• Communicating directly to journalists about their experiences and achievements
• Supplying a ‘quote’ to the press
• Explaining the benefits of the programme to other professionals as ‘ambassadors’.

There will be many benefits to the individual media spokespeople. These include:

• Experience of the media
• Confidence-boosting and improvement in communication skills
• Something amazing for their CV.

In terms of the direct benefit to you and your group, having a media-trained young person available when your local authority liaises with the local press should generate a lot more coverage, assisting you with recruitment and generating interest locally.

We have a finite number of free places for this media training, worth over £200 each, so we are asking you to nominate the member or members of your group that you think could make the most of the chance.  Please talk to the group about this opportunity and get feedback from the young people in order to asses who would be interested.

Successful applicants will have the potential to be excellent spokespeople: they will be enthusiastic, full of ideas and committed to taking their participation to the next level. The young people need to be prepared to offer their time as a media spokesperson on a volunteer basis.

We are keen that a wide variety of young people from differing backgrounds and locations have the opportunity to become media spokespeople.  Our selection will take this into account, as well as the young person’s potential as a media spokesperson.

Programme partners, KIDS are ensuring that the training is inclusive and can arrange for specialist support for young disabled people on the day if needed.  Following the training, we will assist with ensuring that individual requirements and preferences are taken into account, and KIDS will be available to ensure that communications requirements relating young disabled people are met.