It’s pretty crazy, insane, astounding – yet equally proud moment, to be able to write this 730 days after 5Why was born into this world on March 25th, 2013.
As many of you would know, 5Why was effectively the outcome of what I believed was a need for a collective Gen Y voice in Australia. A chance to be heard, have fun, debate, collaborate and explore.
And while we still have a strong focus on hard-hitting, opinionated content, we’ve also expanded more into parts of our everyday lives that we love. We’ve introduced Play it Again, showcasing some of the best musical artists from around Australia and the world. Hidden Gems has come in where we unveil hot spots, restaurants, bars and every other type of hidden gem you may have never heard of or been to. And recently we’ve started Vox Pop – a segment where we get opinions from everyday Gen Whyers about things that are happening in the world.
Together we provide an outlet for how powerful this generation can be. We have so much to offer, so much to learn and so much to achieve.
It’s all been part of our goal of providing more well rounded content – a true depiction of what Gen Y is interested in and values.
On a personal note, the enthusiasm has jumped tenfold in the past few months particularly; not something you expect in the often phrased ‘second year hangover’ for start ups. We’ve had changes to our main editorial team, but our entire contributor group has extended to over 100 people total, ranging from writers to designers, web managers and marketing executives. All these people simply keen to lift this negative vibe around Gen Y, get some experience and actually enjoy themselves while doing it.
I had the honour of going back to my university, Notre Dame, in Sydney last year to actually talk a bit about 5Why, how I started it and what I’ve learned from it (video below for those of you who can bare my awful mug!)
Just under a year ago, we also had our first ever awards night – a brilliant evening where we awarded some of our finest contributors involved with 5Why. And I’m excited to announce that we’re currently in the works on an even more exciting night for 2015 – think less awards night and more showcase; it’ll be a time to really show off everything great about Gen Y.
One of the people who will be at the showcase this year is the talented Molly Contogeorge – an independent singer/songwriter from Sydney; who we did some collaborations with, including recording a fresh and totally vibing cover of the Bee Gee’s classic Stayin’ Alive.
Throughout the past year or so, we’ve really had some amazing content that supports everything mentioned so far.
Jo Ghattas bought us a perspective on Tinder and Gen Y hook up culture – such a big thing to millenials not only in Australia but around the world. Patrick Shumack looked into the theory of innocent until proven guilty, and we dipped our toe in the Sydney Comedy Festival and podcast scene.
Dominique and Blaire took us on some dating adventures – often giving us some pretty good advice as well, not that any of us dating aficionados of Gen Y need any (ha!) Matt Bahi looked into the tragic death of journalists in the Middle East and also struggles to get a job in the current Australian workforce. Not to mention our Top 5 of 2014 series where we reviewed all the epic moments that 2014 brought us.
I literally could go on and on. If you’ve ever had a face to face with yours truly, you’d understand that once I get going on 5Why, you probably will find it hard to stop me!
Ultimately, the goal has been the same since March 25th, 2013 – provide a voice to promote and inspire Gen Y. Together we provide an outlet for how powerful this generation can be. We have so much to offer, so much to learn and so much to achieve.
This is our time.
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.” – Harvey Fierstein
#5WhyTurnsTwo
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