Meet the DJs at Chippewas of the Thames First Nation's new radio station
CBC
A group of young people gather around a studio table, brand new microphones in front of their mouths, and soundproofing on the walls that make their words boom.
They're mulling over what to call their new radio station that will soon go live from the freshly painted building on Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, just west of London, Ont.
Eshkiniigijig Radio, translated to Youth Leaders Radio, in Anishnaabemowin or Ojibwe, is the top contender. And it fits.
The station will be a hub for young people to tell their own stories.
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"I'm really proud to be able to bring this to the Nation to help the youth, to give them direction on broadcasting, engineering, anything with music. It's a doorway to a lot of opportunities," Jason Smith said, who was the driving force in bringing the project from an idea to reality.
Funding to build the two-room station, and equip, it came from the Tamarack Institute, a Canadian non-profit that helps with community building and youth leadership.
Programming will air online to start, as the group doesn't have a transmission signal, but that's ok with the new DJs. They're happy to warm up their chops over the internet and work out any programming bugs.
"I've been here from the beginning trying to help build it up as much as I can," Zach Albert-French said. "It's a beautiful thing seeing it all come together, from a small idea into something that's way bigger than all of us are going to be."
So far, there are requests from the community's aunties to have their own segment. Bingo could be on the dial and of course, lots of interviews about music. The group hopes other young people will feel comfortable coming in with pitches to make the station about home.
"This is community. This is what brings community together," Trevor Henry said, who just recently got involved in launching Eshkiniigiig Radio. "So for me, this is like a big jumping and stepping stone for our youth to be able to come together and put everything they have into this."
The youth don't have a firm date yet for when they'll go live but they're hoping in the coming months.
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