Fresh Air Youth Radio

Youth Access Facilitator

Part of my role as Community Access Coordinator at Mountain District Radio in Australia was to engage with the younger members of our license area and get their voices and ideas represented on the airwaves.

I facilitated media content creation by under 18’s both in the studio and out in their environment. Work included;

  • Running an after school club mentoring young people to use production techniques and equipment to create engaging content primarily for a youth audience
  • Mentoring primary school students (ages 7 to 11) during weekly live broadcasts
  • Developing strong working relationships with 7 local primary and high schools
  • Regular visits to schools and youth groups with a portable studio to create content with students
  • Writing successful grant applications specifically for youth focussed projects totalling $34,000

Listen in below to examples of the fantastic radio programmes these young people created.

Date 2012 – 2014

Skills Involved Mentoring, Facilitating Workshops, Grant Writing, Administration, Radio & Film Producer

3MDR Mountain District Radio, Melbourne, Australia 3MDR.com

This video was produced to promote the Fresh Air programme and get young people involved. It is used to introduce the station and the opportunities it offers when giving talks at schools, youth groups and it can be sent out to young people, their parents and teachers. It can also be shared online and promoted via websites and social media.

Speakeasy Youth Radio was a 6 week project with Australian VCAL students. I worked with 3 groups of students from Emerald Secondary College, Mater Christi College and Mountain District Learning Centre. Each group worked to make one hour of pre-recorded radio.

Emerald Secondary discuss social issues affecting young people, including years 10, 11 & 12 study options, homophobia, social media PLUS! live music from local band Little Bear Run.

Students from Mater Christi College Belgrave explore the theme of Addictions, from the funny, serious to the just totally weird. Featuring live music, an interview with Cindy Van Rooy from the Australian Drug Foundation, voxpops, and information about the 27 Club.

Mountain District Learning Center speak about alternative learning, sharing their experiences, talking with teachers and center staff, exploring funding issues and interviewing local MP Brad Battin and MP Nick Wakeling, minister for Higher Education.

This special project was supported by OELLEN Outer Eastern Local Learning & Employment Network.

Listen here to a clip from each group’s work.

Youth Programmes

Hear programmes created by Ferny Creek Cubs, The Green Warriors environmental class from Upwey High School and more.

All broadcast on 3MDR Mountain District Radio.

Hillscene Magazine article

Read about the 3MDR Documentary Team weekly after school club. Participants come to the studios to learn how to use both the studio broadcasting equipment and portable recording equipment so that they can use it at outside broadcast events and learn interviewing and presenting techniques.

Part of what the Documentary Team does is provide coverage at outside broadcasts. Before the event they will contact potential interviewees, plan the interview and then at the event they will conduct the interview, edit it together with some music and get it played during the live broadcast, resulting in some really great radio!

Listen here to their documentary of Belgrave Survival Day 2013.

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Live Music

Music is important in the Dandenong Ranges, and 3MDR was committed to supporting, developing and encouraging local musicians, including those under 25.

3MDR provides opportunities for young people to come into the studios for an interview and to play live to air. This fantastic experience also meant they walked away with professionally recorded copies of their performance which they could then have and use to promote themselves.

Some of the recordings were included in the Mountain of Sound Compilation CD’s, including original songs from Macclesfield Primary School and other local bands.

3MDR also ran a Live Music Sound Technician mentor program where young people could come and learn to engineer live music for broadcast and at live events.