Local students, vibrant and aspiring creatives of Gippsland, have been given the ‘stage’ to share their stories, art and visions for the future.
Gippslandia, a local quarterly magazine handed over the reins of its most recent issue to young people as part of its Mentorship Program delivered by the Regional Arts Victoria Future Reset Project.
A total of 14 young Gippslanders were chosen after applying for the program to learn more about journalism, storytelling, illustrating and newspaper production.
Among them were Gippsland Grammar Year 12 students Tali Oates and Zara Clydesdale. They said it was an honour to be part of the project and learning more about the industry.
“I've always loved Gippslandia's newspapers so I thought I would apply and see what happened,” Tali explained.
Each of the chosen participants gained an insight into the newspaper/magazine process including pitching ideas, writing, illustrating, editing and production as well as rubbing shoulders with professionals in the industry.
“We attended four online zoom sessions over the course of a few months … and in our own time would converse with our mentors,” Zara said. “My mentor was illustrator Angharard Neal-Williams.”
“We loved being involved in the project, working with like-minded people has been really inspiring.”
Zara and Tali worked alongside other young creatives Amy Allender, Chilli Cabello, Chloe Oakes, Aisha Dawson, Darcy Stockdale, Lily Nickless, Tahlia Field, Tara Elston, Saxxon Weekes, Joel Wilbraham, Ruby Watson and Isabella Herben.
This 30th edition of Gippslandia showcases stories and artwork from their fresh perspectives. It’s called the "Youth Takeover" edition.
Find, subscribe, download and support issue 30 here https://bit.ly/gippslandia-30
Principal Michele Wakeham encouraged locals to pick up one of the free magazines and explore the personal and passionate contributions of Gippsland's emerging talents.
She said she particularly enjoyed reading Tali’s story ‘How to build your own (digital) world’ about young people growing up in country areas using social media as a form of escapism and the tips to control the online content consumed.
Gippslandia is a non-for profit organisation. It is at risk of not being able to publish beyond 2024 due to lack of funding and support. Readers are being asked to contribute to its ongoing success.
