Students highlight valuable contributions of newcomer Australians through media project

As part of the SBS Media Mentorship Program at Macquarie University, a practical and dynamic media mentorship program for CALD, Indigenous and low SES students, second year media students produced videos, blogs, podcasts, and social media assets about SSI’s City2Surf fundraiser and the SSI Community Kitchen, which the fundraiser was supporting. The content has been produced into a website.

The students created a website to showcase the stories they collected.

At the program’s recent end of year showcase event held at Macquarie University, SSI General Manager, Public Affairs and Communications Shannon Kliendienst praised the efforts and professionalism of the students, and the outcomes of the project.

“You have done a remarkable job in capturing the myriad stories and perspectives behind both the City2Surf and the Community Kitchen. But beyond these initiatives, you have documented stories that showcase the talents, dreams and backgrounds of newcomer Australians.

“And this is what we set out to do every day at SSI – demonstrate the valuable and diverse contributions individuals are making to society in their new homeland.”

But these stories can only be told with a media that is equipped, open-minded and understanding. There is a pressing need for greater diversity in our newsrooms, and a media that understands that multiculturalism means positively highlighting diverse voices and stories happening in these communities.

Indeed, the SBS Media Mentorship Program is helping to achieve this. With over 70% of graduates currently working in the media, the SBS Media Mentorship is successfully overcoming the barriers to media diversity to help build a more inclusive and harmonious Australian society.

Shannon agrees.

“From our work over this past year with these amazing, talented students, we think we’ll see a shift in the right direction.”

The SBS Media Mentorship Program is an initiative of SBS, NITV, the Ethnic Communities’ Council of NSW (ECC NSW) and Macquarie University.

The project can be viewed here.