Dear Me: The stories behind a brand new LGBTQ+ podcast
Digital Voice delivers a range of projects to groups who often struggle to have their voices heard. One such project was the creation of a new website and podcast for a young LGBTQ+ group in Gateshead. The PLUS group (People Like US) is a safe space for people under 25 who are exploring their gender or sexuality. They offer a supportive place to meet others, build community and find friends. The group were keen to create a podcast series that would enable them to share their own experiences in order to help other young people.
The Digital Voice team were on hand to help build and design a new website, teach the digital skills necessary for recording and editing a podcast and familiarise the group with the equipment and software available. But the real heart of this project was the young people’s stories.
Digital Voice regulars, Laura Crow and Susan Mulholland worked with the group on developing content ideas.
“The group were bursting with podcast ideas, probably enough for at least twenty episodes but they were able to focus on a pilot episode which would discuss a variety of coming out stories.”
- Laura
“The fact that this group already has established a safe and open way of communicating and supporting one another was a huge advantage. The challenge for me, someone they didn’t know, was to build trust in a short space of time so that these deeply personal stories could be thought about and shared. My approach was to use simple writing prompts that would allow people to reflect and figure out what they wanted to say.”
- Susan
For some of the participants, this simplicity really worked:
“We're just talking about idea generation in general, which was just kind of writing whatever's in your head, just straight from the pen, straight from your brain and kind of seeing where it goes. And I feel like that's a good way of figuring out what you're actually thinking about something and kind of getting your ideas straight when it all feels kind of jumbled up in your head.”
- Participant
“Generally just having the space to have these discussions and kind of think more about it … it's things that you don't think about or just talk about in casual conversation, but are important and do affect a lot of people's daily lives, and ours included.”
- Participant
Running alongside the creation of material was the nuts and bolts of recording and editing the podcast. This was to ensure that the group could create subsequent episodes on their own. After some scripting, some recording and some tweaks the podcast, Mind Your Own Cis-ness, was born. A brilliant first episode that was part advice, part personal testimony, in a format that really captured the personality of the group. It was then shared on their new website.
“I think it's just important for us to have our story be told and also using our story to make others feel accepted and to support others, really supporting the community.”
- Participant
As well as being able to help other young people, members of the group also felt the benefit of the process:
“I think in general, sitting and actually having these conversations about self expression and how that feels to different people have like really resonated me in a lot of ways in that I've kind of realized that I am definitely non binary and that was something I hadn't really had the chance to properly explore and through these conversations I have.”
Rhoda Morrow, Mental Health Development Worker for Young Women's Outreach Project and Gladstone Terrace Centre for Young People, reflects on the project:
“This project was funded by Digital Inclusion funding from Connected Voice and the young people had applied to Young Gamechangers, which provided the staffing hours. This funding supported the young people to work out what they wanted to do and how they wanted to affect social change. Reaching other people like them who were seeking help was most important to them. We appreciated the support from Digital Voice to get us started revitalising our website and to help us learn the skills alongside the young people. It has been as valuable for the staff as them in terms of what we can now bring to the whole service, not just this project.”
People’s stories are a responsibility we take very seriously at Digital Voice; our participants need to feel safe to share and listened to when they do. When we get the conditions right the results are often profound.
“Dear Me,
The most important thing to remember is that you are loved. Life is
gonna be scary and you’re gonna feel lost, and you may feel alone but
always remember, you are loved. Mam loves, you, Dad loves you, your
friends love you. I love you. And I hope you’re gonna love the man you grow into.
Be proud of who you are ‘cause I sure as hell am.”
- Podcast excerpt
Visit PLUS group’s new website and listen to their podcast pilot episode here: https://www.plusgroupnortheast.com/
This project was funded by Connected Voice, Young Gamechangers and The National Lottery (Reaching Communities).
To work with Digital Voice in a similar way, please get in touch here.