Image: Keira and Micah in the studio recording Thing Of The Week ‘I just can’t like things in a normal way’, says Keira, one half of the duo presenting the new short-run show Thing of the Week. ‘I get really passionate about a lot of different things.’ ‘She could get a Uni degree every week based on what interests her,’ adds her co-host, Micah. Keira and Micah have harnessed this passion into an hourly show where they both get to share what they are currently into that week – their favourite songs, books, movies, games and people. Thing of the Week is the latest show from students from the Wellington High School Gateway programme. The students spend Wednesday afternoons at Wellington Access Radio, learning how to write, structure, record, promote and present a radio show. When Keira and Micah heard about the opportunity in their school notices, they were immediately interested. ‘We both love music – we’re actually both musicians – so it was something that fit well for us’, says Micah. They didn’t want their show to just be music though. Both passionate readers (Keira gets through a book every week!), movie-watchers and music lovers, they wanted their show to reflect their range of different interests. ‘We want people to listen and come away thinking ‘I’m going to read that’ or ‘I’m going to listen to that’, says Micah. ‘Basically, I want them to feel like I’ve trapped them in a room to rant about my favourite things’, jokes Keira. The process of creating Thing of the Week has been a great learning process for both of them. Along with technical skills and organising skills, Keira says the most important learning has been around confidence and creativity. ‘We were nervous the first time we started recording, but quickly got used to it’, she says. ‘It’s been a good way to learn how to put yourself out there’. The first episode of Thing of the Week airs Wednesday 28th August at 4pm, and will be on weekly for the following six weeks. Listen to past episodes here: https://accessradio.org.nz/shows-podcasts/gateway-student-radio/