How to sign up as a young media volunteer
Find out how to become a media volunteer if you're aged 13-17, and what happens when you sign up.
What experience do I need?
To be a young media volunteer, you need to:
- Be aged 13-17
- Live in England or Wales
- Have experience of a mental health problem
- Be willing to talk about your mental health with the media
- Have your parent or legal guardian's permission
- Be part of Mind's Youth Voice Network
You don’t need to:
- Share anything you don’t want to with the media. If there are specific details about yourself you don’t want to be made public, that’s absolutely fine.
- Have any media experience. Mind’s media team will offer you guidance and support every step of the way.
- Have lots of free time. You can fit media opportunities around your studies and social life.
What happens after I apply?
If your experiences match what we're looking for, we’ll send you and your parent or guardian a consent form. We'll arrange a call with both of you to talk about the role and ask you some questions about your experiences. We'll then work with you to create your volunteer profile.
A volunteer profile includes information about you and your story. We’ll use your profile to match you with media opportunities.
"What I like about media volunteering for Mind is that you’re not a spokesperson reeling off messages for the charity. You just speak about yourself. I have autonomy and independence – and I have their support too. Building a trusting relationship with someone in the media team has really helped me to feel more comfortable during interviews."
Media volunteer Haleem spoke to ITV about how the pandemic impacted his mental health.
Ready to sign up?
It's great that you're interested in becoming a young media volunteer. We’re afraid we don't have any openings for new volunteers at the moment. But when there are, we’ll advertise them here and through the Youth Voice Network. If you’re not already a member of the network, why not see if you'd like to join?
How will I find out about media opportunities?
If an opportunity comes up which we think might suit you, we’ll send the journalist an anonymous version of your profile. If they want to speak to you, we’ll get in touch with you and your parent or guardian.
You can always choose which opportunities you want to do, and how much you’d like to share about yourself and your experiences.
What support does Mind offer?
We’ll support you every step of the way. Our priority is that you feel comfortable and happy with everything.
Leading up to the opportunity
- We’ll speak to the media organisation for you. We’ll organise everything with the journalist or producer. This includes asking any questions you might have, letting them know about any topics you don’t want to discuss, and any reasonable adjustments you have.
- We’ll let you know what to expect. If you’re doing an interview, we’ll tell you the likely questions and share our interview tips. If you’d find it helpful, we can try to arrange a practice interview with you. You might want to read our information on how to prepare for a media interview.
- You can change your mind. If you no longer want to take part, or your availability changes, that’s completely fine – but please let us know. We might be able to adjust the opportunity, offer extra support, or find another way for you to get involved which feels more comfortable.
During the opportunity
- You don’t have to do it alone. If you’re under 16, your parent, legal guardian or another trusted adult will need to come with you to all media opportunities. We’ll always try to come along too. If we can’t make it, we’ll be on the phone to guide you through the process. If you’re over 16, you might be able do some interviews alone – but only if you and your parent or guardian are happy with that.
- You can stop at any time. If you need to take a break or stop an interview, you’ll have our full support. You don’t have to explain why to the journalist – we can speak to them for you. Your wellbeing is our number one priority.
After the opportunity
- We'll debrief. Once you’ve finished the opportunity, we’ll call to check how it went and ask if you have any feedback, questions or concerns.
- We’ll keep you updated. We’ll tell you when it’ll be published or broadcast. If you have questions, concerns, or you’re unhappy with the way your story has been reported, please let us know. We can speak to the media outlet about this for you.
- We can help you find mental health support. If you need support for your mental health at any point, we’ll do our best to help you find it. We might recommend one of our helplines, local Mind services or share useful resources.
FAQs
If you have any questions, check out our FAQs below. If you'd like to speak to someone, email the Youth Voice Network team at [email protected]
