Roots and Recipes with Empowered Solutions Collective
Food Traditions Become Stories of Strength for Immigrant Youth in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
In 2025, Empowered Solutions Collective was seeking a media production and storytelling partner to help students turn story outlines into finished audio and video productions. We provided lessons and feedback, helping to prepare youth for recording.
2892 Miles To Go Supported Storytelling Project
Empowered Solutions Collective applied to become the local delivery partner for Iowa in collaboration with 2892 Miles to Go, a National Geographic Foundation-supported nonprofit organization dedicated to catalyzing the knowledge of young people and their stories with the local community.
Roots and Recipes
The approach in Cedar Rapids focused on immigrant youth stories. Students between the ages of 11 and 18 who immigrated to Cedar Rapids from Africa or who are second-generation Americans told stories about their experiences with food in Africa and the United States. Students described how they are carrying forward food traditions from their past and making new traditions in Iowa.
Media Production
Story Development
Students had created backgrounds on their story, and it was time to take the foundation and turn it into a narrative. Murdock Media Production created a lesson, drawing connections between personalities and producers like W. Kamau Bell and Anthony Bourdain who have told stories about African food and culture through media.
Students Revised their stories, and we were ready to record!
Shooting and Editing
Filming and audio recording took place in a residential environment. Emphasis was placed on comfort and creating a conversational tone so that each student could tell her story fully and authentically. Audio and video were captured with a Canon C80 camera and a Canon R5 for handheld shots. Video was produced at 4k resolution.
Final Presentation
Roots and Recipes
Students presented at Roots and Recipes, a public event. By sharing their takeaways and how they hope to use storytelling in the future, they framed their media story. Each audio and video piece was played, and attendees were invited to share in a meal, tasting the flavors they learned about through the presentation.