Whilst on placement with ICS, volunteers have the chance to put themselves forward as Restless Development Youth Reporters. Alongside their volunteer work, they capture stories of the people they meet whilst working in communities around the world! The role can be challenging with added responsibility to the workload already expected of volunteers, but the reward of helping someone tell their often inspirational story can be incredible.
If you are interested in the role but unsure where to start, here are some top tips from one of Restless Developments most successful Youth Reporters:
Never been a Youth Reporter before? It can be quite a daunting task. Back in April, I was selected to be a Youth Reporter for my ICS placement in Nepal with Restless Development. I had some experience in photography and video, but never in interviewing or writing. Everyone has different skills and experience, but these tips are very transferable and should help you out no matter how nervous you are!
1. Research and utilise tools
Read all of the leaflets, web articles, books and magazines that you are given, and go out and find your own too. There is so much information out there on conducting interviews, photography tips, videography, podcasting and more! Know anyone with a hobby or career in a similar field? Ask them for their tips. Utilise everything and everyone around you. The more prepared you feel, the more confidence you will have and this means more quality content you will create.
2. Clear communication and getting past language barriers
I couldn’t have reported as well as I did without my friend and fellow volunteer, Lila. Lila was a national volunteer from Nepal. She wasn’t my counterpart but Lila was placed in the same community
Lila and I planned everything together and bounced ideas off of each other. She conducted the interviews in Nepali, and we worked together to translate them into English. Working with locals and national volunteers during your time as a youth reporter will be fun, mind opening and it will allow you to seek out amazing stories of positive change.
3. Confidence and self belief
It’s hard to be confident and believe in yourself when you haven’t done anything similar before, but I do think it’s a key component to youth reporting success. If you do your research, have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and know you can do it, you will do great things!
4. Don’t leave everything until the last minute
I didn’t have a lot of confidence when I was on my placement, and so I found myself putting things off. I kept making excuses and not making time for my reporting tasks. I ended up putting myself under a lot more pressure and I never ended up getting everything I wanted to, which I regret to this day. If I were to go back and do it all over again, I would probably set myself weekly tasks, and I would definitely be taking my camera with me everywhere I went. And this leads me onto my next tip…
5. Treat your recording device like your pet
Whether you have a camera, a voice recorder, a notebook and pen, be sure to take them with you everywhere you go. You never know what
6. Have fun!
Most of the content I got whilst I was in
7. Finally, Ask Questions.
Do
