Maddie Heslop followed in the footsteps of Ariba Omar to complete the Game Changer program. Photo: Supplied.
Wagga Wagga teen Maddie Heslop is encouraging other young people to step outside their comfort zones and give journalism a go after completing an elite NSW Government program that developed her skills in social media management and online reporting.
The Year 9 Kooringal High School pupil was selected as a student reporter for the NSW Department of Education’s Game Changer Challenge, a competition that brings together teenagers from across the state to develop creative solutions to real-world problems, while giving them the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in media and storytelling.
“The program is a way for young reporters like me to gain insights into the industry and do workshops with groups like the ABC, news companies and podcasters,” Maddie said.
“I originally thought that I wouldn’t be good at it because I’d never done anything like this before, but decided to give it a go and ended up learning so much.”
Born in Darwin to parents who met while serving in the Australian Defence Force, Maddie spent her early years moving between cities before her family settled in Wagga Wagga more than a decade ago. She said growing up in a regional area made rare opportunities such as Game Changer especially meaningful.
One of the biggest challenges for the 14-year-old was not knowing anyone at the start of the program.
“But once we all started talking and got to know each other, it was all good,” she said.
Being a student reporter also meant that she had access to temporarily take over the NSW Department of Education’s social media pages.
“I think the whole experience was really fun and provided me with a lot of opportunities,” Maddie said.
However, she reflected on the irony of the experience, as her personal social media accounts were deactivated due to the Australian Government’s under-16 social media ban that was implemented during the program on 10 December, 2025.
“I found it a little bit confusing and a little bit condescending on the government’s part, how I was putting my face and profile online, but I’m now not allowed to do that myself via a private account,” she said.
Outside of school, the energetic student balances reading, playing sports and part-time work alongside her studies. Maddie said media training had added another string to her bow.
Asked what advice she would give to future applicants of the NSW Department of Education program, her response was simple.
“Just give it a go,” she said.
“You can do anything you put your mind to. I wrote the first part of my assignment in just two days, which was a whole essay. Any offer you get to do something like this, you should just take it.”
Maddie taking on the student reporter role reflects why programs such as the Game Changer Challenge matter, echoing the experience of the author of this article, who held the role last year.
She said opportunities such as these built confidence, created connections and gave young people a platform to be heard; something we needed to see more often.
