45. Un-ternships: Why We Must Pay Young People for Their Work

Black and brown communities generally do not possess the built-up generational wealth of their white peers. The Federal Bank of St. Louis performed analysis of that data using the most recent data available from the Federal Reserve Board's Survey of Consumer Finance. For white families, that median amount was $184,000. Contrast that with a typical Black and Latine family, for which the median amounts were $23,000 and $38,000 respectively. As a result, and this is admittedly but one of the factors, they do not have the same capacity to "pay their dues" by accepting unpaid internships within their dream careers. Though some argue that it is not feasible to pay interns and that it's a rite of passage to focus on learning versus earning, Oakland-based YR Media has spent 30 years proving that theory wrong. From the time students enroll in their training to when they emerge six months later to take on paid internships, they are provided stipends and then compensated for their work. This is particularly important as they serve 14-to-24 year olds from underrepresented communities, including BIPOC, producing journalism, music, graphic design, podcasts, and documentaries that disrupt and shape the mainstream narrative. Our speaker, Kyra Kyles, is the CEO at YR Media, an award-winning national nonprofit serving youth storytellers. Among her media roles, Kyra served as EBONY Editor-in-Chief and Senior Vice President, Head of Digital Editorial and while at sibling pub, JET, launched the iconic brand’s first-ever app. Earlier in her career, Kyra was a columnist and broadcast correspondent for the Tribune RedEye. A contributor to outlets ranging from NPR's WBEZ to the BBC to Bustle, this Chicago-native-turned Bay Area resident has been named to the Folio magazine Top 100 Media Executives, WVON and Ariel Capital's “Top 40 Under 40 Game Changers” lists. https://youtu.be/Gq6LKdymyh0 To learn more, go to: https://www.yrmedia.org/ ⁠⁠More about the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley⁠⁠    Website: ⁠⁠Rotary.cool⁠ or: https://www.siliconvalleyrotary.com/ Meetings’ ⁠⁠Video Archive⁠⁠: https://www.siliconvalleyrotary.com/meetings/ YouTubeChannel⁠⁠: https://www.youtube.com/@rotaryeclubofsiliconvalley824/videos How to become a member in ⁠⁠this online Rotary eClub⁠⁠: https://www.siliconvalleyrotary.com/join ⁠⁠More about Rotary International:⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠https://www.rotary.org Find a Rotary near you: https://my.rotary.org/en/club-search Find an ⁠⁠online Rotary Club:⁠⁠ https://tiny.cc/rotaryonline   Podcast and Zoom Host, ⁠⁠Rushton Hurley⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rushtonhurley/ Podcast Producer, ⁠⁠Elton Sherwin⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eltonsherwin/ Audio edited and enhanced with ⁠⁠Descript Studio Sound ⁠⁠  #PositiveChange #Inspiration #Rotary