The views of local young people about healthy relationships are now available in a new podcast series.
Titled "Let's Talk About It", the new podcasts have been created by local young people, for young people, to create a space to share experiences and expert advice.
"Some young people don't have the ability to talk about relationships with their parents," said Precisa Getsevich, who is H&F's Deputy Youth Mayor. She added:
We want to create that space for them – somewhere to learn about things they don't teach you at school."
Featuring issues such as consent and safety, the Youth Council in H&F is using the new platform to tackle issues that matter most to their young listeners.
"It was amazing to talk freely about issues like sexual health," said Niamh Faleye, aged 17. "We were able to interview experts and ask the important – and sometimes awkward – questions."
3,000 young voices
The podcast journey began with conversations with 3,000 young people across the borough. "We wanted to understand exactly what they wanted to hear about before we started," explained Precisa.
So when WEST Youth Zone in White City offered its recording studios to create the podcasts, the young hosts worked to create four 30-minute episodes. They worked alongside the Community Safety team at H&F Council for expert advice.
"I absolutely loved the opportunity," said Mahika Chandrashekar. "It made me proud to share our knowledge with young people and talk about things we all feel strongly about."
Episodes
The first episode explores relationship dynamics with expert help from domestic abuse charity Advance and local sexual health clinic, 10 Hammersmith Broadway.
Listen to episode #1 on Soundcloud
Episode two tackles sexual harassment, with local Met Police Superintendent Craig Knight discussing prevention and reporting.
Listen to episode #2 on Soundcloud
The following two episodes are set to launch soon – one examining masculinity and another focusing on sexual health.
Follow the H&F Council SoundCloud channel to be notified when new episodes are released.
Get support
Launched during this year's 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Abuse, the initiative forms part of H&F's No More Sexual Harassment campaign.
If you've been affected by any of the topics discussed in the podcast series, find support with:
- the Angelou partnership for young women and girls aged 13+ affected by domestic or sexual violence and abuse
- the H&F Law Enforcement Team or on report-harassment@lbhf.gov.uk to report harassment in H&F
- in an emergency, always call 999.
