editorials, it delivers authentic youth voices ad-free. Creations from more than 40 schools and community centers are produced annually. 

Youth Media Advocacy Program: Designed to encourage problem-solving in the context of civic engagement, it strengthens skills in self-advocacy and creation of persuasive media. It engages more than 200 students annually.

Youth Radio Documentaries: SLB works with 40+ students/year who create insightful and focused documentaries, using rigorous production methods. About 15 documentaries are created per year.

Pittsburgh Youth Media: Youth learn to use the same journalistic tools, skills, practices, and technologies employed by professional media while reporting on current events and issues of interest to them. It engages teens from more than 20 school districts. 

Archive: Neighborhoodvoices.org is SLB’s archive, and includes more than 10,000 assets for public download and streaming.

Podcasts: Distributed weekly, podcasts feature Youth Express, From There to Here, and Crossing Fences.

Live Radio: The Saturday Light Brigade is the award-winning public radio show, launched in 1978, that led to the incorporation of SLB Radio Productions in 2000. It is broadcast via 7 affiliates covering 15 PA counties and parts of OH, AZ, CO, and SC. More than 450 youth, 100 nonprofits, and 50 adult performers appear each year.