Fife Youth Radio, the brainchild of Fife resident Ricky Williamson, relaunched last month and is now back on the airwaves as it aims to continue its great work with young people in the Fife area.
The youth-led radio station, which aims to lend a hand to young people by getting them off the streets and learning new skills in radio presenting and production, has trained more than 20 young presenters and producers from the local community over the past 12 months. It has seen a number of them go on to achieve a Youth Achievement Award, an Asdan-recognised qualification.
Since it first hit the airwaves in 2010, Fife Youth Radio has attracted thousands of listeners until it had to halt production after the roof of their makeshift studio collapsed under last winter's heavy snow. The station is now thrilled to announce that it is back up and running seven nights a week thanks to the generosity of the local community and the continued support of O2's Think Big programme.
O2 Think Big is an innovative £5m programme designed to back young people aged 13 to 25 across the UK and help them harness their ideas, energy and passion to run projects and campaigns in their local community and has helped Ricky and Fife Youth Radio since its inception.
The O2 Think Big programme is designed to support and celebrate the role young people play in their communities. The initiative works by putting cash directly in the hands of young people and supporting them to use the money in ways that deliver a positive impact in their local area. In addition to the financial support, young people receive training and mentoring to help them tackle the local issues that matter to them.
Project founder Ricky Williamson, 16, said: "I saw lots of problems in my local community and wanted to give local young people a creative outlet. Fife Youth Radio is making a real difference in my local community and we're helping young people off the streets and encouraging them to make great radio programmes for the community. Young people are coming here and are learning new skills and having lots of fun at the same time."
Bill Eyres, head of Think Big, said: "At O2, we are proud to support and champion young people such as Ricky who through their passion, energy and enthusiasm are making a real impact in their local community and beyond.
"The Think Big programme has been running for just over a year and it's clear projects like Fife Youth Radio are having a big impact within the community. A number of the projects we're now supporting seek to address community issues, from innovative ways to get kids off the streets, to energy-saving competitions designed to help communities reduce their carbon footprint.
"What's unique about Think Big is that we've deliberately not set limits on young people's creativity. Whether young people are passionate about addressing a particular issue, or simply want to improve facilities at the local youth club, Think Big exists to help them bring their ideas to life."
If you're aged 13 to 25 or work for a charity and are interested in hearing more about how you could apply for funding please contact Victoria.Ferguson@O2.com for further information or visit www.O2thinkbig.co.uk.
Ricky Williamson is the founder of Fife Youth Radio
