Google and Vibewire began a conversation back in May 2010 about ways to engage youth voices in the issues surrounding the upcoming 2010 Federal Election.

YouTube were interested in uncovering new voices who could provide fresh insights into a tired and tried public debate.

To enhance the scope of this project, Vibewire successfully secured a grant from the Office for Youth which allowed us to deliver online training material to young people around the country who also wanted to speak up and speak out on issues affecting them. From this pool Vibewire selected 14 of the brightest and most dynamic young media makers to become the official electionWIRE reporters.

Vibewire is built around the vision of an Australian society with significantly greater levels of youth community engagement and media-literacy and - ultimately - a more informed and participatory public debate about the issues and challenges that confront us all.

Vibewire's goals are to:

· Empower young people by giving them leadership and expression opportunities;

· Break entrenched cycles of apathy and alienation by creating new participation pathways;

· Create platforms for showcasing the talents of young creatives, entrepreneurs and media makers;

· Provide a unique and inspirational environment for peer mentorship and training.

This project was a natural expression of these goals and in sync with YouTube's objectives.

This archival site exists to showcase the hard work and great content that was produced during the project, as well as to provide insight into the learning that went into it for all involved. It's an excellent case study of the (something) outcomes that accompany innovative and collaborative youth media projects.