3 minute read
This Way/That Way Radio
Claire
A YOUTH-LED COMMUNITY RADIO SHOW ABOUT SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, RELATIONSHIPS AND CULTURE.
When Susannah and Jane arrive at Nigel Mallett house for our This Way//That Way Radio meeting, I’m already sitting in the meeting room with Frankie and Corey. We’re listening to ‘The Shit’, a piece about poo and sex by USA-based queer audio art project, The Heart. Frankie had arrived earlier that morning to catch-up about his idea for a prerecorded audio series about support for trans and gender diverse people in Hobart. It would be an audio resource containing information about medical and legal pathways interspersed with personal stories and local personalities. It’s the kind of information Frankie wished he’d had access to, but instead had to seek out from peers (once he found those, too). Our meeting is full of ideas for making radio content. We dream up a series of snappy pieces covering the basics of sexual and reproductive health; 2-3 minutes about condoms, STIs, termination of pregnancy, HIV and bloodborne viruses and more. Susannah chimes in with, “Real mates don’t let mates get STIs.” Everyone laughs. Later that day I meet Jane at UTAS Sandy Bay campus. Tucked away in the Arts Building lives Edge Radio, a youth community radio station. The studio is small and dark with enough room to fit a couple of desks, computer screens and 3x microphones plugged into a vintage audio desk. It’s a modest audio set-up for a host and a couple of guests. Jane and I co-host our show, programming local and interstate female and gender diverse artists and casually chatting about initiatives to support LGBTIQ+ young people. The hour flies by. I started This Way//That Way Radio as part of my work at The Link Youth Health Service to create sexual and reproductive health resources with and for young people. This kind of collaborative health promotion work is called co-design and is based on the idea that health resources and other activities are more impactful when they’re developed and delivered in collaboration with the people who they are for. With support from TasCAHRD, five young volunteers and myself completed radio training with Edge Radio and have been gradually working towards building everyone’s confidence in running the studio and producing an exciting show.
This Way//That Way Radio is now based at TasCAHRD and is open to anyone aged 25 and under to get involved. Maybe you or someone you know would like to become part of the team! We meet monthly, and there are additional opportunities to come on the weekly show at the Edge Radio studio or participate in pre-recording audio content in the podcast studio at TasCAHRD. If you have a passion for radio and sexual health, you can contact TasCAHRD at projects@tascahrd. org.au. You can also follow us on Instagram @thiswaythatway_hobart.
Frankie (he/they)
“I first joined This Way//That Way Editorial Collective around 2020 after seeing a project made by the group shown at The Loop. After learning a bit more about the project I was keen to get involved, went along to one of the meetings and have been involved since. This Way// That Way has evolved, and will no doubt continue to evolve and be shaped by the participants and the ideas they bring to the table. I’m super excited.”
Susannah (she/her)
“I’ve been with This Way//That Way since July 2020. I joined so I could help spread awareness about sexual health and relationships as this is something I wish I knew when I was growing up.”
Corey (he/him)
“I have been working on This Way//That War project for about 12 months now – almost from the start. I joined the project as I am passionate about positive health education, specifically regarding mental and sexual health. I moved to the Hobart areas about 4 years ago and it was the best choice I ever made – moving my smalltown-gay-ass to the big city has been a blast!”
Jane (she/her)
“I live in Hobart and have been involved in This Way//That War since March. I got involved in this because I think there should be sexual health resources for young people by young people, and to help destigmatise sex.”
