The ABC is calling on high school-aged students from across greater Melbourne to share a story about their life through the Takeover Melbourne competition.
The annual ABC storytelling competition - in partnership with VicHealth, City of Melbourne, Centre for Multicultural Youth and 31 local councils across Greater Melbourne - creates a powerful platform for young Melburnians to be heard and to share their experiences, challenges and passions.
Entries for Takeover Melbourne open today for high school storytellers to share their stories with ABC audiences around the country.
ABC producers will work with the winners to develop and showcase their stories for broadcast across the ABC. The winners will also receive networking and leadership opportunities to enable their voices to be heard in the corridors of power.
Judith Whelan, Director of ABC Regional & Local, said the Takeover Melbourne competition "provides young people with the opportunity to tell their stories and create their own narrative".
"The ABC is dedicated to sharing the unique and powerful voices of young Australians. Initiatives like Takeover remind the rest of us that it's time to listen," she said.
Dr Sandro Demaio, CEO of VicHealth, said: "We need to be listening to the stories and concerns of young people so we can responsibly make decisions with their voices in mind.
"Last year, we saw the Takeover winners leading the change on important issues. I encourage all young Melburnians to get involved."
Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the Takeover Melbourne program provided a unique opportunity for young people to tell their stories. "It's important that we encourage and support the next generation of storytellers because of the critical role they play in helping us better understand our city and community," she said.
"I'm looking forward to discovering the passions and ideas from young Melburnians who are showcasing their own stories."
The inaugural 2020 Takeover Melbourne competition attracted hundreds of entries from high school students across the city. The winners included Year 12 student Mohammad from Attwood, in Melbourne's north west, who shared his story of arriving in Australia as a refugee, the challenges of studying during the COVID-19 pandemic and his dream of becoming Prime Minister.
"Takeover Melbourne gave me a platform to share my story and I know there are still thousands of stories waiting to be told," he said.
"This is an opportunity to discover those stories and the people behind them. I encourage young people across Melbourne to get involved, so they can feel heard, seen and valued."
Entries can be submitted via the Takeover Melbourne website from 25 March to 25 June: abc.net.au/takeover.
