The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Video project

Photo: Tilka Fosmale, Honey Jade, Antonia Canosa, Lisa Apostolides Director of Byron Youth Theatre and production crew.

A Byron Council Small Change Youth grant is enabling Tilka Fosmale, Byron Youth Theatre members and other local youth create a short video which will expose what it’s like to grow up in Byron Bay.

“There are many young people doing amazing things here” comments Tilka “and there are also many specific issues we have to deal with which some adults don’t really understand”.

Part of the inspiration for the project came from BYT members being interviewed by Antonia Canosa, a PhD graduate of Southern Cross University for her dissertation about the effects of growing up in a tourist destination.

“Having grown up in a tourist destination in Italy I was interested to explore how young people in Byron Shire negotiate a sense of identity and belonging amidst the continuous flow of visitors.”

Findings from Antonia’s research suggest that young people have a strong sense of connection and belonging to their community, including the natural and built environment, which is challenged by the transient nature of tourism activity in the region. There are several key challenges that young people face growing up in the Byron Shire including feelings of alienation at peak tourist times. Young people have also talked about the perceived lack of safety at these times and of the impacts of tourism activity on the natural environments in their community. Transport and events in the North of the Shire are also problematic with the latter currently being addressed by Byron Youth Service.

Honey Jade, who is involved as part of the production crew recognises that it there is little opportunity for young people to voice their opinions in the community in a constructive way.

“We’d love to see Youth Council come back, apart from all the great projects that they organised, it was a way of us having a say”

To get involved in this production please contact Tilka via byronyouththeatre2481@gmail.com