Our Year 10 English classes were recently lucky enough to participate in writing workshops ran by producers and journalists from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as part of the national ‘TakeOver’ program. The program, which highlights different regional areas of Australia each year, is designed to give voice to young people. 

In the workshops, students were encouraged to write about their lived experiences and express their ideas about issues important to them. The facilitators were impressed by the wide-ranging and thoughtful ideas discussed, with the potential for some students to have their work published with the ABC later this year. 

The following Year 10 students shared their experiences: 

“I found the ABC TakeOver workshop to be very engaging and overall, an amazing way to encourage young people to speak up and be open about their stories and experiences. The facilitators encouraged us to answer questions and share things with our peers about ourselves which I believe is a very positive thing.” – Harriet Byrne. 

“The ABC workshop was a really engaging way to get people to talk about not just their ideas, but also real-life experiences. As a young Tasmanian I find it really important to advocate for our voices and the workshop seemed to be a great start.” – Letesha Cox. 

“I really enjoyed the workshop, as it gave me the chance to think about the type of stories I want to write, and how I can connect with others through those stories. This workshop was meant to give young people that live in regional areas of Australia a voice, to share their experiences and life journey with a national audience. I’m very grateful to the ABC team for bringing the TakeOver program to Marist.” – Sanuli Karunaratne. 

The facilitators commented on the high levels of engagement, politeness and respect shown in each Year 10 class, which is to be commended. 

On behalf of MRC, we would like to thank the representatives of the ABC for sharing their enthusiasm, expertise and passion for storytelling with our students. 

 

Ms Danica Scolyer 

Learning Area Leader: 9-12 English