TRAXXfm's radio DJ workshop (Malaysia)

On Sunday, March 7, 2010, radio and television audiences around the globe tuned in as local stations took part in the 19th annual International Children’s Day of Broadcasting (ICDB). The goal was to create special programming that focused on children’s issues. This year's ICDB theme was "All Rights All Children".
– from UNICEF's Media Magic Digest, Issue #16

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, TRAXXfm is the only public radio station that broadcasts 24 hours a day, reaching almost 90 percent of the population. It is also one of the only radio stations that reach an all-youth audience after 10 pm every day. Their youth programming consists mostly of music shows, but also a monthly forum and vox pop show which features children as the main talents. Buoyed by winning a 2009 regional ICDB Award and inspired by other winning broadcasters' children's programming, TRAXXfm set out this year to deepen their station’s approach to youth programs and get youth involved in the production side of radio.

The station began its efforts for this year’s ICDB by hitting the road with their training workshop "I Wanna Be a DJ". The workshops, conducted in five different states in Malaysia, were open to any youth between the ages of 12 and 15, but were limited to 30 participants for each event. The day-long workshops were led by TRAXXfm DJs and taught kids about various radio formats, such as talk shows and magazine shows. The students were formed into small groups to come up with their own ideas for radio programmes or segments. Each radio group chose a producer, a DJ and a station tagline, then recorded their voices and edited their productions. The best programmes from each workshop are currently being aired periodically on the newly installed mini-segment dedicated to children, called "Listen Up".

Participants in the workshop not only got a taste of what it would be like to work in radio, they also got a chance to work collaboratively with other young people, discussing topics that affect them. One Malay student, fourteen-year-old Umar Hakeem Bin Zylkarnain, was happy to get to work with kids from other ethnic groups, such as Indian and Chinese youth.

"We all worked together in a team. I learned how to communicate and share my views," says Umar, "It’s important because Malaysia is multi-racial and we have to work towards tolerance and respect."

The dialogue about diversity issues went beyond conversations among the workshop participants. Kids in the workshops also took part in several live call-in shows, broadcast for the ICDB, that focused on the topic of school, such as the debate over school uniforms and violence in schools.

Umar states, "My favorite part was being on air and getting my views to the listener. At one point when we had calls coming from them, we shared and exchanged ideas and interacted with our listeners. This was the best part."

While the workshops were short lived, they made lasting impressions. "I came to believe that radio can actually change the views of many people," says Umar.

On their first workshop tour, TRAXXfm trained 150 teenagers. This month, the TRAXXfm DJs start a second tour. Working closely with Challenges Magazine, Malaysia’s first cross-disability magazine, they will conduct a DJ workshop for 20 disabled kids, certain to inspire and bring new youth perspectives to the airwaves.

(news story taken from http://www.unicef.org/voy/explore/media/4578.htm#story1)