Access has always been a priority for community broadcasters. Whilst community radio stations are scattered all across the country from Bunbury to Byron Bay, access for youth-specific programming has been few and far between.
Melbourne’s SYN has long been lauded for its services to Melbourne’s youth and the access it gives radio makers from as young as 12 years old. However, as urban dwelling youngsters have been benefitting from the youth media organisation’s opportunities, country kids were missing out.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation and a lot of hard work, SYN Nation was launched early this year. Now, young people from regional areas across Australia are making radio and multi-platform content that’s broadcast on their local station as well as Melbourne-wide on SYN Nation’s digital station and potentially worldwide online on syn.org.au.
Heading the project is SYN volunteer, Tess Lawley, who knows what it’s like to have to move to the big smoke to take advantage of opportunities not offered at home.
“As someone who grew up in a regional area and moved to Melbourne to hang around community radio stations, I’ve seen firsthand the huge positive effect that making media and voicing opinions can have on someone. I would have loved to have had something like SYN in my country town as a teenager!”
Partnering with 2XX in Canberra, Bay FM in Byron Bay, Edge Radio in Hobart, Gippsland FM in Morwell and 3WAY FM in Warrnambool, each station has a nominated Young Media Leader (YML) who are all working to develop a community of young content creators.
Self-professed “radio enthusiast, activist and all-round troublemaker”, is 2XX’s YML, Yen Eriksen. Having already worked as a trainer and presenter at the station, Eriksen believes in the importance of diversity in our media.
“Media is like the mirror that reflects society back onto itself. It is central to the processes that define society as well as influence cultural values ... Without a diverse pool of media makers, what we collectively come to understand as a society will only reflect the interests of those with money and power.”
Not only does SYN Nation encourage diversity, it most importantly gives a voice to the youth who are often left out of the picture.
“It is important for young people to make media because there is infinite value in learning skills and gaining access to new industry spaces,” says Eriksen.
Bianca Gawith, the 18-year old YML representing Gippsland FM, agrees that the youth need to be seen as “not just consumers but creators of media.”
“It’s important as it gives a legitimate outlet for youth to voice their viewpoints and opinions. It gets [them] involved in politics, community events and what’s happening in the world – becoming part of the global community.”
As project coordinator, Lawley helps this happen through organising workshops and mentoring partnerships with media professionals, expressing, “I’m working to make sustainable relationships between Melbourne and non-metro volunteers and open up as many opportunities to young people across Australia as possible.”
Some of the mentors include Principal Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne’s School of Culture and Communications, Ann Tonks, Senior Advisor at SBS, David Melzer, and Head of Radio at AFTRS and CBAA Board member, Natalie Pozdeev, who is showing 3WAY FM’s Sam Maloney the radio ropes.
Maloney also has his mother to thank, in part, for his involvement in SYN Nation.
“I went to Melbourne Radio School last year and had been considering joining 3WAY FM and then my mum pointed out an article in the local paper about the project.”
The desire to do something different that isn’t always available in his “fairly isolated” hometown was also a big motivator, he says.
“There are limited options for entertainment. This project gives [young people] another outlet for creativity as well as something to do, and the ability to get their voices out there [and] give back to their local station and community.”
SYN Nation has already had an impact on media opportunities in these local communities, with new diverse programming popping up, ranging from screamo music (Screamway) to youth story telling (Street Rag Radio). And, as Lawley says, this is only the beginning, with plans to expand into Fremantle and Darwin.
Only a few months into the venture, the possibilities are seemingly endless for Australia’s young media makers, and Lawley will be right there championing them.
“One day I hope every young person across Australia – from the middle of the outback to those tiny coastal towns – will be able to grab a recorder, a camera, even their phone and make media to be aired on SYN Nation and generally taken notice of.
I hope this project allows communities of young people to work together to make top quality media about what’s important to them. And, I hope this project runs for a long time, moving and changing to always share the perspectives of young people across Australia.”
For more information on what the SYN Nation YML’s are up to, follow their blog at www.syn.org.au/page/national-youth-media-project and stream online at www.syn.org.au.
