ABC Radio’s Heywire has proved itself over 15 years to be an invaluable competition for young Australians in rural and regional Australia, providing a powerful platform to speak their minds and create change.
One of Heywire’s 2012 winners Tiffany Davey of Konnongorring in Western Australia says the competition changed her life.
“I know it sounds clichéd but – it enabled me to turn my passion for agriculture into something more and it’s the first step to actually making your ideas happen,” she says.
Heywire has grown over time into an outstanding online community for young people to express their inspiring ideas and tell the nation about what matters to them.
Schools include the competition as part of classroom learning ion many cases, with resource guides available online to tie Heywire into the teaching curriculum.
Submissions are now being accepted from Australians aged 16 – 22 and stories about their community and the issues that affect them are welcomed.
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Joel Fitzgibbon says Heywire is a competition that bridges the divide between cities and regional Australia and equips these young people to become leaders in their communities.
“Young Australians from rural and regional areas have great stories to tell and this competition gives them a platform to do just that,” he says.
“In 2011 Cessnock local Jessica Faustini was one of the Heywire winners so I am very familiar with the innovative work produced.”
Accepted formats include text, video, audio and/or photography. The winner’s stories will be presented on ABC Local Radio, ABC Radio National, ABC TV and abc.net.au. Competition information can be found at abc.net.au/heywire Entries close Monday 16 September 2013.
The winning entrants will travel to Canberra in February 2014 for the week-long Heywire Regional Youth Summit, where they will share experiences, gain leadership skills and develop ideas for change.
The Summit culminates in a public forum held at Parliament House, where the winners pitch their big, bold ideas to politicians, funding bodies and policy makers.