Legacy Youth Radio has been set up by the Olympic Park Legacy Company to give young people aged 14 to 25 an opportunity to gain skills, qualifications and experience in broadcasting.

Working with youth radio station Reprezent FM 107.3FM and London-based arts organisation,A New Direction, the students will receive broadcast training.

They will then produce a series of in-depth programmes, including panel debates, live shows and guest interviews on the 2012 Games and plans for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The group has already taken part in a two day training session, which included inspirational talks by musician Goldie and young paralympic swimmer Amy Marren.

The students are from the Olympic host boroughs of Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Greenwich.

Andrew Altman, Chief Executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, said:

“Legacy Youth Radio is a fantastic opportunity for young people to get hands-on radio experience whilst also using the airwaves to talk about the legacy plans for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

“London is further ahead in planning legacy than any previous host Olympic city and we are making sure young people have a voice and feel a sense of ownership towards the Park.”

Musician and Artist, Goldie, said:

“This is the right place and time for these young people to seize the opportunities the Olympic Games will bring. The young people that I met really want to turn their lives around and make the most of being part of the Legacy Youth Radio.

“I hope I inspired them today by sharing my life experience and encouraging them to make the most of this fantastic project over the next year. The Olympic Park Legacy Company is giving young people the chance to speak about the things that really matter to them and gain some useful skills on the way.”

Legacy Youth Radio students will have unique access to report on major community events such as the Six Host Borough Swimming Championships (18th March), Test Events and One Movement (21st April).

They will produce programmes focusing on arts and culture, regeneration and housing, jobs and skills and interview sports people including Olympians, Legacy Company staff, senior figures from London 2012, as well as local people.

Manuel Olatunde-Kehinde, 16, a Legacy Youth Radio student from Greenwich, said:

“It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of Legacy Youth Radio and find out about the effort and skill that has been injected into the Olympic Games. It was a privilege to have been educated about the nitty gritty details of the process of hosting and presenting the Olympicsn as well as the legacy that will be left behind for all of us to enjoy and benefit from.”

Shalyce Lawrence, 23, a Legacy Youth Radio student from Waltham Forest, said:

“Visiting the Olympic Park really made me excited about the Olympics and made me feel proud to be a part of it. This way I really believe I will be able to learn more and be part of an amazing project that is happening just where I live. This is a great time to live in this area and I look forward to learning more about the legacy of the Games.”

Ellis Vincent, 20, a Legacy Youth Radio student from Newham, said:

“During this course I have learnt how important it is for young people to be involved in the process of the Olympic legacy. We are the next generation and exercising our ability to come together and having our voices heard ensures that things are put in place to benefit and educate us. We are the generation to benefit from the Games.”