Blue and yellow illustration of figures listening to audio, reading a paper, and taking a photo. A large speech bubble in the center reads: Next Gen Radio Iowa. Drawings of a laptop, notebook, audio waves, a microphone, a folder, and a house are scattered throughout the image.

NEXT GEN RADIO IS A FIVE-DAY, AUDIO FOCUSED DIGITAL MEDIA PROJECT

OUR THEME FOR THIS PROJECT: WHAT IS THE MEANING OF “HOME”?

Warm image of Delonda Pushetonequa confidently driving with her hands on a steering wheel, in the background you can see green trees and foliage as well as the Meskwaki watertower under a warm sunny sky. Within her silhouette, you can see an image of Delonda teaching a class of students in her classroom.

MESKWAKI TEACHER’S JOURNEY TO EDUCATION PROMOTES GRADUATION

by LILY CZECHOWICZ

Delonda Pushetonequa attended predominantly white schools through high school and college. She struggled to connect with her non-Native peers and to find direction in her life. Determined to get her education and help her tribe, she became a teacher and role model for her Meskwaki students.

Green placing her diary into a grand oak tree, the diary completing a puzzle within.

GROWING QUEER CULTURE IN DES MOINES, ONE BALL AT A TIME

by CANDACE CARR

For Aminah Nalani, ballroom is not just a cultural moment —– it’s a way of life. Through their artistry and performance, they are expanding their definition of Des Moines as home by pioneering creative spaces for queer Iowans.

Jathan, his wife, and his daughter stand in a prairie gazing at flowers and a herd of bison in the distance.

IOWAN COMES HOME TO RESTORE HIS PRAIRIE ROOTS

by SARAH DIEHN

After living away from Iowa for 17 years, Jathan Chicoine came home to the land he grew up on. He has been restoring native prairie that once covered Iowa with the help of a family bison herd.

VENEZUELA TO THE UNITED STATES: FINDING HOME THROUGH HOUSE MUSIC

by OLIN MYHRE

Due to political turmoil, Andrés Mora Mata made the decision to move from Venezuela to the United States in 2016. During this transition, music was his connection to home. As a DJ, Mora Mata not only creates a home for himself, but also for people of all identities.

An illustration depicting Mohammed cooking an extremely large portion of meat. He is surrounded by smoke, filled with vignettes of his life. We see the flag of Kurdistan, daffodils, and a snowy mountain also in the smoke. There’s a scene of Mohammed as a teacher drawing on a chalkboard. There’s a scene of Mohammed protesting. And there's a scene of Mohammed listening to the account of a bombing.

KURDISH ACTIVIST FINDS HOME IN DES MOINES THROUGH COMMUNITY SERVICE

by MACK SWENSON

Mohammed Salah never imagined he would leave his hometown in Iraqi Kurdistan. But he moved to Des Moines in April 2023 after marrying a fellow activist. Since then, Salah has been volunteering at a local soup kitchen as a way to connect with his new community.