Young Wagga Voices launches series one!

Wagga Wagga City Council has launched the official Young Wagga Voices podcast led by local young people who share their experiences, ideas and perspectives on growing up in Wagga Wagga.

Community Development Coordinator Alex Osgood says the project has engaged over 20 young people in the last twelve months, providing access to formal training opportunities with Podcast Services Australia and ABC Riverina to help share their unique experiences of growing up in regional NSW.

“This project has allowed Council to give young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds a cool opportunity to learn about podcasting and to share insights about their experiences of culture, language and identity,” Ms Osgood said.

"It has been a really eye-opening experience to collaborate with such a diverse range of young people. This podcast really captures the intelligent, funny and inspirational youth we have in Wagga Wagga and after the initial training in April we had lots of interest from young people across the community.”

Series one of the podcast covers a broad range of topics from refugee experiences, connecting with culture, queer stories and mental health.

"The youth in series one of Young Wagga Voices range from 13 to 23 years old and they have been really candid and vulnerable,” Ms Osgood said.

“It's important to note that every young person's experience is different and valid.”

This project was made a reality thanks to funding from the NSW Office of Regional Youth as part of the 2023 Regional Youth Radio Program.

“As part of the funding, Council also purchased a top-of-the-line podcast recording kit which is now available for community use via a partnership with Eastern Riverina Arts.”

You can listen to series one of Young Wagga Voices via Spotify.

Series Two of the podcast is already in production and local young people who are keen to be involved are encouraged to reach out to Council's Youth and Community Development Officer Mel Fattore on 1300 292 442 or email youth@wagga.nsw.gov.au.

Wagga Wagga City Council would like to thank our community partners ABC Riverina and Multicultural Council of Wagga Wagga for their support over the project.