CALL FOR APPLICATIONS JOURNALISTS, EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS 75th International Session, Riga 2014
The session The 75th International Session of the EYP will be held in Riga, Latvia from 14th to the 23rd of March 2014 and presided by Milda Sabunaite (LT). Saki Shinoda (CH) and Gustaf Danielsson (SE) will be leading the media team. You are invited to read about their vision on the session below. More information on the session can be found on the event’s web and Facebook page.
We are now looking for 13 journalists and 2 editorial assistants. One editorial assistant will focus on videos, whereas another one will work on web and print publishing. All members of the media team are required to arrive in Riga one or two days prior to the start of the session in order to attend the pre-session training. Departures are on Sunday 23rd March.
European Youth Parliament, SophienstraĂ&#x;e 28-29, 10178 Berlin, Germany. www.eyp.org. info@eyp.org
Message from the editors Vision Our vision is of integrated media that is of academic and journalistic value to the session; that is relevant to its unifying theme and diverse academic topics; that is cohesive and consistent across varied modern, traditional and interactive channels of delivery; that is produced by a Media Team with a tangible presence; and that provides space and opportunity for our journalists to explore and grow. Content “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” – Albert Einstein Our aim is to restore the focus of our media team on the development of quality content that is always relevant, but not restricted to the session. As an IS Media Team, we balance two audiences: those involved directly with the session, and the greater EYP community interested in our organisation’s flagship event. To create content that is of value to both, our journalistic and academic contributions will bring insights from outside of the session to occurrences within, or perspectives from the session to the greater world outside. This will mirror and integrate with the work of the organisers to ground the session in its context of 2014’s European Capital of Culture. Our journalists’ formal interactions with the session manifest in their three responsibilities: their committee, their interactive project, and their contribution of content to our diverse media. Journalists have the capacity to contribute academically to and across committees, and through observation, reporting, and the crafting of analytical content, to the academic quality of the session as a whole. The media team will also work to further the session theme with interactive projects that build on the work of the organising team, addressing ideas related to European culture and its manifestations. Delivery “… not to be as the ant, who gathers merely, nor as the spider who spins from her own bowels, but rather as the bee who both gathers and produces.” – Michael Faraday Our content will be delivered through a variety of media united by themes and style, particularly by the use of common segments. Rather than manage our content by the final form of its delivery, we will develop quality content and choose the most appropriate medium to present it. To this end and in pursuit of our greater vision, we have chosen media channels that are flexible, modern, and interactive. We believe that these changes have been appearing in EYP journalism for some time, and Riga ’14 will organise these innovations into a cohesive, consistent approach. European Youth Parliament, Sophienstraße 28-29, 10178 Berlin, Germany. www.eyp.org. info@eyp.org
Mirroring real media outlets, we will have a web-based newspaper, moving our primary focus from traditional printed media to the more vibrant, interactive, and accessible outlet of a website with rapid editorial cycles. Through this we will be able to bring the multimedia we produce to an interface for dialogue, for our audience at and beyond the session. Our newspaper would no longer be dominated by written content, but would closely integrate writing, photography, video, and interaction. The video products of the media team will be highly consistent with the style and themes of our written content, with a focus on reporting and journalistic uses of the medium. This would be further enhanced by our social media activity on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where we would fully embrace these platforms’ intrinsic potential for snappy, public and participatory multimedia journalism. However, for our audience at the session the work of the media team is often a souvenir and grounded in tangible outputs. We would not neglect the value of experiencing media as an audience, and produce two to three longer videos to be shown during the session. To further mirror real-world media, we will publish one cumulative magazine that would be a compilation of memorable moments, ideas, and content from the session. Finally, the interactive projects mentioned above will feature strongly and fuel these media. They will connect our work to the session theme and the related events already planned by the organising team, allowing us to take full advantage of the creative space offered by a theme based on culture. Team As editors, we believe in the importance of a media team that develops and keeps improving throughout the session. Training and feedbacking will happen at all stages, before, during and after the session, not just in an evaluation form received well after the session when many will have been journalists for their last time already. In turn, journalists will be expected to take ownership of their personal development and work from the very beginning, starting with Skype meetings to discuss good journalism, this vision, and ideas for projects. Through the organisation of our team and our work, as editors we will be able to sit down with each journalist and give feedback that can be immediately acted on. We would also focus on working closely with journalists to develop content in line with their interests and skills throughout the session. We are thus looking for a diverse team to join us in making the most of the opportunities that Riga ’14 will provide. 2 Assistant editors We are looking primarily for assistant editors with strong technical skills that will support our vision of an integrated media platform through production of specific media channels. One assistant editor will focus on video production and the other on web and print publishing. While the editorial team will be working very closely to ensure consistent and integrated delivery of content through its most appropriate channels, it is largely up to the sub-editor to bring a specific vision for his or her medium. European Youth Parliament, SophienstraĂ&#x;e 28-29, 10178 Berlin, Germany. www.eyp.org. info@eyp.org
13 Journalists We aim to provide each journalist with an experience that satisfies his or her individual interests and skills. The basis for this will primarily be the integrated media concept, which begins with each journalist developing content primarily and choosing the most appropriate channel and method of delivery, rather than being told to write an article by a fixed deadline. As described above, the three foci of the journalists’ work will be their committee, their project, and their content, with each journalist able to prioritise each according to their skills and interests. Each journalist will be allocated to one or two committees for three main reasons: to facilitate interaction between journalists and a fixed group of delegates, to increase journalists’ academic involvement in the session, and provide an opportunity for journalists to learn from and work with delegates.
Criteria According to EYP policies, the Selection Panel is looking for individuals with the following qualities:
i. Excellent English language skills (French desirable), ii. A sense of responsibility, expressed motivation and commitment to further the media team´s ob jectives (EYP experience desirable), iii. Ability to work as a member of a team and with individuals from various cultural and socio-eco nomic backgrounds, iv. Photography and video skills (technical media production skills desirable), v. Good writing and research skills (interest in European issues desirable), vi. Creativity in all aspects of the pressroom.
The overall team will also present a cohesive and suitable balance of nationality, gender and levels of experience. Applicants should be aware that failure to be selected is no reflection on their talent or ability to be part of an IS chairs’ team. The selection panel will consider first the individuals who have applied for the position and thereby thoroughly go over all the applications, following the guidelines given by the GB. The Panel will consist of the session editors (Saki Shinoda and Gustaf Danielsson), past session editor (Alexandre Narayanin) and a Member of the Governing Body (Schima Labitsch). A recommendation to cover the role of journalists or editorial assistant is a prerequisite to be considered for the selection of the respective posts. In case you are unsure if you are eligible to apply, you can check your recommendations and individual feedback forms with your previous Editor(s)/Chair(s)/ President(s) or by contacting the Human Resources Officer of EYP International, Maria Manolescu, at hr@eyp.org. The selection will only begin once the application deadline is over. European Youth Parliament, Sophienstraße 28-29, 10178 Berlin, Germany. www.eyp.org. info@eyp.org
Application questions Please note that the panel will be looking for quality rather than quantity, which is why we kindly ask all applicants to ensure that none of their answers to any of the questions below exceeds the word limit. Journalists: 1. Please describe what you expect from and aim to achieve at this International Session. Also explain how you see your participation within and contribution to the media team, considering your strengths and weaknesses. (max. 300 words) 2. Describe your previous experience with media (newspaper, blogs, photography, video, radio etc.) and relevant technical skills you may have. Please provide us with a link for some examples of the former, if available. (max. 300 words) 3. Creativity and the Riga media team: Choose a media product (an article, blog, video, podcast) from a source outside of EYP which you think is good. What do you like about it? Which aspects would you like to use or apply within an EYP media context? (max. 300 words) 4. Please write (a) an article for publishing on the web, with a focus on integrating relevant visuals, multimedia or links, or (b) a script for a video segment that could be produced at the session, or (c) an outline of an interactive activity that could be ran at the session about European or youth culture (max. 800 words). Assistant editor focusing on video production (max. 500 words for each question): 1. Please choose a recent EYP session video and review it. 2. Present a concept for session videos, including ideas on content, journalist involvement, and linkage to other media team’s outputs. 3. How would you like to contribute personally to the editorial team of this IS, considering your strengths and weaknesses? Assistant editor focusing on web and print publishing (design and/or technical) (max. 500 words for each question): 1. Provide us with a link to a recent EYP media team publication and review it. 2. Present a design and/or technical concept for the session media website and printed magazine, including ideas on multimedia integration, journalist involvement and linkage to other media outputs. 3. How would you like to contribute personally to the editorial team of this IS, considering your strengths and weaknesses? The deadline for submitting your application is Monday, 13th January 2014 at 12.00 pm CET. All applicants will be informed individually about the outcome of the selection process. For any questions regarding the application procedure, please contact the HR Officer at hr@eyp.org. European Youth Parliament, SophienstraĂ&#x;e 28-29, 10178 Berlin, Germany. www.eyp.org. info@eyp.org
How to Apply? If you are available and interested in attending, you should follow these steps to apply: 1. Log on to the EYP Alumni Portal at (if you do not have access or encounter any other problems, please get in touch with support@eyp.org); 2. Update your profile on the Portal; 3. Sign up for the 75th International Session as either journalist or editorial assistantand fill in the “additional fields” in the application form (questions are listed above). If you would like to apply for multiple positions, please send one of your applications to hr@eyp.org. 4. Once you have submitted your application via the platform, please send your updated session history using the template provided on the event’s page on the alumni platform to hr@eyp.org. Please note that this is a prerequisite for your application to be considered. 5. The deadline for submitting your application via the platform and sending in your complete session history is Monday, 13th January at 12.00 CET. All officials are also asked to make sure they are aware of the relevant policies of the EYP as listed in the official EYP Policy Compilation at http://alumni.eypej.org/eyp-materials.
European Youth Parliament, Sophienstraße 28-29, 10178 Berlin, Germany. www.eyp.org. info@eyp.org