More than 30 school-aged students will ‘takeover’ Lismore this week to share their stories as part of the ABC’s Takeover Youth Summit.
The summit, which runs from 20 May to 24 May, is a partnership between the ABC, the Office for Youth; Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR).
ABC producers have worked with around 1,000 young people from Lismore and the Northern Rivers region since late last year. Thirty-four students have been selected to have their stories and ideas featured on the ABC during the summit and beyond.
The winning stories showcase the diversity and bravery of young people in the region. They include stories featuring: dreams of becoming a Paralympian, connection to country and culture, experiencing homelessness and growing up in a Viking village.
ABC Managing Director David Anderson said the ABC was proud to showcase the lived experience of a new generation of leaders. “This group of young storytellers demonstrate the tremendous sense of community on the Northern Rivers. We’re thrilled to be able to share these stories with the nation and support these young people as their share their stories.”
Fareeha is one of this year’s winners. She says that at time as a young person she’s felt “helpless” in the face of challenges that the area has faced but is passionate about her local community.
“In such a small community, we’ve all got something we can relate on, we’ve all seen each other at the shops, at sports clubs,” she says. “When we all know each other and we’ve got that sense of strong community, I feel like that’s what pushed us through the floods.”
Next week the Takeover Lismore winners will have the opportunity to take part in leadership and networking events, and the chance to contribute to projects helping the young people of Lismore to thrive. Takeover aims to help young people feel empowered to create the change they want to see in their local area.
The Takeover program would not be possible without the ABC’s partnership with the Office for Youth; Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR), whose support brings the program to life.
“We’re ensuring young people have opportunities to share their experiences and ideas on issues that are important to them, through our national youth engagement model and by supporting programs like Takeover,” says The Hon Dr Anne Aly MP, Minister for Youth. “We can all learn by listening to the lived experiences of young people.”
To create change on these issues, FRRR will be offering support to community organisations who will work with the Summit participants on their ideas and developing grant projects together.
“These are our leaders of tomorrow,” says FRRR CEO Natalie Egleton. “FRRR is inspired to be part of their journey and to invest in the local community so young people can have a powerful say in the future of their region.”
Takeover Lismore winners will be featured across the ABC during the week of 20 May. You can find out more information about the program at: abc.net.au/takeover/programs/takeover-lismore
If you are interested in attending summit events, please email [email protected].
| Winner | Synopsis of their story |
| Kameka | Kameka’s family’s camping trips to Cangai keep her connected to her Country and culture. Kameka shares how her Pa always says, “you don’t own Cangai, Cangai owns you. So always respect the land.” |
| Rose | For Rose, making friends was difficult as she felt her English wasn’t great and people couldn’t understand her accent. But a love of drama helped her build confidence and community in Lismore. |
| Torren | Torren is an aspiring comedian. He takes comedy courses and has started on his journey to make the world laugh. He has asked for advice from famous Aussie comedians, such as Will Anderson on how to reach his goals. |
| Hannah | For newly arrived young people like Hannah, opportunities to practice her English skills through simple, everyday tasks like ordering food have made all the difference to her settlement journey. |
| Maleah | A dedicated space for Aboriginal students, the ‘Gurri/Koori’ room at school helped Maleah build confidence, turn her grades around and learn about her culture. |
| Baylie | Baylie is a young person with a passion for reptiles who’s trying to balance work at the family general store with school, study and sport. Working at the family shop taught Baylie important life skills. |
| Isabella | Isabella was born with a rare medical condition – infantile myofibromatosis. She’s lived longer than anyone expected and despite the challenges of her chronic condition – she hasn’t let it define her. |
| Sarah | When she was younger, Sarah moved around a lot and was teased for being mixed race and poor. She lost interest in school and got into a lot of trouble. Now she’s finding her way and getting back on the right path. |
| Amelia | Amelia loves working on the farm and being involved with the ag program at school. She currently lives on 100 acres and helps take care of the property and animals. |
| Xavier | Xavier is passionate about leadership – whether it’s on the football field, as the school vice-captain or as a Widjabul Wia-bal cultural student leader. Xavier is also an artist who draws inspiration from the stories his grandfather told him about Bundjalung Country. |
| Cameron | Cameron grew up in a Viking village. His family has been part of the Dark Ages re-enactment group Rognvald’s Lith for as long as he can remember. Cameron, who is neurodiverse, is still finding his role in the Lith. |
| Artesia | For a long time, Artesia struggled to understand people. When she was diagnosed with autism, it helped her family understand. Drawing on her own experience, Artesia wants to raise awareness about autism in women. |
| Kira | Kira dreams of being a successful Indigenous bridal designer. But the journey to get there is long, and expensive. Kira started a business during covid to help fund admission to her dream design school. |
| Jayda | Jayda is on a journey to become a world powerlifting champion. She likes how the sport makes her feel strong and the supportive gym community around her. |
| Ava | Singing is something that brings Ava joy and helps her feel connected to her family, community, and Samoan culture. |
| Fareeha | When Fareeha learned why her family really left Pakistan, she retreated to her safe space – school and learning. She tells us of her hope for the future from her new home in Lismore. |
| Malachi | Malachi is an aspiring First Nations Paralympian and is already well on his way with medals decorating every corner of his room from years of Athletics competitions. |
| Nyah | Nyah walks the line between her two cultures. Coast and country, salt water and fresh water. She shares her journey with culture as she camps on Country with her mum and nan. Her mob are Ngemba. |
| Conner | Connor dreams of working in a fabrication shop where they make race cars. Until he can, he restores old Volvos with his dad and shares the magic of giving old cars a new life. |
| Brielle | Brielle says some people are shocked by her decision to leave school and become a sparky because it goes against the current. She hasn’t let others stop her and tells us of the career opportunities she’s excited for. |
| Logan | Logan shares the joy of coming out through his own journey, and how his relationship with his sister made him feel supported as he continues to navigate his own sexuality. |
| Jahanshah | A competitive motocross racer who finds freedom on his bike, Jahanshah tells us how he gained his parents support to purse his dreams. |
| Jax | Jax identifies as nonbinary and shares the moment they first wrote down their name and pronouns and how right it felt. Jax is a young leader creating safe spaces for other young people in their community. |
| Misty | There’s a lot of judgement around kids that are fostered. Misty breaks down some of these judgements through her own foster care journey and shares how adoption has changed her life. |
| Jada | Jada and her mum have found their happy place at the beach. This is where they go to connect and escape the chaos of life. Jada shares some of her most treasured memories, from collecting shells to snapping photos. |
| Tom | Football has taught Tom many life lessons, like sacrifice and time management. Tom says that no matter what path he takes, those lessons will always follow him. |
| Emily | Emily found confidence, purpose and direction through her love for Agricultural studies. She says judging livestock has given her confidence she didn’t know she had. |
| Rush | Mental health is a critical part of every teenager’s journey. For Rush, understanding the part they play in helping others is a big part of their journey. |
| Cherokee | Despite being a single parent of four kids, Cherokee’s dad was never too busy to share their family’s love of music. Cherokee shares how music has the ability to access parts of the brain unreachable by words alone. |
| Sophie | Living in an intergenerational household, Sophie shares how her family stays connected through a humble family card game. |
| Hailey | A raw insight into the experience of a young person, Hailey became homeless after her family was evicted and struggled to find a rental property in a housing crisis. |
| Turichi | Turichi wants to go pro in basketball, but he’s unsure of the opportunities available for young people like him. Going overseas could result in more opportunities, but it’d mean leaving his home in Lismore. |
| Arielle | Romance novels helped Arielle fall in love with reading. Some people see reading as a chore. But Arielle thinks they haven’t felt the romance of finding the right book. |
| Ava | Ava’s love for rugby and the Matildas gave her the confidence to join the first girls Rugby Union team in Lismore. |
For mor information please contact:
Alexandra Neill
ABC Senior Producer
0431 815 664
