Massey students help turn homelessness lived experience into a podcast

The three-episode podcast, now available on YouTube, was created by Brucey and Smurf alongside four Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University students as part of Professor Elspeth Tilley’s Creativity in the Community class.

The idea grew from Te Hā Tangata, a community storytelling collaboration between Massey and Te Kīhini Hupa o Pūaroha Compassion Soup Kitchen in Wellington that has brought people with lived experience of homelessness together since 2016. Brucey and Smurf have been drivers of that community from the start, writing, sharing stories and building connections. They participate with Professor Elspeth Tilley in a weekly writing group, but the podcast gave them another way to take that work beyond the page.

"Personally, the experience, the banter, and getting our voices out there has been really important. We lived the life out there on the streets. We know what’s real," Brucey says.

That lived experience is at the centre of Chur from the Curb. Brucey and Smurf chose the people they wanted to interview and the topics they wanted to explore, while the Massey students provided the technical support to bring their ideas to life.

For Smurf, having the opportunity to speak directly is particularly important.

"People who have been homeless like us don’t really trust authority, per se. We’ve been bullied, moved on, not listened to," he says.

Te Hā Tangata has provided a place where Smurf feels supported to speak openly, surrounded by people who have shared similar experiences. "We know when we speak or write we will be supported not censored."

Professor Tilley says research around standpoint theory highlights the importance of people with lived experience being involved in decisions about the issues that affect them.

"People who have been homeless understand its dynamics, they prioritise solutions that do no harm, and they should have a seat at every decision-making table about housing deprivation," she explains.

Chur from the Curb puts that idea into practice.

The four Bachelor of Communication students involved in the project, Lucy Bevin, William Werner, Milly Matthews and Robyn Hall, worked alongside Brucey and Smurf to develop and produce the podcast.

Brucey and Smurf chose their interviewees and topics and scripted their own contributions. The students handled recording, editing and visual design, provided technical advice and helped with the practical work needed to turn the project into a finished series.

When Brucey and Smurf wanted to interview Wellington MP Tamatha Paul, the students contacted her office and helped make the interview happen. They also accompanied Brucey and Smurf to Parliament and recorded social media content around the podcast.

For the students, the project became much more than an assignment.

Robyn says she’s proud of the impact of Chur From the Curb.

“It has been so cool to see the response from members of our community and the positive impacts it has had. I was also struck by the relationships that developed during the project. We were all honoured that they trusted us enough to support them in sharing their stories."

Lucy says the podcast achieved its initial goals, becoming a platform for conversations about politics, life experiences and poetry.

"It is honest and real and showed Smurf and Brucey’s ability at being amazing spokespeople.”

Working directly with Te Hā Tangata also changed the students' understanding of the experiences they were hearing about.

William says hearing Brucey and Smurf talk about their lives on the streets broadened his understanding of how differently someone can live from yourself.

“Podcasts like this are important because they allow people directly affected by an issue to be seen and heard. Without work like this we lose the opportunities to hear and learn about individual experiences and perspectives."

For Robyn, that was one of the most important lessons from the project.

"Allowing those who are actually impacted to share their experiences is crucial to making any beneficial change," she says.

The podcast also attracted media interest. Brucey and Smurf were interviewed by 1News, following their work with Tamatha Paul. The pair have also continued developing other interviews and creative work.

Smurf says the podcast has introduced him to people he would not normally have spoken with.

"I liked the banter between me and Brucey, and also interviewing people that I normally wouldn't talk to. In a small way, I think it has impacted quite a lot of people that we normally wouldn't have impact on."

For Brucey, the opportunity to speak is ultimately about making sure other people experiencing homelessness are heard too.

"We’re trying to give the people a bigger voice and get it out there clearly that we don't like being picked on.

"Not a lot of people who are homeless know how to speak up. A lot of people, you’ve got law enforcement and all that, just randomly come and pick on you just because you're homeless. You can't speak up because you'll become a target. But we’ve been given this opportunity to share our voices on their behalf," Brucey adds.

The project has also shown the Massey students what can happen when university work extends into the community.

"I think what I most want people to know about the process of making Chur from the Curb is the importance of community. Big changes can be made when people work together," Robyn says.

There are plans for more episodes of the podcast. Brucey and Smurf continue to attend the weekly Te Hā Tangata writing group and are developing new material, while future students from Massey's Bachelor of Communication Creative Communication and Social Change programme will continue working with the project.