Faith Vibe team from Radio Maria nominated for award

RMEY Faith Vibe members in Radio Maria England studio. l-r: Alfie, Aoife, Maryam and Danny.

Source: Diocese of East Anglia

Radio Maria England's Youth Team - RMEY Faith Vibe - has been nominated for Most Innovative by the Young Audio Awards.

This award will be given to the team who have made the most innovative digital and technical achievements in audio this year. The Young Audio Awards are supported by both commercial and BBC radio. The RMEY team have been nominated because of their understanding of the value of teamwork, their innovative work and because they have 'the skills that make a modern radio station tick'.

RMEY Faith Vibe began broadcasting at the end of 2020. The original team comprised Alfie, Maryam, Ashish, Dan and Danny. The group were introduced to Radio Maria through Lorretta Peck who was volunteering for the radio by suggesting editorial programmes. Lorretta, catechist at St John Fisher Church in Cambourne, Cambridgshire, comes with the experience of leading the confirmation and youth groups with fellow mum and catechist, Mel Ward.

Lorretta said: "I have been blessed to work with Maryam, Ashish, Danny W, Danny M and of course Alfie, my son, and now my daughter, Aoife, as the newest team teamer since September 2020, on the RMEY Faith Vibe programme. They have all contributed to community life within the parish, often making teas and coffee after Mass, singing and playing instruments in the choir, as well as mentoring other young people through Children's Liturgy or group work."

When asked if they wanted to share a faith perspective for young people by young people, not one of them hesitated. Without any experience in radio or other media, the team felt lead by the Holy Spirit. The programming has developed to include Disney quotes, inspirational quotes cleverly linked to the Bible and a mini radio drama, Drogo's Café written by David Wadsworth, a Cambridge-based Christian writer.

Alfie, a student at Cambourne Village College, is the innovator behind the social media aspects of RMEY Faith Vibe - YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. He enjoys the challenge of presenting his faith using humour along with the deep and meaningful truths of Catholicism to engage with the listeners. He has also grown in the skills of producing the programme, using sound effects and ensuring the timing goes smoothly as possible.

Maryam, a student at St. Mary's, said "I love being a part of this team because we, as young people, are connecting to the hearts and minds of other young people via the radio waves. The four of us are quite different, in terms of our ages, genders, interests, backgrounds and experiences, but we are united in our faith in God and our identity as teenagers. Every week, we come together and work as a team to create shows that bring fun and humour, information and facts, and messages of hope and understanding about teenage issues to other young people out there. We hope to provide a safe haven in which listeners will connect with us. The togetherness we feel as a team and the connection we feel with other youth is very special."

Ashish, a student at Hills Road College, explained: "I wanted to do RMEY because I was curious about how people make podcasts and radio shows. RMEY was a whole new experience for me and it taught me how to do so much. It has given me the opportunity to articulate my faith and it has helped me as a young person. I feel it has also helped a lot of other young people - for example a lot of our friends who listen to RMEY are not Christians'.

Danny, a student from Long Road College who is now focusing on A-levels, said, "I enjoy RMEY as it connects young people around the world through the radio and through Instagram." His favourite parts of the programmes are features such as Drogo's Café and Fab facts and he has enjoyed researching the Gospels and interpreting them for other young people which he feels has helped bring the gospel alive for himself as well. He loved being able to work in a radio studio with the latest technology with his friends and peers.

Dan M is a student at Long Road and has a keen interest in making music and would like to make Christian music with young people with a modern upbeat twist such as rapping. Dan enjoyed working with the presenters and has captured the spirit of RMEY with the jingles and theme tunes used in the programme.

Aoife is the newest and youngest member of the team and is looking forward to making quality faith-based programmes whilst having fun and growing in confidence to talk about her faith.

The team is looking for more presenters as Ashish and Danny move on to university. If interested, please email Info@RadioMariaEngland.uk and your details will be passed on to Lorretta. Please do tune in on Fridays at 5pm LIVE or Sundays at 8pm.

Radio Maria England is a Christian radio station that broadcasts the daily liturgy, the Mass, the rosary, teaching on faith and social issues, programmes focusing on human and social development, and news from around the world. Our programmes can also be heard on podcast providers such as Spotify, Anchor, Overcast, Google and Apple podcasts.

You can listen to Radio Maria England on our website at https://radiomariaengland.uk/how-to-listen-to-us/, on the Radio Maria World Family app for smartphones and tablets and on DAB/DAB+ radio in the Cambridge and London areas.

For more information about Radio Maria England, please contact Helena.Judd@RadioMariaEngland.uk

Radio Maria currently has a vacancy for an Editorial Mixer Assistant. Do you feel at home in the Catholic Church? Have you ever listened to Radio Maria? Do others like your voice? Are you familiar with Excel, Word and the Internet? Radio Maria is looking to expand its editorial team. Please see their website at https://radiomariaengland.uk/about/jobs/ or you can email coordinator@radiomariaengland.uk