Thulini adjusts her headphones during the podcasting course at Social Co House in Moree. Photo: Michael Phipps
Fashion, football and American history might seem unlikely subjects to bring together, but they all found an audience when students from Moree and Narrabri took over the microphones at Social Co House.
Students from Moree Secondary College and Narrabri High School spent Friday, October 16, learning how to turn their own ideas into podcasts, with journalist and educator Stephanie Aceglav guiding them through the process.
For Thulini and Havana, choosing a subject was easy. Both enjoy fashion and beauty, and the workshop gave them a chance to share that interest through their own recording.
“We both like fashion and beauty, and I like it a lot since I was little,” Thulini said.
Oliver and Toby took a different approach, exploring famous people and their influence on the world. Their subjects ranged from Adolf Hitler to footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
Both enjoyed learning how to edit audio, although neither was particularly interested in pursuing a media career.
Sophia chose the Boston Tea Party, developing her history podcast during the workshop rather than arriving with a prepared script.
Whatever their subject, the students had to do much more than speak into a microphone. They planned their episodes, wrote scripts, recorded their material and learned how to edit it.
Ms Aceglav, founder of Aceglav Creative Media, was impressed by the way they worked together and developed their own ideas without relying on artificial intelligence.
“They didn’t use ChatGPT to come up with scripts, they hand wrote them, they came up with the concepts by talking to each other, they collaborated,” she said.
The workshop also showed students how podcasting skills could be useful outside the media industry.
Ms Aceglav shared examples of businesses using podcasts to connect with customers, helping students see how recording, interviewing and storytelling could be useful in a range of careers.
Narrabri High School music teacher Rod Ritchie saw similarities between producing a podcast and preparing a musical performance. Both require planning, practice and careful work before an audience hears the finished result.
He was particularly interested in two students who had used their podcasts to explore ambitions to work in medicine, and hoped the experience would encourage them to pursue those goals.
The workshop was organised through the NSW Department of Education’s Educational Pathways Program after students from the two schools expressed an interest in podcasting.
Head Teacher Careers Laura Peisley said the program aimed to give regional students practical experiences that could introduce them to careers they might not otherwise consider.
Other opportunities being organised include a Qantas industry visit in Sydney and a cybersecurity program with technology company Yirigaa.
Ms Peisley said technology careers could be particularly valuable for regional students, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who wanted to remain on Country while working remotely.
Back at Social Co House, the students were focused on getting their recordings finished. Some discovered they enjoyed editing, others were drawn to interviewing, and new podcast ideas were already taking shape.
What began as a chance to talk about something they enjoyed had become an opportunity to discover skills they might use long after leaving school.
