Willing Rovers will offer their time to be trained and equip to audio record different experiences in an around York on an array of topics and venues. Audio pieces will be mixed and mastered with complimentary sound and music to add a creative flare to the listening experience.

 

What are the benefits to being a MySight York Roving Reporter?

We wish to:

·       Bring together a group of people of working age as a social outlet in the form of incidental peer support.

·       Provide skills and training to develop future employment opportunity

·       Focus on your interests and area of specialism, be that, sports bulletins, presenting/anchor, interviewing, arts bulletins, technology bulletins or sound technology, music

·       Help you to feel that you are bringing the outside world in to people’s home, reducing isolation

·       For you to know that you are educating people new to sight loss as members of public/employers/community providers on various pursuits and lived experiences of people with a visual impairment.

 

Benefits for the public of York and the surrounding areas, as listeners:

For people with sight loss, we wish to,

·       Bring the outside world in to people’s homes, encourage a reduction in loneliness

·       Support confidence building for individuals to be encouraged to attend different community social and leisure pursuits throughout York and the surrounding areas

 

For people without sight loss, as listeners, we wish to:

·       Upskill people new to sight loss as members of public/employers/community providers on various pursuits and lived experiences of people with sight loss and, in some cases, use the audio as a training aid.

 

Details and the training

Training will be held at the University of York

For a full day Wednesday 8th June  2022 – times to be confirmed

Training would be offered by the Enhancing Audio Description Research Team, University of York.

Their research addresses the complementary areas of communication systems, wireless transmission, acoustic and audio signal processing and applied electromagnetics and devices. Their work is underpinned by world-class facilities including: a radio communications lab, with software radio devices and an anechoic chamber, an electromagnetics lab with a reverberation chamber, and a full six-sided acoustically anechoic chamber, an interactive multi-channel loudspeaker listening room, a standards-compliant listening space and three professional recording studios.

A guest workshop leader will also be available on the day to focus on presenting and interview techniques, sharing her expertise as a former BBC Producer. Parts of the training will also be delivered in-house, by accomplished MySight York staff and volunteers in the specialism of sound production.

 

What you will receive?

Accessible recording equipment loaned to each MySight York Roving Reporter.

 

What you will learn on the Roving Reporter Training – 8th June

The use of sound for film, television and radio, as well as an introduction to Audio Description and EAD

Presenting Techniques,  Intros and Outros

Practical skills: recording voices on the go (interviewing, reporting techniques)

Recording spot effects, recording ambiences, other innovative techniques

Introduction to recording equipment demonstrations, terms of use and loaning agreements

How to interview and gather atmosphere on campus with new equipment and how to share the audio

Learn from feedback and discussion on how to take skills forward.

 

What is the commitment?

To record experiences of different social and leisure pursuits in York and the surrounding areas and seek interviewees appropriate for the listenership.

Goal – to record two – 2 minute articles a month and submit to the MySight York sound editor. Articles can be made at the Rover’s convenience based on the Rover’s interest and specialism.

 

What will become of the finished audio article?

Selected articles will make it on the MySight York Roving Reporters Audio Magazine, available to download, on CD and USB or be featured on the MySight York YorView Quarterly Newsletter.

Upon occasion, articles will be recognised by outside agencies and will be requested to be played as exerts on the radio or podcast and be used for training purposes.

 

Please note that you would need to attend, the one-off training on the 8th of June 2022 in order to become a MySight Roving Reporter. After which, all other commitments will have a deadline for submission, but, conversely, will be less prescriptive with your time.  Please let us know if you are interested by the 13th of May 2022 by emailing Vicky.smith@mysightyork.org with a paragraph on why you think you would be an ideal MySight York Roving Reporter and an idea on your specialism. We look forward to your response. You are welcome to share any previous audio recordings you have made, to the email above, in order to inspire our consideration.