The first Radio Course of 2022 took place this month, returning back and better than ever before. This two-week programme funded by MAES helps young people pursue a career in digital broadcasting.
Welcoming participants into the studios, the group delved into what it means to be in a working Radio Production environment. Thanks to the amazing facilitators Alex, Jacob and Naomi, a wonderfully organic energy developed in the group as those involved learnt the ropes of digital media.
Cameron, one participant who has dabbled in digital broadcasting before, adds his thoughts on the group.
“We’ve been really lucky with the group, everyone’s really creative & people have their own sets of skills. It’s all just come together really organically and we’ve all just got on from day one”
During week one of the project, the group really got to know one another, through various games and team building exercises. One individual, Ewan, comments on how he felt coming into the project.
“It can be quite awkward coming into something like this and nobody really wants to share or open up, but this felt really easy, playing a lot of games has been a really important part as it gets everyone out of their shells a little bit”
With the end goal of working collaboratively towards a live radio show that would air on Reform, the group explored both Presenter and Producer roles, establishing who was the next (add famous UK presenters name) amongst them. They experimented with script writing, public speaking and acquired skills in music software, preparing for the big week ahead.
During week two, the facilitators invited a variety of guest speakers and industry professionals into the space to get the participants geared up on the hottest radio knowledge. With sessions dedicated to Social Media and Podcasting, as well as DJ sessions, the group learnt all the different segments that make up a radio show.
With scripting way undergo, Ewan comments on the relaxed atmosphere enabling them to come ‘to very natural progression about what we want to do with the show’. After some thought, the collective decision was made to write a show dedicated to all the senses, naming themselves Senses of Self. With participants having a variety of different skillsets and broadcasting backgrounds, segments such as comedy sketches, a game show, meditation and many more pieces of incredible original content were developed.
Young people such as Cameron, who had previous presenting experience, speaks on the process.
“I’ve done some presenting for silly comedy podcasts. It was a long time ago, so I’m still kind of starting afresh with it. It’s been really nice to learn how to put together a show and kind of get the ideas for it. It’s been a really useful process”
Whilst, Sophie-Mia, another individual with previous radio experience who did the radio for Manchester Metropolitan University, discusses her role in the show.
“Our radio show is based on senses, so at the very very end of the hour I’m going to do some mindfulness to bring it back round and centre for everybody, and make them aware of where they are, so we are going to end on quite a calm note”
Not only did the participants get savvy with the scripting, but one young person, Lewis, designed a trio of artwork, spotlighting the different segments they had come up with. To view the talented artwork that was designed for the show, please scroll down below.
To listen to the full show click down below.
If you would like to get involved or find out more about any of our projects, please drop us an email to projects@reformradio.co.uk.
