The Bendigo South East College pupils will be the voice of the region’s youth during Artlands Victoria, a five-day arts forum and showcase staged in Bendigo and Castlemaine from October 10 – 14.

A team of Year 10 students has been tasked with covering the biennial event for Bendigo-based community broadcaster Phoenix FM and Melbourne-based community youth broadcaster SYN Media.

Their content will air on Phoenix FM at the end of each day of the festival, as well as on SYN’s digital  station, SYN Nation, later that day.

Students are preparing for the experience with a two-day training program, which started yesterday at the Phoenix FM studio in Strathdale.

Related: Five-day forum in Bendigo to put regional arts in the spotlight

SYN Media trainer Erin Dick said the first day introduced the students to basic – and vital – technical and conceptual skills.

The students were practicing hosting a radio segment when the Bendigo Advertiser visited.

Today’s session will see the fledgling radio personalities developing their skills outside of the studio, learning how to pre-record and edit content.

BSE student Kaitlyn Egan said the program had opened her mind to community broadcasting and the opportunities it presented.

Fellow student Kim Stanway said she had gained an appreciation for how much work went into what was broadcast on the radio since becoming involved in Unleashing the Artlands Voice.

She was also grateful for the opportunity to learn more about and become involved in the festival.

“I didn’t know much about Artlands Victoria until this program,” she said.

Andy Neely, another BSE student, was operating the panel and presenting alongside Miss Egan and Miss Stanway when the Bendigo Advertiser visited.

He said the prospect of being on the radio was a bit daunting to begin with.

“But I think I’ll be able to handle it,” he said.

Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.