St Joseph’s students participate in headspace podcast

Headspace manager Meaghan Sully, in partnership with Echuca Regional Health, oversees the programs the Echuca facility provides to young people aged between 12 and 25.

“The pilot program is a partnership between headspace, Anglicare Victoria and Gambler’s Help and we wanted to convey a message about the harms that gambling can have on local communities,” Mrs Sully said.

“We’re excited to partner with Anglicare Victoria along with Gambler’s Help and team up with the students from St Joseph’s College to develop a tool that can be used to assist families understand gambling, the impacts on mental health and where you can go for help.”

While students Caity and Makai were nervous initially, they were co-hosts of one program which interviewed a reformed gambler who blew through $220,000 after receiving an inheritance.

“The podcast was a real eye-opener and was interesting in giving us an understanding of what’s actually in the real world and what people face everyday,” Caity said.

“Initially we were a little nervous, but once Fred started talking, the nerves slowly went away. And hopefully once the podcast is available the local community will enjoy listening.”

“It’s an easy way to just find out new information on any topic and seek advice,” Makai said.

Ralph Barba, who teaches the students the complexities of producing a podcast, said he hoped the programs would garner wider public attention.

“St Joseph’s has about 1000 students enrolled, and potentially those students have an extended network up to 4000 people so there’s a lot of people who would know about the podcast,” he said.

Mr Barba said he was delighted with the progress the students made and that some may consider a future in the field.

“I’m really hoping that it elevates them and maybe exposes the students to what might be possible. The kids came in this morning, thinking my god, how am I going to speak on a podcast when they’ve never done public speaking,” he said.

For the two St Joseph’s students, the experience was a positive one, speaking of their time as a podcast co-hosts.

“The podcast experience has been wonderful,” Caity said.

“I think there might be a few people in there that may want to pursue a future in podcasting. Overall it was a great experience,” Makai said.