The 2009 winners of ABC Radio’s regional youth initiative Heywire were announced today.
Now in its twelfth year, Heywire is an online platform for creative young leaders from rural, regional and remote Australia to create, blog and share their stories.
The 38 Heywire winners will have their stories told on ABC Radio and online at http://heywire.abc.net.au/. They will also travel to Canberra in February 2010 for the Heywire Forum at the Australian Institute of Sport.
The Heywire Forum is a chance for the winners to work together developing outstanding ideas and proposals that will create positive change in their communities. As part of this focus, the winners participate in mentoring, training, networking, skill building and learning activities during the week, and will have the chance to meet members of parliament, government and leaders from across the Australian youth sector and the ABC.
“Heywire celebrates the diversity, passion, humour and hard-edged reality of young people in regional Australia, using the full range of digital storytelling techniques. Our Heywirers come from far and wide across Australia, from places as diverse as Tennant Creek (NT), Mullaway (NSW), Aurukun (QLD), Renmark (SA) and Esperance (WA),” says Tony Rasmussen, Manager Regional Local Radio.
“We are very excited that many young people, often from the most remote and isolated parts of our country, can connect with each other and share their dreams, opinions and ideas through Heywire.”
The Hon. Tony Burke MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said of his department’s and the government’s support for Heywire, “… we are proud to continue to be associated with this unique and innovative youth participation project. This year hundreds of young people from across Australia have shared their stories through the Heywire website. I have been impressed with the creativity and connectedness our 2009 winners have brought to the project and I look forward to meeting them in Canberra and hearing more about their work from the Youth Issues Forum.”
Over the past twelve years over 7000 young Australians have shared their stories with Heywire. In 2009, Heywire is a website open all year for submissions. Young people can create their own Heywire profile page and network with other Heywirers from across Australia; upload their video, audio, text and photo entries live to the site; and comment on other entries and leave their own thoughts and comments.
A full list of winners including the winning story can be found here.
Heywire acknowledges the support of the Australian Government through the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation; the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.
Heywire website – http://heywire.abc.net.au/
For more information, please contact:
Bryce Ives
Heywire Executive Producer ph: 0419 102 637
Belinda Lee
ABC Radio Marketing ph: 0419 262 730
