By Rachael Bongiorno 

 MELBOURNE - “In the Oromo Culture there is a symbolic tree called the ‘Oda’ (Sycamore) where men would gather to resolve certain issues, also for recreation and children and women would perform underneath it. 

So the Oromo Program on 3ZZZ Radio is an Oda for the Oromos in Australia.” ---   Aisha Ali, Oromo Youth Program, 3ZZZ Radio.

MELBOURNE - Whether it’s a Sinhala music requests show, a  Somali youth program , Africa the Beautiful on 6EBA Radio in Perth or the National Security Files on 3CR in Melbourne, community radio lends a voice to the multicultural Australian community.

In every state capital there is a large multilingual community radio station, and dozens of community radio stations operate in country towns broadcasting multilingual and multicultural programs.  Community radio forms a large part of the media landscape, with 57% of Australians tuning-in to community radio each month.

Recent national surveys 1 revealed that in an average week the sector produces 2,439 hours of multilingual language programs, a 40-hour increase from last year and broadcasts in over a 100 languages, which is an increase from 97 languages in 2007. 

Multilingual broadcasting plays a critical role in servicing the settlement, linguistic and cultural needs of this diverse population. Newly-arrived migrants and refugees say that early access to radio in their own language is integral to the settlement process. Broadcasting the news and issues of a local communities and their country of origin -- in their own language -- builds and strengthens new communities. 

Mohammed El-leissy co hosts The National Security Files with Dakhylina Madkul, every Wednesday from 5:00-5.30pm on Melbourne Community Radio station 3CR 855AM. The programme aims at proving an alternative viewpoint to what is being produced in the mainstream media.

 El-leissy is critical of the mainstream media, which he says claims to represent the views of society, but in reality it works to create and shape those views.  For example,  Muslims can find themselves the centre of any debate these days, usually without having said or done anything, El-leissy says.

El-leissy believes that community broadcasting opens your mind to different viewpoints, “when you have to present a program on multicultural issues it forces you to think about issues, culture and identity in ways that you wouldn’t usually think of in any other setting.” 

The National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters Council (NEMBC) is a national peak body which represents, supports and advocates on behalf of multilingual and multicultural community broadcasters around Australia.

NEMBC realises that people no longer necessarily sit and listen to a radio program when it’s on the air.  Many people want to listen to choose when they listen to programs.  Broadcasters, therefore, plan to utilise new media technologies to engage youth in dispersed migrant and refugee communities and allow them to benefit from the opportunities that multilingual community radio can provide.

NEMBC, with its national youth committee, is developing the Radioactive Youth Website to provide youth radio programs, which can be streamed over the internet ‘on demand’.

The website will broadcast both programs that currently go to air via analogue radio and new programs created at stations specifically for digital radio.  The intended audiences for these broadcasts are multicultural and multilingual youth locally, nationally and internationally.  This opportunity for online broadcasts not only provides more airtime for youth broadcasters, but also encourages innovative content, the embracing of digital technology and the opportunity to develop links with youth beyond their immediate community or locality.

This Internet radio broadcast can connect youth who have various experiences of migration. For refugee youth it could potentially assist resettlement in line the Homelands Project’s contention that refugee resettlement is more successful if young refugees are able to identify, communicate and engage with their home communities and dispersed refugee communities, through new communication technologies and media channels.

For second generation migrant youth, this international and national connection may be useful to encourage more enthusiasm for language maintenance and a space to negotiate hybrid cultural identities and localities. 

Sister Zai who presents the multicultural youth program, Polyfonix on 3ZZZ Radio in Melbourne, sees multicultural programming as a great social and cultural experience,

“Socially, my radio program has  brought me into contact with many new and interesting people.  It’s broadened my perspective on life, Sister Zai says. “ Personally I’ve had the opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream- to be a radio or TV host.  It’s great being part of a team of people who are proud of their heritage and can see similarities in the apparent differences.”

A recent youth forum presented by the Multicultural Mulitfaith Network and the Ethnic Youth Council in Melbourne, entitled Media Madness, discussed the representations of faith and culture in the media. It was highlighted that one of the most effective ways that youth can change the way the media misrepresents and stereotypes young people from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds was to get involved in the media.
Often defined as radio for the people by the people, community radio differs from commercial and public radio, in that it has a large participatory component which allows community members to contribute to the public space that is radio broadcasting. 

Training is provided and no prior experience is necessary. Community radio is also undoubtedly an unofficial training ground for professional careers in radio and the media sector more generally. 

Youth are searching for innovative and creative ways of sourcing and using information, to engage and negotiate culture, language, identity and a sense of belonging. The Radioactive Youth Website is an example of communications technology, which uses the Internet to connect youth to dispersed communities around the world who may engage and identify with their shared experiences of migration.  This digital programming will encourage innovation and creativity and give youth a greater reason to broadcast high quality content, if it reaches a wider audience.

Refugee, temporary migrant and second or first generation youth can use New Media to communicate and create a space for self-representation and belonging, which transcends traditional boundaries of nation, culture, religion and language. 

- Rachael Bongiorno,  is the NEMBC Youth and Women’s Officer.