by Laura C. Jackson | Special to The Gazette
With articles like ‘‘Ten Tips to Help You Make the Right Choice for college” and ‘‘Deal or no Deal: Savvy Tips for Smart Saving;” radio shows entitled ‘‘Freedom Fighter” and ‘‘Aging Out;” and online discussions that range from politics to pornography addiction, Youth Connex is making an encouraging mark on many young adults and fulfilling its mission to ‘‘inform, improve, and inspire.”
Youth Connex is an organization comprised of a bimonthly magazine, a weekly radio show and an online forum that seeks to defy all boundaries of institution and get real about issues like race, status, gender and religion four young adults in all stages of life.
‘‘One of the biggest problems [is] that there are no resources for young adults,” said Youth Connex executive producer and founder Nigel Williamson of Laurel, adding that he created an organization aimed at the young adult ‘‘so they can be better able to transition into adult life and responsibilities.”
And while Youth Connex covers issues relevant to people with all different backgrounds, their biggest outreach is ‘‘to provide a voice to the young adult Christian professional population” and to ‘‘teach Christian principles,” Williamson said.
Williamson stresses that the organization allows round table discussions and forum for all issues, including those of faith.
‘‘It’s not straight-out ‘go to church’ message,” said Youth Connex program manager Linelle Andre, ‘‘it’s a good bridging the gap magazine -- it’s not going to turn away people.”
In both the magazine and the radio show there are segments that cover vital religious issues, including Breaking the Silence: Overcoming Pornography Addiction,” ‘‘Life and Ministry after HIV” and ‘‘The Best Sex of my Life: A Guide to Purity.”
The radio show’s round table discussions are usually comprised of young adults and practiced experts on the topic being discussed. They are led by the show’s host, James Black Jr., a local pastor.
‘‘The feedback we’ve gotten from the radio show is that people are asking for help; relationship help and spiritual information,” Williamson said.
Williamson, who created the Youth Connex radio show last August, said that when he began he ‘‘wanted to start just a small little community resource in the Washington D.C. area.”
Even though Williamson knew virtually nothing about the radio business, he knew it would be a great medium to reach his target population and help Youth Connex create a name for itself.
‘‘With the exception of the production engineer, we didn’t know a whole lot about radio,” said Andrew, ‘‘starting something from nothing is always difficult so there was trial and error; there are so many unknown factors.”
But Andrew said that the talk show and the magazine gained momentum and popularity quickly, causing Youth Connex to become a full-fledged enterprise.
Williamson was, to say the least, very surprised by the speed in which Youth Connex reached success. The radio show’s popularity prompted him to start the magazine in February.
Within its first months, Williamson said that the radio show has a total listenership of 50,000 and the magazine has a readership of over 17,000 before the completion of its first year. And Youth Connex subscribers and listeners are comprised, ranging from 15-35 years of age, from 34 countries and almost all 50 states, Williamson said.
Williamson said that Youth Connex is continuing to expand outlets and plan on hosting a young adult professional career summit in Washington on June 27.
Youth Connex
How it makes a difference: The organization has its own magazine, radio show and online forum dedicated to provide information to young people. Youth Connex hosts its radio show on Heaven 1580 AM, at 4 p.m. Saturdays and streams the broadcase online at their Web site, www.youthconnex.com.
