Patch 21, a Roane County afterschool program, is starting up podcasts based on healthy living that will be completely run by students. (Photo Provided)

SPENCER — Patch 21, an afterschool program servicing Roane, Jackson and Mason counties, is starting a new podcast project this year that’s completely student run.

Since its formation in 1996, Patch 21 has focused on providing “opportunities for youth (and) hardworking adults to keep children safe and to provide educational enrichment,” David McCutcheon, executive director, said.

In a few weeks, the internet radio station will be up and running. It will include podcasts with healthy lifestyle topics. Ten adult community members are set to record podcasts on topics like motivation, education and heart health.

“(We) try to be proactive with educating the community about how to live healthy lives,” McCutcheon said.

Being a rural county, McCutcheon said it was difficult getting information out. Since everyone has a phone, they decided to roll out the podcast program and to offer it on their Facebook page as well.

Logan Hickman helps get the radio station room ready for a new podcast program at Patch 21. (Photo Provided)

“The platform was the key,” McCutcheon said. “It set the structure for it and (we) set up people to come in once a week to do a podcast show.”

The plan is to expand and hire a few more kids to produce and do DJ work.

“We’ve been training them how to record things and edit. We built the studio in one of our classrooms,” McCutcheon said.

Funding came from a few different organizations, including the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation, Sisters Health Foundation, the Food and Farm Coalition and Try This West Virginia.

The project cost an estimated $8,000 to $10,000, McCutcheon said, but students are doing all of the building work as a way to develop skills. Students are working to put up drywall and paint the area.

Katie McCutcheon helps to bring some color to the new radio station at Patch 21 which will make its debut in a few weeks. (Photo Provided)

“(We) have a local contractor who will volunteer a couple hours here and there to make sure everything is good,” McCutcheon said.

McCutcheon said those skills are helping to prepare students for the workforce since a majority of the students in the area go down that path after graduation, rather than going to college.

“We’re trying to train them for the workforce. They have to be interviewed and follow the job roles the same as an adult would,” he said.

The podcast program will help students take ownership and teach them new skills, McCutcheon said.

“Our goal is to give them purpose and to help them have something that has ownership for them and something they can utilize for their future to be productive and to go out into the world,” he said.

Candice Black can be reached at cblack@newsandsentinel.com.