Good News Melton: Local, Youth-led Storytelling
YLab received funding from the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) to place young people at the heart of the City of Melton’s storytelling, challenge negative stereotypes and elevate authentic, community voices.
Good News Melton journalist with Melton MP, Steve McGhie.
Opportunity
Through the Suburban Revitalisation Board’s fund, DTP sought ways to uplift the reputation of the City of Melton. Recognising this as an opportunity to activate young people as powerful storytellers and community change-makers, YLab proposed Good News Melton - a youth-led digital storytelling platform.
The initiative was designed to elevate authentic local perspectives, equip young people with storytelling skills and career pathways, and shift public perception by sharing stories of strength, pride and community connection.
Challenges
Combatting negative stereotypes
The City of Melton is often misrepresented in mainstream media, reinforcing negative stereotypes. For young people, this meant rarely seeing their community reflected with pride or authenticity. A new platform was needed - one that celebrated Melton’s strengths, diversity and achievements, and allowed young people to tell their own stories.
Engaging a diverse mix of young people
Attracting local young people with an interest in journalism and storytelling required a tailored approach. The project needed to accommodate varying levels of experience, as well as school, work and family responsibilities, while still offering meaningful growth opportunities.
Creating meaningful engagement
To ensure young journalists gained real skills and confidence, the project required hands-on workshops, one-on-one mentoring and a flexible learning environment. Providing practical training and pathways into media and communications required support from experienced advisors and industry professionals.
“I used to hear the stereotypes, but now I see how much passion and care is behind the community and the work being done here. It really shows how much they believe in what they’re building, they just need the space and support to keep doing it.”
Approach
Recruitment and training
We recruited, employed and trained five young people from Melton as citizen journalists, alongside five additional young people forming the YLab support team to oversee project management, branding, design and website development.
Co-design, skill building and mentoring
Participants engaged in weekly newsroom sessions to pitch their story ideas and build their skills surrounding journalism, interviewing, editing, digital publishing and community engagement. As well as articles, our young journalists were encouraged to create short videos, audio recordings and capture photos.
Outside of the newsroom, young journalists received one-on-one mentoring, specialist training workshops, and portfolio support from media professionals and community leaders.
Together with our YLab support team, they co-designed the website, bespoke Good News Melton brand, social media presence and our library of articles.
Celebrating the outcomes
The project culminated in a launch event at Melton Library, attended by over 40 guests - including Melton MP Steve McGhie, Melton Mayor Steve Abboushi, families, story participants and community leaders. The event provided participants with the opportunity to showcase their work, celebrate their achievements and connect with key members of their communities.
Young participants at the Good News Melton launch event.
How we engaged young people
Good News Melton was 100% youth-led, employing 10 young people aged 16–27 to drive the project.
All five journalists were from the City of Melton, ensuring the content was authentic, community-centred and reflective of local perspectives.
This model provided real-world experience in storytelling, design and digital development, supported by industry mentors and the YLab team. By leading the work (rather than just contributing to it), participants developed confidence, professional skills, and a sense of pride in the impact of their work - laying the foundation for further education and career opportunities.
“This role has enabled me to flourish personally and professionally. I have learnt beneficial skills in interviewing, filming, editing and creating written content which I will be forever grateful for.”
Project outcomes
Shaping a positive perception of Melton
Good News Melton helped reshape how people see Melton by highlighting stories of strength, pride and diversity. Young journalists, story participants, community members and leaders all reported a stronger sense of connection to their local communities.
Lasting impact on youth employment and leadership
Participants gained practical skills and connections with industry mentors, government representatives, community leaders and YLab’s broader networks - experiences that are opening doors for continued career development and local leadership opportunities. Professional headshots, interview support and employment references have also been provided to help participants on their career journeys.
A replicable storytelling model:
The project demonstrated the power of lived experience and place-based storytelling. The community response was overwhelmingly positive - residents shared stories, saw themselves reflected, and felt proud of their city. This approach proves that storytelling is a vital form of community infrastructure, capable of shifting narratives and builds local identity that can be replicated in other communities.
Local stories featured on our Good News Melton website.
“I feel privileged to have been interviewed…This project is a fantastic one, I believe it will do great things for our community and I can’t wait to see where it goes!”
Double impact
Beyond achieving its core objective of improving the City of Melton’s reputation, Good News Melton created tangible opportunities for employment, training and growth for young people.
Through this project, we achieved:
10 young people, aged 16 to 27 employed as young journalists or within YLab’s support team.
1,500+ hours of paid work across writing, interviewing, designing, mentoring and project management.
71% of participants gained further employment, volunteering, training or event opportunities after participating in Good News Melton.
33 local good news stories published (exceeding DTP's goal of 30 stories).
A bespoke Good News Melton website, brand, and Instagram channel.
In the first month post- launch, Good News Melton’s platforms saw:
5,400 reads of our published stories
1,200 Good News Melton website visitors
55,000 Good News Melton Instagram views
Young journalist, Akur Magot, with family and Melton MP, Steve McGhie.
“Great to be at the Good News Melton Launch Event and see all the incredible work produced by some of Melton’s amazing young people with support of YLab. I congratulate the young journalists…on their dedication and commitment to showcasing the many positive stories in Melton”