First Takes: New Voices in the Booth

In this special episode of SafeTalk, we’re handing the mic to some of our youth for their very first time in the recording booth. It’s a shorter episode, but one we’re especially excited to share—because every voice matters, and today, you’ll get to hear from even more of the amazing young people in our community.

Tune in for fresh perspectives, candid moments, and the unique energy that comes from trying something new. Whether it’s your first time in the booth or you’ve been with us from the start, this episode is all about celebrating growth, courage, and the power of sharing your story.

This work is funded in part by MHC with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

Created by Youth Advocate and Recording Arts Specialist Tek Burch, the Face to Face SafeTalk Podcast opener blends music and spoken word to spotlight youth truth, justice, and hope. It sets the stage for honest conversations, celebrating strength, breaking barriers, and amplifying youth voices in a space where every story matters.

Transcript

2:39

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Okay. Welcome to this episode of SafeTalk, the podcast here at SafeZone, where we're dreaming big and talking real about your future. Whether you're still figuring it out or already chasing a goal, this is about believing in your potential and taking those first steps toward the version of you that's waiting to shine. Today we got a group from SafeZone. If you guys would want to introduce yourselves, let us know your name, where you're from, and then one thing about yourself. My name is Kee Money. I'm from Chicago, Illinois. One thing I like about myself is I really like getting money and learning new things in life. My name is Treasure. I'm from Minnesota and I like reading and writing a lot. My name is Matiana Ross, aka TT. I really enjoy cooking. I'm Money. I'm from St. Louis. I like playing basketball. Let's get right into it. Talking about our future self, we're talking about goals, aspirations, achievements that we want to try and reach in our life here. A lot of things can get in the way of what we set for ourselves, goals that we try to reach. I got some questions that I just want to bring to the group so we can start talking about those things that we want to see ourselves doing in the future. One of the questions I want to ask is if you could fast forward 10 years, what do you hope your life looks like? Very much established, somewhere like back in my hometown. Like St. Louis or Paris, where I'm trying to be living in. St. Louis or Paris, so it's like STL or France. But obviously a big ass house, big house. Two cars. Happens to have my kids. Finished with nursing. Because you wanted to be a nurse. Yeah. That's good. Have that done. Be able to retire and go on vacation. Just have the life that I imagined myself to have. That's good. Your nursing career is going to bring you all these things. Yeah, that's wonderful. So who inspires you when you think about who you want to become? My mom inspires me. What about your mom inspires you? What are some characteristics of your mom? I'd say like autonomous, optimistic, good determination, and self-integrity. Nice. So do you see any of those things in yourself right now that you just described about your mom? Yeah, I have integrity and I feel like I have a lot of determination. Okay, so what do you want your future self to remember about the person that you are today? As someone who is curious, resilient, and open to growth. And to hold on to the passion and creativity that drives me to pursue my dream. What's one of your dreams you're trying to pursue? Like what's, give me an example. I don't know. I'd like to become an artist. So I really like getting in the studio every week with myself. And that's one thing. And what's the one thing that you want to accomplish before you turn 25? I don't know. A lot of us, you know, once you turn 25, you age out of the safe zone program. And so to me, the age of 25 is like a pivotal age for you to at least be sufficient enough to take care of yourself, have somewhere to live, have some type of stability financially. What's one of the things you want to accomplish before you turn 25? Finish business school and leave Minnesota and start off a fresh life and career. And also catch up with my godmom who is in Washington State. So a little bit of traveling. I would love to become a cook and start my own soul food catering business and help others out in different situations. Get to do the things that I out the box do. You know what I'm saying? Help my community more and you know, give back. Do you feel like that's all possible before you turn 25? Or do you feel like you've got a lot of work to do? Yeah, I do feel like it's possible if I just stick to the plan and keep going. I feel like I'm doing great. I'm positive. Thinking out the box a lot. You know, I do a lot of journaling. Yeah, writing stuff down is important, you guys, especially if we're talking about goals or if we're talking about the future. Writing stuff down, having it somewhere where you can go back and look at it. Almost even if it's a checklist or something. Checking off things off of that list. Yeah, shout out to my mom. She definitely did tell me like, keep journaling in your life. Write everything down. Notes. Someone once told me when you have the idea, if it lives in your head, it's going to stay there. Once you write it down, that's the step to get it done. So yeah, I definitely agree. Whether it's journaling, diary, whatever, writing things down, making checklists, that's all definitely very important for taking steps towards achieving those goals that you set for yourself. So yeah, that's great. Hey, y'all. It's Niaje, and I'm from Southside, Minneapolis, and one thing about myself is that I like to write poetry. Hi, my name is Kelvin Scott, and one thing I really love to do is play video games. Hi, my name is Phoenix. I'm from Virginia, and one thing I like to do is be out in nature by myself. Hi, my name is Tyshawn. I'm from the North Side of Chicago, and the thing I like to do is have fun. So one thing I do want to ask is, what's one dream you have for your future self? One dream is to be renowned, and that's in all aspects, more than a singer, more than just as an artist, but I want to be the one person that is, in a sense, like a healer, but mentally, physically, physically, emotionally. Are you into holistic healing and things like that? Yeah, like more natural herbs, and like Phoenix said, nature is a big part of that as well. I want to be out there, and I want to be known for more than just singing or poetry, more than just the artist, because I feel like I'm more than that. So I know there's a connection from our present actions to our future selves and our future outcomes. What's a goal you're working on right now that you can think of that will help your future? One goal that I'm working on right now that will help me in the future is staying to myself, working on myself, finding my self-worth, and taking care of myself and my mental health to ultimately become the better person in my future. And what kind of steps are you doing right now to help you with that? To be honest, I've been working on small goals, taking care of myself, making sure I'm drinking more water, even just small things, reading a nice book every now and again to reset my mental and just sometimes get out of this world, to be honest. And sometimes it takes thinking beyond ourselves. What kind of impact do you hope to make in your community or in the world itself? Just lead by example, help the youth accomplish their goals, make sure they lead by role models to their little brothers, little sisters, make sure to, you know, have everything they want in life to go right and just fulfill their dreams. I hear that you want to, you know, try to create a sense of wisdom and growth, and I guess that that leads to my next question. If your future self could give advice to you right now, what do you think they'd say? I think they'd stay curious and keep acquiring new skills and knowledge. The future isn't some far-off fantasy, it's built by the choices you make today. No matter where you're starting from, you've got the power to grow, to shift, to become something greater. So stay focused, stay grounded. Remember, your future self is rooted in you. So thanks for providing with us this time. Y'all give yourselves a round of applause, y'all. And y'all have a blessed day.