The Eichelberger Center for Community Voices is WYSO’s award-winning public radio training program and storytelling initiative. Through intensive hands-on workshops, participants learn the craft of audio journalism—from interviewing and script writing to editing and voicing. The result: powerful, personal stories that reflect the diversity, resilience, and creativity of life in southwest Ohio.
Since its founding in 2010, Community Voices has trained hundreds of local residents, educators, students, and nonprofit leaders to tell stories from their own communities. The series centers voices often left out of mainstream media and uplifts first-person narratives that deepen public understanding.
Whether you're hearing a story about immigration in Dayton, a family legacy in Springfield, or a local artist’s journey, Community Voices brings you closer to the people who shape the Miami Valley.
Want to become a storyteller?
Learn more about Community Voices workshops
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Susan Best talks with Community Voices producer Courtney Alspaugh about her experience returning home from prison and finding employment. -
Royal Air Force fighter pilots and roaring Riley sports cars defined postwar Britain in a story of speed, aviation and adventure. -
DeCarlo Smith shares his journey from prison to a career at FC Industries, highlighting personal transformation, family support and the power of fair-chance hiring. -
Community Voices producer Courtney Alspaugh talks with De’Ona Smith about navigating the job market after incarceration and challenging the stigma faced by people with criminal records. -
Community Voices producers Heidi Arnold and Courtney Alspaugh discuss the power of community support in helping formerly incarcerated people rebuild their lives. They share personal stories about bridging prison and outside communities and advocate for employment opportunities. -
Dan Patterson, producer of Blue Skies and Tailwinds, takes his Sinclair Community College aviation students to Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. -
Will Davis, director of WYSO’s Eichelberger Center for Community Voices, talks with Janet Woojeong Lee and Steve Drummond, the journalists behind the NPR Senior Podcast Challenge. -
Dayton played a key role in pioneering mid-air refueling, as engineers at McCook Field worked to extend the range of military aircraft. Early attempts included a “wing walker” with a 5-gallon gas can strapped to his back. -
A century of aerospace growth has propelled Dayton to new recognition. The report highlights the area's long-standing ties to military innovation, which Dan Patterson digs into for the latest episode of Blue Skies and Tailwinds. -
Trae Grace joins the Columbus chapter of GirlTrek, a movement of more than 1.3 million using walking to support Black women's health, healing and community. And, there's a chapter coming to Dayton. -
Conscious Connect, a Springfield nonprofit founded by Dr. Karlos Marshall and Moses Mbeseha, celebrates distributing 100,000 free books to children and families across the Miami Valley. -
WYSO producer Trae Grace talks with Black campers during an intergenerational camping trip at Glen Helen Nature Preserve, led by the BIPOC Food and Farming Network.
