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

Storytelling for Social Change

For the past decade Re:Work, the UCLA Labor Center podcast, has elevated stories of work to humanize and break down economic and racial justice issues.

Each episode centers the life story of a worker or activist — with a focus on people of the global majority — through curated interviews punctuated with host reflections, music, and archival tape that draw listeners to a particular time, place, and feeling. It is produced by Veena Hampapur and Saba Waheed.

Re:Work also trains community producers and students in multimedia story production and includes curriculum and educational tools.

LET’S RETHINK WORK!

UCLA Labor Center

The UCLA Labor Center believes that a public university belongs to the people and should advance quality education and employment for all. Every day we bring together workers, students, faculty, and policymakers to address the most critical issues facing working people today. Our research, education, and policy work lifts industry standards, creates jobs that are good for communities, and strengthens immigrant rights, especially for students and youth. The UCLA Labor Center is housed in the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, a multidisciplinary research center dedicated to the study, teaching, and discussion of labor and employment issues at UCLA.

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The Re:Work Team

Veena Hampapur

Host & Editor

Veena is the Director of Communications at the UCLA Labor Center. Dedicated to storytelling for social change, she discovered her passion for communications while working at various nonprofits including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in California and Desis Rising Up & Moving (DRUM) in New York, where she focused on issues related to homelessness, immigration, policing, and youth. Veena earned her PhD in Sociocultural Anthropology from UCLA in 2016. Her research focused on working class South Asian immigrants and their children, and examined how race, immigration, education, and surveillance shape one another in post-9/11 America. Veena is a filmmaker and 2012 Visual Communications Armed with a Camera Fellow; her films include advocacy and education films for community organizations as well as documentaries that have been showcased in film festivals, classrooms, and by the Smithsonian.

Saba Waheed

Co-Founder & Host

Saba is the Research Director at the UCLA Labor Center and has a decade of experience conducting research in low wage sectors such as taxi, restaurant, nail salon, domestic work, etc. that have led to campaign and policy victories. Since 2009, she has co-produced, engineered and hosted the weekly radio show “Flip the Script” on KPFK. She strongly believes that research and media are powerful tools for community storytelling. For the past decade, she co-edited the national online magazine SAMAR. As a performer, she has worked with Teada Theater and East West Players and her writing has appeared in Hyphen Magazine. She received an MA in Anthropology from Columbia University.

Stefanie Ritoper

Co-Founder

Stefanie Ritoper was Re:Work’s co-founder, co-host, and editor. She has spent over 10 years supporting civic engagement through media in mission-driven organizations, including the UCLA Labor Center and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy. Though she no longer works on Re:Work, she still actively produces audio stories as a freelancer and supports radio journalism as engagement producer at KPCC/LAist.

Get Involved

Hidden Closed

Pitch Your Story

We are always looking for compelling stories about workers, immigrants, and people of color. Pitch us your story by email veenash@ucla.edu. Please note that each show takes us at least 2 months to produce.

To pitch, follow this advice from the show This American Life:
“If you’re pitching a story you’re hoping to tell on the air yourself, let us know in a few paragraphs what happened. You don’t need to be formal about it, just tell the story the way you’d tell it to someone over drinks or coffee. If you have favorite moments in the story, let us know those. Tell us anything you think will help us understand what a great story it is. If the story happened to you and showed you something about the world you hadn’t realized before, or changed you (or the other people in the story) in some way, let us know that too.”

What is a story?
For this show, we are looking for stories that have the following ingredients:
– It is about work! Or we can connect it to work in some way.
– It is something that happens to a person (not a group of people), with audio from that person
– It is a series of events, with a beginning, middle, and and end.
– It has a “moment of truth”- a point of the story where the main character realizes something, has a reflection, or comes to a conclusion. This could also be called the “moral” of the story.
– There is something unexpected about the story. You should be able to fill in the blanks of this sentence: My story is about ____, but what is interesting about it is ____. The second blank should be surprising, out of the ordinary.
– It is accessible – this means no jargon!

Does my project/organization project have a story?
Yes! Just take a moment to ask:
– Who is the person we want to highlight? Is that person charismatic, funny, and/or reflective?
– Is there one specific moment/series of events that highlights what they are experiencing, or a moment where they we surprised?

Make Radio With Us

Most of our episode ideas come from the incredible stories of our partner organizations on the ground – worker centers, unions, and community groups. If you are interested to learn more about the process of making radio, you can join us to help create your own show.

Make Your Own Brand

If you want to make your own radio stories, here are a few resources to get started:

Radio Rookies is a New York Public Radio initiative that provides teenagers with the tools and training to create radio stories about themselves, their communities and their world. Check out this DIY Toolkit: How to Report Your Own Story.

Transom.org allows you to find essays by the most experienced people doing radio documentaries. Transom also has a Tools section that has reviews of cheap, good equipment you can use to make radio and guides on digital editing and mixing.

Our friend Will Coley of Aquifier Media also created a great intro training to radio Listen Up: Audio’s Role in Digital Storytelling.

And there are a ton of great resources to produce radio on This American Life’s Make Radio page.