Gangs, knife-crime and hoodies are three words that seem to follow every mention of teenagers in the news these days. But behind the headlines are positive stories of ambitious, passionate and tenacious young people determined to buck these apparent trends, and Waltham Forest’s StreetLife FM is one such tale of success.
Now back on the airwaves for the summer for the fourth successive year, StreetLife FM has developed from Stanton La Foucade’s (who was Leyton Council’s street warden manager) initial vision for a youth-led platform to become an “all encompassing community radio station”.
With DJs ranging in age from nine to 60 plus, all musical tastes are catered for, while community issues are addressed on hard-hitting debate shows, with local councillors popping in for a chat. To borrow the station’s own motto, StreetLife FM really is ‘bringing our streets to life’ from their unassuming home in Walthamstow’s Outreach Centre.
Kary Stewart, of Ignite Creative who has taken over the mantle from Stanton as “the boss”, enthuses: “It’s the voice of the people, and it’s a platform that anybody in the community can get involved with, whether as an audience member, on-air or behind the scenes.”
StreetLife FM is broadcast online throughout the year. Core to the station is a training programme where industry experts run courses to teach volunteers in all aspects of radio. One such person coming through the ranks is producer/presenter Harriet Owusu-Ansah, who became involved with the initiative when she was 16 while studying at Leyton College and is now mentoring.
Speaking after her morning show, the 21-year-old from Tottenham tells me in a competent radio-perfect voice: “Going to a youth group is fun, but here you learn skills. Yeah, you are learning to present, produce and manage, but you are also learning to be more confident, how to project your voice and how to be more open to people.”
Harriet, who studied Sociology and Media Studies at London’s City University, continues: “The skills that teenagers learn here will take them right through their life into education and work. That’s what makes it more than a radio station, it’s life experience.”
StreetLife FM is on air 87.8FM until Tuesday, August 18 and online all year at www.streetlifefm.com. Information on training courses is also available.
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