It's time to tune in to the Eurobodalla’s own localised Facebook: Channel E!
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Eurobodalla Shire Council’s youth service staff are ecstatic after beating 400 applicants to score a $73,500 State Government grant for a new social media program.
The two-year project will be aimed at 12 to 25-year-olds and will be a way for the shire’s 5000 youth to get information on health, employment, education and training services, and engage in local issues on forums.
It will be like Facebook, but Eurobodalla-focused, educational and something young people will be able to access on their mobile phones.
“It’s an easy way for them to engage in our community,” Eurobodalla Youth Committee member Ryan Toohey said.
“It allows us to have more of a voice in decisions.”
“It’s a gateway for our local youth to engage with the local area,” youth services trainee Cassie Fraser said.
Council’s youth services coordinator Kim Bush said they sent in the funding application in September.
“We’ve been talking about it for a long time, how do we best connect with young people? The best way was through the medium they use the most.”
IT trainee Hayden Campbell was part of the group who created the submission.
He said the project would give young people the ability to see things that are happening.
“In the early stages we’re looking at forums where people can post a bulletin about certain issues,” he said.
Mr Toohey said this could be either deciding who should play at Aamplify, or what youth week activities to hold.
The team believes it will work.
“I think it’s new and it’s something that’s really needed,” Mr Toohey said. “Especially down here where the youth population is very spread out.”
The funding is part of the State Government’s $3.1 million Youth Opportunities initiative.
“It’s pretty special we got it,” Ms Bush said.
Channel E will also be a platform for educational training in technology for those in the organisational phases, and will link with an undergraduate degree in technology at the University of Canberra.
Early next year, Ms Bush said they would be looking for 10 to 12 young people to help develop Channel E and get it off the ground.
