Episode 3 - New Skills (Full episode)
In the general doom and gloom of a global pandemic, t can be quite difficult these days to see the positives in our lives. This week, we will be focusing on one of the more positive aspects of COVID-19: the way we are learning new skills. We will hear from the Indigenous Programs Coordinator at Trinity College in Melbourne, Australia, and how he’s dealing with the online transition. One of our reporters looks into how a couple of businesses are utilising old skills in new ways to adapt and survive. On a more fun note, we hear about how young adults are re-learning the skill of picking up the phone as well as an introvert letting us in on some tips and tricks for surviving isolation.
Producer: Claudia Skubel | Assistant Producer: Cai Holroyd
Story 1 | A Whole New Ballgame: Engaging Indigenous Students Online
For the first time in Australian history, a school semester has started without students in the classroom. While the transition from classroom to online has been mostly seamless, there are still many challenges to face. For Tyrone Bean, Indigenous programs coordinator at Trinity Grammar School in Melbourne, remote learning could set back years of work to close the gap between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous students.
Reporter: Georgia Bennett-Murphy
Story 2 | YA Communication
For many young adults, communication pre COVID-19 consisted of texts, Snapchats and instant messages. Now, since real human contact doesn’t go much further than immediate family, and seeing friends has become a distant notion, many young adults are craving more meaningful contact than the instant messages. So what do they do? They are relearning the skill of making a phone call.
Reporter: Katelyn Kalaafatis
Story 3 | Online Dance
The introduction of social distancing restrictions has seen the closure of dance studios around the country. Taking this in their choreographed strides, instructors and dancers have taken to the internet to teach and perform, and found new ways to move and communicate in the process.
Reporter: Simone Etheve
Story 4 | Business Survival
COVID-19 has brought a fair amount of challenges for everyone. But it has hit businesses, particularly small ones, the hardest. Many have gone from thriving to just trying to survive almost overnight. “Adapt or die” is the ultimatum many Australian businesses are facing at the moment. Two companies, Stagekings from Sydney and BC Global in Melbourne, are proving the best way to survive is by utilising existing skills in new ways.
Reporter: Willem Van Denderen
Story 5 | Introverts
Who would have thought that in 2020, introverts and extroverts would be spending their Friday nights the same way? Yet, here we are. Luckily for us who are more extroversion inclined, two introverts have recognised our plight and are here to discuss what it is like being an introvert in isolation and share a few tips along the way.
Reporter: Saba Hashmi