Infoxchange Digital Inclusion training initiative youthBeat has been launched and will engage with an Indigenous Australian youth program to deliver dynamic multimedia workshop training.

youthBeat is a replication of established Infoxchange program yarraReporter. Implemented in 2008, the project goals are to empower City of Yarra public housing residents through practical based learning in journalism and multimedia giving them a platform to share stories that would otherwise go unreported.

The program has successfully trained a diverse group of active citizen journalists who have continued on to produce fascinating stories and video productions detailing issues that affect them and their local area. 

A partnership has been formed with the Mumgu-dhal tyama-tiyt course, which is a learning pathways program for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to launch dynamic multimedia workshops. A number of institutions run this course and youthBeat will be engaged through the Swinburne University of Technology TAFE division Indigenous programs. 

Training in video filming and editing and creative writing will be held as part of the course work. The work produced through these workshops will then be uploaded to the newly developed youthBeat website and showcased at the conclusion of the course.

The aim of the Mumgu-dhal tyama-tiyt program is to engage Indigenous youth in an innovative education program based on narrative learning and skills involving computers getting ready for work (resume, interviewing, skills such as team work, communication, organisational etc), cooking and visual arts, with a very strong focus on numeracy and literacy as directed by the community. 

youthBeat will provide students with the opportunity to engage in multimedia and enhance their creativity. The program is delivered at Bert Williams Aboriginal Youth Service (BWAYS). 

BWAYS provides case management and accommodation for young Aboriginal men (aged between 15 and 21) who have been recently released from a detention centre or are at risk of homelessness or homeless.

These young people have experienced difficulties in adjusting to the mainstream education system.

Writer and filmmaker, Jeremy Massey (pictured with students), teaches at the centre,

"The students are so open and sharing. They aren't afraid to express their opinions. Out of the five days that I teach, the day I spend with these students is definitely a highlight." he says.

Melinda Eason, who is the course coordinator, describes the partnership as a positive step forward in education, especially for learners who have not engaged well in mainstream schools.

The projects mean young people can express their invaluable views on an issue they are directly affected by (homelessness) that encompasses their urban Indigenous culture and allows them to learn skills and knowledge along the way.

This program meets the goals of two organisation who have embraced this opportunity to work together and highlights that community development is well and truly alive. 

For more information on the Mumgu-dhal tyama-tiyt program, contact meason@groupwise.swin.edu.au.

The youthBeat program is a replication of yarraReporter. If you are interested in replicating the concept in your area, please contact us at info@infoxchange.net.au.