I will be wrapping up Season 4 of YXE Underground next month. In that time, I have featured more than 50 guests and had more than 40,000 downloads. I am proud of these numbers. This podcast is done in my free time with a budget of zero dollars. Instead, I rely on the skills and abilities I learned as a journalist to find guests and share their stories in a creative and meaningful way.
This podcast has been quite the journey for me. I have collaborated with local photographers to bring YXE Underground's presence to social media. I have presented to local organizations, elementary and high school classrooms, and even our provincial health organization on the potential and benefits of podcasts, and selfishly have met so many incredible people in our community.
I am excited to see YXE Underground grow in the years to come and thank you for the chance to share my story with you and your listeners.
"It has been a real privilege sharing these stories on YXE Underground and I’m excited to see the podcast continue to grow in the years to come"
- Eric Anderson
My career in journalism and communications, as well as my podcast, would not have happened had I not had the courage to walk away from a secure career and take a risk on a path I felt passionate about. I am very fortunate to be where I am today.
When I deliver podcast merchandise to listeners at their homes, I am able to thank them in person for their support. I think this goes a long way in securing loyalty and support among listeners. What keeps them coming back is curiosity and wanting to know more about their community. They are curious to see who the next episode is going to feature and to discover how this person is making a difference in Saskatoon. My listeners are educated, passionate and very supportive. I am grateful for them!
I wanted to find those people and share their stories with the greater community.
There is no other podcast or even reporter that is doing what I am doing in Saskatoon. This fact was slightly nerve-wracking at first as I was forging a new path. However, that fear quickly morphed into excitement as people began listening and sharing the podcast. There was a market in Saskatoon for my podcast and I knew that it would grow as long as I kept finding exceptional guests and presented their stories in a professional and creative way.
I have covered a variety of topics in the past four seasons told by diverse voices. Food security, education, the arts, mental health and addiction and safe and affordable housing are a few of the topics covered in my podcast. I am so proud of the diversity of the podcast and how it continues to grow and evolve!
It’s a Thursday night in late March and I am surrounded by people in orange shirts and sweaters, as well as people who are working hard to earn the right to wear these orange shirts and sweaters, in an old Fire Hall near Aden Bowman Collegiate.Â
Specifically, I’m in a meeting room where large maps are spread out on tables and new Saskatoon Search and Rescue trainees are learning how to read these maps.
It’s training day for new recruits of Saskatoon Search and Rescue. It’s an intense process. Whether you are a trainee or a veteran member of the team, you are put through scenarios and taught skills that will empower you to help find people when they go missing in all types of situations.
It really does amaze me that these people commit so much of their time and energy to this group. Since 2019, Saskatoon Search and Rescue have responded to 86 missing person’s activations, mostly at the request of the Saskatoon Police Service.Â
Searches can take place in neighbourhoods throughout Saskatoon, along the South Saskatchewan, or in thick forests of northern Saskatchewan.Â
As you will hear in this episode, Saskatoon Search and Rescue work closely as a team in order to do their job.Â
Sheri Denis and Carla Egan are the two featured guests in this episode. Carla is the Communications Director with the group and is training to be a Saskatoon Search and Rescue Manager.Â
Sheri Denis is a volunteer searcher who is also the Director of Project Lifesaver. This unique program protects people who are at risk of wandering in our community. Participants wear personalized wristbands that emit a radio-frequency tracking signal. If a person with a wristband becomes lost, Saskatoon Search and Rescue can use this tracking signal to locate them.
The program started thanks to a very generous donation from the Saskatoon Police Service and the Saskatoon Police Service Foundation, and has grown thanks to the generosity of the community.Â
Sheri, who works as an Educational Assistant, puts her heart into this work and I think that comes through in our conversation. She even demonstrates how her sophisticated equipment works!Â
By day, Carla Egan works in a long-term care home here in Saskatoon as a recreation coordinator. Tonight, she is proudly wearing an orange Saskatoon Search and Rescue shirt and jacket.Â
Carla worked really hard to earn her place on the team.Â
In the fall of 2020, she saw a social media post from Saskatoon Search and Rescue looking for new members. Her kids were becoming more independent and her background of working with people with dementia gave her the confidence to think she could help.Â
Nearly four years later, Carla says she has grown in so many ways thanks to her training and made friends with people from all walks of life.
Carla shares some very powerful stories in our conversation and how her colleagues are always there to support each-other when the job gets difficult.
I want to mention that Saskatoon Search and Rescue is a non-profit organization and relies on donations and grants for its funding. The organization’s biggest fundraising event takes place on Monday, April 22nd at the Broadway Theatre. It is hosting the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival which is made up of some amazing films celebrating unique outdoor films.Â
Tickets are 20 dollars each and you can purchase them on the Broadway Theatre’s website or at the door. I have my tickets and hope to see you there!
Thank you so much for listening to this episode and for continuing to support a local, independent podcast here in Saskatoon. Don’t forget to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear and please share this episode and the podcast with your friends!
Cheers…EricÂ
- Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
- Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
- Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
Vinnie Potestivo, Editor-in-Chief of
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