"80% of Victorian's identify with a heritage other than Australian, yet the majority of faces and voices on mainstream media do not represent this. It's time to mix that up and integrate a new narrative that tells the stories of people whose families left the world they knew, for a new world. One that would offer their kids a better life. That's the story I want to tell.”
Ghina Makari - program participant
The Collaborative Radio Project started in 2015 as a way for PBS to provide skills training to those feeling misrepresented, underrepresented and excluded from media spaces.
The station recognised the importance in providing platforms for diverse voices to be the authors of their own stories, helping to reshape the cultural narrative into a more inclusive and accurate representation of who we are as a society. However, what had become obvious was, that for many people, barriers such as time commitments, language and confidence, stood in the way of becoming regular announcers. The Collaborative Radio Project was developed in response to these challenges, facilitating the creation of pre-produced audio stories, documentaries, personal narratives and soundscapes.
In 2017, 13 participants took part in the 7 week course, developing skills in interview technique, editing, recording, story building and structure, music, composition and effects - ultimately gaining an understanding of the ability of sound and story to conjure imagination and invite listeners to become active members in the storytelling process.
The result is a collection of honest, witty, truthful and musical stories that draw on themes of migration, race, queer identity, navigating the intersecting worlds of a third culture generation, personal heroes, identity, language, love and loss.
On Monday 17th July, the program participants will be hosting All Our Stories and Homebrew and broadcasting their stories alongside music selections and conversations.
The Collaborative Radio Project has been generously supported by the Victorian Multicultural Commission.
