STUDENT YOUTH NETWORK INC



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SYN Media

2018 Volunteer Management and Producer Roles

Information Kit

What’s in this document?

Overview 3

About SYN 3

Opportunities 4

Who are we looking for? 4

SYN: A Rough Organisational Chart 5

The Leadership Team 6

What are volunteer manager roles? 6

What are executive producer (EP) roles? 6

How do I apply? 6

Important dates 6

FAQS 7

What's the process? 8

List of Positions 9

Got questions? 10

Overview

IN 2018, SYN’s Leadership Team will be selected to make SYN bigger and better than ever before. This Team, which will encompass 45 positions, is given an incredible opportunity to manage the most exciting media organisation in the country.

During their year-long appointment, SYN supports the Leadership Team with professional development opportunities, advanced skill workshops, goal setting, mentoring partnerships, regular planning meetings and strategic advice.

As part of the SYN Leadership Team in 2018, you’ll have full responsibility of one of these roles:

• Flagship radio or TV show Executive Producer

• Manager or Assistant Manager of a SYN Department - either Radio, TV and Screen, Online, Events, Music or Talks

We recruit new positions to fill the Leadership Team every year so that every member of the youth community has the opportunity to be involved with SYN, and to find the best people to take the organisation to the next level.

SYN’s General Manager, Education and Training Manager, Membership Experience Manager, Content Development Coordinator, Finance Coordinator and IT Coordinator focus on maintaining the business administration of the organisation. From time to time, SYN also hires project coordinators. At the moment, these include the Schools on Air Producer, National Project Coordinator and Diversity Programming Coordinator. The Leadership Team and wider membership base manage everything else.

About SYN

SYN is a media organisation run by a community of young people that provides training and broadcast opportunities for young Australians.

Our values are:

• Access: SYN provides open access for all young people to participate in its community.

• Independence: SYN produces content free from commercial and other external pressures.

• Participation: SYN supports young people to take charge of media creation, training and governance.

• Diversity: SYN actively encourages a range of youth perspectives, cultures and ideas.

• Innovation: SYN celebrates quality, and supports creativity and flexibility in its programming and operations.

SYN’s content is produced and presented entirely by people under the age of 26. Approximately half of the content is created by people 18 years or younger.

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SYN ensures maximum access to broadcasting (radio, television and online) by rotating all programming five times per year. These are known as programming seasons. This means that in any given year over 1000 individuals present on SYN radio and TV.

.au offers young people an online platform with a long-standing audience where they can post podcasts, articles, pictures and videos.

SYN's radio studios are located in Building 12 of RMIT University's City Campus (Swanston Street). Our TV broadcast comes out of Channel 31 studios on William Street. The SYN offices are based at ‘The House of SYN’, 16 Cardigan Street, Carlton. SYN is independent of RMIT, but has a strong partnership with the university.

All SYN Managers, Executive Producers and volunteers are provided with 24 hour access to the SYN offices. This includes full email, internet and phone privileges. All communications (email, bookings portal, members’ site, MMS and Basecamp intranet) can be accessed remotely.

All volunteers are required to operate within the parameters of the SYN Constitution and Policies and Procedures document. These are available on request.

Find out more about SYN’s history on our website – it’s a pretty cool story, and it has changed the landscape of youth media making in Australia significantly.

Opportunities

If you want to help shape the future of the organisation, Manager and Executive Producer (EP) positions are the way to go.

Working as a volunteer Manager or EP is pretty much like having a part-time job … just without the transaction of money, and with much more fun stuff to do than a fast food or retail store could ever offer! Working behind the scenes with SYN has a proven track record of enhancing your employment opportunities in the media and in many other work fields.

Read on to find out about all the opportunities available. Take the plunge and get involved in the team that makes the visions of SYN a reality. Get into it and good luck; it’s a whole lotta fun!

Who are we looking for?

There are three main criteria you have to fulfil to apply for a SYN Manager or an EP role. You have to:

• Be current SYN member (open to all; see .au/membership for details)

• Have completed SYN radio and/or screen training (whichever is applicable)

• Be under the age of 26 at the time of application

That’s it.

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SYN: A Rough Organisational Chart

This is a simple diagram of where everyone fits at SYN, and who reports to whom. There is of course more complexity to the working relationships within SYN, e.g. the Music Manager also works closely with Music Flagship EPs, but this is a basic layout of how it works!

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The Leadership Team

The Leadership Team is just that: a team. No one position is above another and the idea is that all roles are interconnected. EPs interact with Managers and staff and vice versa. They share information, communicate procedures and basically make sure that everyone is on the same page. We’re looking for people who are strong leaders to be our Managers and EPs, but who also understand the importance of working as part of a team and sharing the load. The Leadership Team is appointed for a one calendar year term.

What are volunteer manager roles?

The volunteer Managers are the operational backbone of the station. Each manager takes care of one of SYN’s behind-the-scenes departments, and they are ultimately responsible for the operations of that department – this includes managing other volunteers who work in the department.

SYN’s volunteer managers make decisions on the day-to-day running of the organisation in-line with policy provided by the SYN Board and SYN staff. Volunteer Managers work closely with SYN staff ensuring we’re all working like a well-oiled machine.

The titles and key responsibilities of each manager position are detailed at the end of this Info Kit.

What are executive producer (EP) roles?

Each EP oversees the production of one of our ‘flagship’ programs – that is, an ongoing program that covers a main content area (such as new music, arts, sport etc.). There are currently 21 flagship programs (including Digital Flagships) looking for Executive Producers, but if you notice a gap and think SYN should add another flagship to its ongoing programming, get in touch and tell us all about it! A position description about the current EP roles on offer is available towards the end of this Info Kit.

How do I apply?

Fill in the application form, available at .au/jobs or from membership@.au, seal in an envelope marked ‘SYN Volunteer Applications’, and either:

• hand it in at the House of SYN – 16 Cardigan St, Carlton;

• post it to SYN – PO Box 12013, A’Beckett St, Melbourne 8006

• email it to SYN – membership@.au

Note: We prefer a hard copy of your application because you will need to sign the volunteer agreement on it. If you are absolutely unable to post it or personally hand in the form by the due date, email the completed application to membership@.au and we’ll ask you to sign the agreement later.

Volunteer applications are due 5:00pm November 1, 2017.

Questions? Email Molly at membership@.au.

Important dates

It’s important that all Managers and EPs make themselves available for some important dates. The Volunteer Camp is compulsory for all new recruits.

5:00pm 1st November 2017 Leadership Team Applications Close

8th – 17th November Interviews for Leadership Roles

SYN Staff to Finalise 2018 Leadership Team

SYN staff to call applicants with application outcomes

6th December SYN End of Year Party

December 25th – January 8th SYN Office Christmas Closure

22rd – 24th January SYN Volunteer Camp, Healesville

FAQS

Are there other roles available apart from Managers and EPs?

Yes - there are volunteers who have a specific role that sits under a Manager or EP, for example Assistant Producer. The assistant roles are offered in a second phase in this recruitment process, after EPs and Managers are confirmed.

Some department and flagship programs require many more than one assistant or crew member, so we’ll work with the successful EPs and Managers to offer additional roles as required.

The stuff that these volunteers do depends on which department they are volunteering in. For instance, an assistant may produce pre-recorded show media and IDs as part of a flagship program, manage a set of music label contacts as a Talks Assistant, or help sort and listen to new release CDs in the Music department in the role of Music Committee Member. These people make decisions on the running of their department (in-line with direction provided by the Manager or EP they work with).

If you’d like to apply for an assistant role, you can note that on the application form.

What am I getting myself into?

The Managers work on the operations and strategic direction of SYN, and EPs are responsible for the media that SYN presents to the world. Other volunteers work with these key positions to help get stuff done. We are looking for the most dynamic and vibrant volunteers to undertake these roles. The roles do require a lot of time and energy, but are fun and hugely rewarding. All volunteer manager/EP roles are 12-month placements.

There will be a range of tasks and responsibilities that you will need to undertake to fulfil your position. This depends on the department you are in and the position you hold within it. Have a read of the role department descriptions to find out more (included in the latter part of this document).

In the past, some positions have been shared between two people. Most positions will be filled by people flying solo – we like to encourage delegation and sharing the jobs around, but through a structured team of people with individual responsibilities. However, if you’ve got new ideas on how this can work we’re very keen to hear them.

I’m interested in I.T. and/or technical stuff – are there opportunities in these areas?

Of course! SYN has three radio studios to take care of plus an IT network, and if you have some skills, experience and/or enthusiasm for IT or broadcast and audio technology, then we can use you and offer you valuable experience in technical studio maintenance, working alongside the IT Coordinator, Harry. If this sounds like you, please get in touch directly and let us know what skills you might have to contribute: membership@.au / 9925 4747.

Can I help out with marketing, events or production at SYN?

Sure. SYN stages several events throughout the year and has significant promotional pushes for donations, training and sponsorship. We will be seeking the assistance of project-based volunteers to work on particular defined events and promotions.

We have a group of SYN members who are audio producers, video producers and graphic designers who we call on to create sponsorship announcements, television ads, promotional videos and other client-driven media part of our business activities. If you’d like to be part of this group and receive offers of production work, please directly contact us: membership@.au / 9925 4747.

Is this a big time commitment?

Some roles can be. At the very least, we expect about four hours of volunteer work from you each week. This can be done at any time – some volunteers work from home at night, some work from the SYN offices. The majority of our previous volunteers have successfully juggled school/university, work and volunteer work at SYN. The only thing we ask of volunteers is that they maintain communication with their team and SYN staff, and let people know if they are unable to fulfil any commitments for any reason (or even if you need to take a break!).

All volunteers in Manager and Executive Producer (EP) roles are required to attend one compulsory weekend each year, where key management and leadership skills will be shared and group goals set for the year. In 2018, this Volunteer Camp is set for 22/23/24 January – please keep it free. There is a fee to attend, however this is subsidised by SYN to make it easier for everyone to come along.

We recommend that you have frequent access to the internet, email and phone, so you can stay in the loop. The House of SYN has computers with internet access and a printer, for the use of all SYN members.

Can I apply for more than one position?

Of course you can apply for as many positions as you like – and we encourage you to do so!

For each position you would like to apply for, you only need to fill out one Volunteer Application form. For example, if you would like to apply for three different roles, you just need to fill out application. Keep in mind though, that when answering the questions, you’ll need to refer to each role. This may sound like a lot of work, but we encourage you to think of the process like you would if you were applying for a job – we want to see that you have answered the questions with your skill sets in mind. Tip: tailor your applications!

Is it possible to be a manager, EP or assistant while doing VCE or VCAL?

Yes. It has been done before and it will be done again. If you find the time commitment becomes too much we can always re-advertise and re-fill the position down the track.

If I miss out on a Manager or EP role will I be considered for an assistant role?

Yes – if you want and if you have filled out an application form for that assistant role.

What's the process?

Once applications are closed (5:00pm, Wednesday 1st of November) and we’ve had a chance to go through them, we will shortlist applicants and we may contact you and arrange an interview time. From here we will make our decision and offer successful candidates for EP and Manager Appointments of their new roles before all roles are announced to the world.

The people processing applications and conducting interviews will be SYN staff, with the input of relevant past and current key volunteers.

Position descriptions

Position descriptions of the current volunteer Manager and EP roles will be available for download on .au. If you think of a new project, program or position that SYN should consider exploring, feel free to submit a proposal outlining your ideas along with your application form.

Consider the position descriptions as a bit of a guide to what we are looking for, rather than strict pre-requisites for applying. If you don’t have all of the attributes on the position description, don’t worry! Apply anyway!

A full list for each role is featured below.

Roles available for the 2018 Leadership Team:

• 2 x Get Cereal Co-EP 

• The Sports Desk EP 

• 2 x Panorama EP

• 2 x Amplify EP

• New and Approved EP 

• 2 x The Hoist EP

• Asian Pop Nation EP 

• Hip Hop EP 

• Moshpit EP

• In Joke EP

• Sunday Sweets EP

• Naughty Rude EP 

• All the Best Community Coordinator

• Raise The Platform EP 

• 2 x Represent EP 

• Player One EP 

• Art Smitten EP 

• Queeries EP

• ID's & Promotions Producer

• 2 x 1700 Co-EP

• TV and Screen Manager 

• 2 x TV & Screen EP

• 1700 Music Coordinator 

• 1700 Social Media Manager

• FM Manager

• Digital Manager 

• FM Manager Assistant 

• Digital Manager Assistant

• 2 x Music Manager 

• Events Manager 

• Radio News EP

• Online Manager

• Podcast Manager

• Reviews Coordinator 

• Social Media Coordinator

• Talks Manager

• Arts Talks Manager 

• Local Talks Manager 

• 1700 Talks Manager 

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Got questions?

Here’s how you can find answers to your burning questions about the key volunteer roles at SYN in 2018:

Check out pages 5-9 of this kit – we may have already answered it!

Make a meeting time with Molly or Lindsey to chat about your question or idea.

Molly – membership@.au

Lindsey – content@.au

Talk to the current Leadership Team by emailing them directly – you can find their details in the SYN Facebook group under the ‘files’ tab or just email membership@.au for their contact details.

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SYN Members

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