Arch d podcasting leaders day: showcasing student voice at its best

Amid a rapid rise in popularity of podcasts, a group of Blackfriars students is leading the way.

Year 12 students and long-time podcasters Harry Boyd-Turner and Hudson Cosgrove were joined by Year 7s Bailey Seiboth and Sunpreet “Sunny” Singh at yesterday’s Arch D Podcasting Leaders Day.

Students from 24 Catholic schools were invited to be part of the one-day workshop, which featured special guests Ali Clarke, from Mix102.3, and Adelaide Catholic school graduate Tom Basso.

Basso, who was named Arch D’s Podcaster of the Year in 2018, has since gone on to become a writer for comedy group The Chaser, a logger* for Channel 7’s The Front Bar and an executive producer for Triple M Adelaide and Triple M Footy.

_{Ali Clarke and Tom Basso, with James Meston from Arch D, at the Podcasting Leaders Day.}

Speaking during the Podcasting Leaders Day, Bailey, who won the Arch D Radio Primary “Student Voice” Award when he was a Primary student at St Gabriel’s School, said he loved the “creativeness” of podcasting and the ability to tell a story.

“You can basically do anything and it’s so simple to do,” he said.

Sunny, who was a “Podcaster of the Year” finalist during his time at St Martin’s Catholic Primary School, said loved being a storyteller.

“I want to be on the radio some day,” Sunny said. “It’s really interesting and with Arch D Radio, or whenever we do podcasting, even if it’s just with my friends … it’s fun. It’s something that I am passionate about. I like everything about radio and podcasting.”

*_{Bailey Seiboth, Sunny Singh, Hudson Cosgrove and Harry Boyd-Turner at the Arch D Podcasting Leaders Day.}*

Hudson and Harry have long been the creative force behind Blackfriars’ student-led podcast, The Torch.

“It’s been great running The Torch for the past couple of years,” said Hudson, who is considering a career in journalism. “It provides an opportunity for us to tell the story of Blackfriars and capture what makes it such a great place.”

James Meston, from Arch D, said: “The Torch is one of the only podcast examples that I know of where students have taken the helm and looked to tell the news about what’s going on at the school from their perspective. It’s refreshing, it’s innovative … it’s student voice at its best.”

In 2023, The Torch team has expanded to nine students in Years 4-12. For more information on how to become involved in podcasting at Blackfriars, email Communications Officer Shannon Caton at [email protected].

_{*A logger will transcribe and log hours of footage from production, either live or during the edit, to create a concise document for the editor or production staff to pick out key parts from the filming process quickly. Using dates and time-codes, the logger will write summarised notes on what is happening, picking out cast, topics or relevant information in a shot. Thanks to rts.org.uk for the description.}