music they play really shines through in their shows, something lacking in mainstream radio. Reprezent isn’t just a radio station. In the last year, they have taught around 400 young people using a training program of radio skills devised themselves from the ground up. “When you take out the music and the pop stars, it’s about improving opportunities for young people and providing training for them,” says Adrian. “I see us as a catalyst for change in South East London for young people.” Pete AKA Ginjaman of the South London Sauna show, who has been with the station even before it became Reprezent, says, “It proves to adults that kids aren’t novices and if they get the right training and inspiration, then they become much more professional.” The training program is very successful and extremely popular with young people in the area, receiving more applications that they can fulfil. However, Adrian is very keen to keep the training accessible to everyone. “When we have a new course, we send out an email to everyone on the database and the first 20 people to get in touch are the ones that get on the course.” For those struggling in education, the training course offers new opportunities and can open a new career path that would have otherwise been unattainable. “Young people come in here who have either been excluded from school or had a referral order from youth offending teams and what we do is act as a catalyst and jet them off in a different direction,” says Adrian.
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By teaching radio interview and research techniques, the training course can prepare young people for employment. “It’s very stealthy,” says Adrian. “We are actually teaching young people how to research a job, fill out a CV and deal with the pressure in a job interview but we do that by teaching them radio.” The station would not be able to run without the large amount dedicated volunteers who give the station its personality and professionalism. “It’s a misconception that adults have, from outside London especially, that young people are a different species and that’s scary”, says Adrian. “We are dependent on our volunteer presenters, and the staff who work here give way more than if they were at a normal 9-5 job.” There is a real buzz amongst the presenters. They share a sense pride for what they have achieved and are full of ideas for the future of the station. “When they first meet people, they tell them they’re a radio presenter and you do realise that it’s a big part of their lives,” says Adrian. By giving these presenters opportunities to work with industry standard equipment, they are no longer reliant on attending university to gain the skills they need in the future. “I don’t feel like university would help me at all,” says Martha. “I’ve been coming here for more than two years now and I feel like I’ve learnt so much, more than you’d get from a broadcasting course and it’s probably more fun.” Presenter of the Lunch show, Nicole adds, “I don’t want to go to university because I think radio is more about the practical work rather than sitting down and typing up stuff.” They are making their mark and are starting to get recognised in the industry. Adrian wants to see his presenters flourish and believes TeeWhy, presenter of Fly Time and Epidemic, has the talent to be on 1Xtra by next year. From their training program, which opens up new opportunities to hundreds of local young people every year, to their unrelenting support for new underground music, it is truly inspiring to see what Reprezent have achieved in such a short space of time. They are a prime example of what can be done when a relatively small amount funding is in the right hands. The year ahead is set to be their most successful as they venture into full time broadcasting, so support your local radio station and keep it locked to Reprezent 107.3FM.