Learning Waves has launched its TY Media Week Programme for 2019 and 2020.
The initiative will provide Transition Year Students across the country with a unique opportunity to get involved in the creation of content for broadcast on a radio station across the country.
It is being run by Learning Waves and funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland through the Television Licence fee. A total of 15 radio stations will take part in the programme between September 2019 and March 2020. Students can apply to the radio station in their area (see list of participating stations below) and if successful students will take part in a one week training programme in the radio station which will culminate with a broadcast of content created and produced by students on a selected programme in the radio station.
At the end of the programme, students will be presented with a certificate of completion.
The TY Media Week Programme is the brainchild of Learning Waves Director, Fiona Stack. Fiona who is the General Manager in Radio Kerry ran a pilot progamme with Learning Waves in December 2017 in Radio Kerry. The programme was designed by Learning Waves and Radio Kerry and funded through the BAI Media Literacy Fund.
Such was the success of the 2017 programme that further funding was sought for additional programmes for 2019 and 2020. Learning Waves applied through the BAI Sound and Vision funding scheme in November 2018 to roll out the programme to additional member stations.
Funding was granted in March 2019 for the roll out of a programme that will involve 15 radio stations, 225 Transition Year students and over 50 secondary schools across the country. The programme will result in 30 hours of broadcast content across the Independent Radio Sector.
The programme is funded under the theme of Media Literacy and will see the following skills imparted to participating students :
- Storytelling
- Sourcing, verifying and generating content for broadcast
- Basic understanding of Broadcast Law
- Learning how to think critically
- Becoming a smart consumer of media
- A day as a journalist
- Recording and editing vox pops
Students will then have the unique opportunity to create and broadcast content that reflects the issues/topics that students are passionate about and will provide them with a platform to broadcast their views and opinions. The programmes will have a lively and upbeat formula and will allow listeners to capture the dynamism of the young students involved.
The aim of the programmes will be to provide an overall insight into the topics and issues that matter to TY students in Ireland in 2019. The programme will also give the students the opportunity to see how they can address such topics/issues within todays media environment.
Stations participating in the TY Media Week Programme 2019-2020 :
- Newstalk
- Beat 102-103
- WLR FM
- Tipp FM
- Clare FM
- LMFM
- Shannonside
- Ocean FM
- Radio Kerry
- Mid West Radio
- Galway Bay FM
- KCLR 96FM
- Red FM
- FM104
- Q102
Speaking at the launch of the prorgamme today, Learning Waves Project Manager, Teresa Hanratty, said: “In a changing technological, media and social environment, the need for Media Literacy has never been more important. Media Literacy is the key to empowering people with the skills and knowledge to understand how the media works in this changing environment.
“It will allow people to interrogate the accuracy of information, to counter unfair and inaccurate representation, to challenge extremist views and, ultimately to make better informed media choices. Against this backdrop and in line with the BAI Media Literacy policy, Learning Waves is delighted to launch this initiative which will see the Media Literacy skills of TY students across the country grow and develop.
“Teenagers will become the future content creators, broadcasters and producers of media and the provision of media literacy skills to them will ensure that they will make informed choices and decisions about content they broadcast on a range of platforms. Learning Waves, along with its members stations and the BAI, is excited to launch this programme today and we look forward to working with schools and students to identify future broadcasters for the sector.”
Further information on the programme is available here.
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