Roving reporter applications are currently closed, but will be open again in March/April 2012. Read on to find out more about the team and how you can get your words on our website in the meantime.
Cheggidout! youthcentral is looking for keen young media-savvy folk like your good self to sign up to become part of our new roving reporter team!
This is an amazing opportunity to be trained up in the world of writing for web and then to unleash your words and intellect onto an unsuspecting online world! Plus you'll get paid for doing it! Read on to find out more about the roving reporter program.
Become a roving reporter
Our roving reporters are young writers who contribute reviews, interviews and articles to youthcentral on a regular basis.
Not only is becoming a roving reporter a great way to develop your professional writing skills, it's also a brilliant way to build up a writing portfolio, to score the occasional free movie, CD or book, to meet your heroes and to get inspired by other peoples' stories.
So what do I have to do?
As a roving reporter you will be required to:
- Attend a two-day training workshop in Melbourne (we can pay for travel and accommodation if you don't live in Melbourne or don't have anyone in Melbourne you could stay with)
- Research and write articles, reviews and interviews of interest to young Victorians
- Work on a freelance basis (ie, away from the youthcentral office)
- Contribute ideas & content from your local area
- Promote the site in your local community
- Provide feedback on site design
- Report on or help promote youthcentral at career expos, program launches and festivals
So how do I get the gig?
To nominate yourself as a roving reporter you need to be:
- Between 16 and 24 years of age
- Living in Victoria
- Familiar with and have regular access to the Internet
- Able to commit 2-3 hours per week for at least six months to work on your writing for the site
- Capable of writing independently and meeting deadlines
- Able to attend one of the two training workshops in Melbourne
- Able to develop or access local knowledge of youth events and services
And what will I get out of it?
Besides getting paid for each article that you have published on youthcentral, the less tangible (but no less rewarding) benefits of being a roving reporter include:
- Developing skills in communication, research, multimedia and information technology, which could help with study or career opportunities
- The opportunity to attend policy launches, expos, festivals and concerts
- Access to podcasting and video training workshops
- Your own direct URL for inclusion in resumes, like www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/rhiannon
- Developing your leadership skills and representing your local community
- Working with and meeting other young people from around the state
- Working closely with the content editor to develop and improve your writing
- Gaining first-hand experience in the areas of government and freelance journalism
Sounds good. How do I apply?
Roving reporter applications are currently closed.
Roving reporters are recruited twice a year, in March/April and August/September. To find out when the next application round is open, you can check back here later on, or you can sign up to our mailing list and we'll get in touch when it's time to apply once more.
In the meantime, check out the suggestions below about ways you can contribute to youthcentral.
How else can I get involved?
If you're not up for all that roving and reporting you can still submit your stories to us. We can't guarantee we'll publish your work, but you know what? We've pretty much published every unsolicited article people have sent us over the years, so it's worth contacting us anyway to let us know you have a story you'd like us to look at.
Check out our Guest reporter page to see what other people have submitted, and to find out what we're looking for and how you can send it to us.
Send your articles, reviews, videos or photos to Adam Ford, youthcentral's content editor, at youthwebsite@dhs.vic.gov.au.
You can also
- Submit an answer to our Have your Say or Who Asked You? sections
- Tell us about your ideas for articles or submit your own article to youthwebsite@dhs.vic.gov.au
- Sign up for our mailing list to find out about the latest news, reviews and opportunities
Thanks so much for your interest - it's people like yourself getting involved with youthcentral that helps us keep on track and makes sure we're running articles that are about things that you are actually interested in.
