Opinion 8
The project was to train a group of young people to prepare, produce and present an evening discussion programme covering topics of interest to them. Each week the young people have worked together to ensure that they have featured a different faith, community or cultural group during their on air broadcast. The group were a true reflection of the City of Leicester’s diverse society with members from many different ethnic backgrounds, allowing the individuals to draw upon their own personal beliefs and values and communicate this with their audience as well as invite discussion amongst guests and callers.
Over this year, the Opinion 8 show has covered faiths such as Islam, Paganism, Christianity, Hinduism and Atheism. The group found these interesting and enjoyed the amount of audience interaction with these particular faiths. The group found that they were able to conduct interviews with older members of the community as they appeared more forthcoming with their opinions. When out collecting Vox Pops for events such as the Diwali Lights switch on and the Leicester Mela, the group found this a perfect opportunity to put into practise their interviewing techniques and develop further their social skills. This saw a huge increase in confidence in the young people evidenced by the fact that many of them are now venturing out of the studio and conducting interviews and vox pops independently.
