Supporting Young Voices to Share and Grow
YCBC is a youth-led organisation dedicated to creating podcasts that support mental health while honouring Catholic values. We foster open, meaningful conversations that empower young people and build a caring community, rooted in faith.
Who is YCBC?
The Young Catholic Broadcasting Community Limited (YCBC) is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), focused on addressing significant health challenges experienced by young people, particularly in Victoria.
YCBC’s mission is to inspire, support and equip young people of all backgrounds to achieve better mental health outcomes – specifically by reducing social isolation, anxiety, and related risk factors – using state-of-the-art media and community engagement programs. All activities are planned and delivered through a faith-informed, empathetic, and non-stigmatising approach that prioritises the wellbeing and personal growth of every participant.
YCBC will establish a purpose-built studio within a Catholic environment (such as the Australian Catholic University or other Catholic premises), equipping it with advanced audio-visual technology to foster youth engagement and communication, in producing and outputting content (via recorded podcasts). Our work will include:
- Establishing a state-of-the-art studio for podcasting and webcasting, accessible to government and Christian schools as well as young people interested in creativity, social connection, and exploring faith.
- Offering free audio marketing tools for Catholic schools to boost enrolments, strengthen community ties, and showcase the work of Catholic youth.
- Creating programs that deepen understanding of the Catholic faith and address mental health challenges.
- Collaborating with local and international production companies to share faith-based and values-driven content.
- Broadcasting a diverse range of content, including:
- Youth-created programs relevant to their peers
- Student-produced work for academic purposes
- Content from other not-for-profit organisations
- Messages from school principals
- Catholic masses, concerts, drama, and expert interviews
- Providing support, encouragement, and training for young people in media production.
- Assisting Catholic schools with media and marketing to promote enrolment.
Why the Catholic Mission?
The Catholic Church is, by most measures, the largest non-government provider of social, health, and educational services, globally helping people of all or no faith. It operates roughly 5,500 hospitals, 18,000 clinics, 16,000 homes for the elderly and disabled, with the majority in developing countries.
Around the world, there are over 20,000 Catholic healthcare facilities, including specialised leproseries and AIDS clinics. It educates more than 62 million students worldwide. Caritas Internationalis, the Church’s umbrella humanitarian network, operates in over 200 countries and spends over $AUD 4 billion annually.