We want to pay young Geraldton writers and video producers - here's how it works

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Everything Geraldton has launched a new youth initiative in Geraldton called Young Voices, to assist young people in Geraldton and the Mid West get published, and get paid. We want to encourage the next generation of engaged content creators.

The program is open to all primary and high school students in the Mid West. We are accepting written content and video content submissions, and if it's chosen to be published on Everything Geraldton, the student will receive $50. 

There's no limit to the number of times you can submit content. 

Teachers are invited to encourage their class to produce something to be published, and parents are welcome to help their kids upload content too. 

Submissions can be made via the Everything Geraldton website.

Click here to learn more about this new innovative program. We have a comprehensive Q and A section that may answer any questions you have. 

If you're excited already and can't wait to get started, here's the kind of things we're looking for, although we'll look at anything if it's interesting:

  • Articles about places in Geraldton or the Mid West that you have visited. Shops, cafés, skate parks, secret places you love to visit... that kind of thing. If it has some photos, it would be even better. Think about what you'd love to know about a place, and share that kind of information.
  • Stories about living in Geraldton or the Mid West. We'd love to know about experiences you've had or things that you have done while living here.
  • Your opinion on local issues. Things happen in Geraldton. You have an opinion. We'd like to share your thoughts and opinions with the world. 
  • Your ideas and suggestions for Geraldton and the Mid West. Maybe you think we need more schools. Maybe you think we need no schools at all. Maybe you think we need to give all teenagers in Geraldton a holiday to Bali. We want to hear about your ideas for improving life in our region. 
  • Videos showcasing local places. You probably have a smartphone. Or maybe your parents do. If you enjoy filming we'd love to see some short videos on places and things in Geraldton. Maybe you'd like to showcase your favourite shop. Or a short video on your favourite skate park or surf spot. We'd love to see what you can create, and we'd love to share it with the world. 
  • A story about an interesting person in Geraldton or the Mid West. Maybe you know an amazing man, woman or child who would be a very interesting subject to write about. We'd love to hear you tell their story. This could be done in a written or video format. 
  • A listicle! This is one of those "7 reasons I love Geraldton" type of article. They're short and sweet, and usually have lots of photos. There's a lot of possibilities here. Such as "My 5 favourite clothes shops in Geraldton" or "4 Reasons I love living in Dongara" or whatever you can imagine. You'll need a photo for each list item.
  • Teach us something. You might be an expert at kicking a football, baking a cake, or riding a surfboard. We'd love for you to give us some simple steps with photos on how to do what you're a pro at. Or maybe make a video. 

Maybe you've got a great idea to write or produce something that doesn't fall within the boundaries of what's listed above. That's ok. We'd still love to read it or see it. If we think it's something that could work on Everything Geraldton or would be of value to Everything Geraldton readers, we might just consider publishing it anyway. 

Some more tips:

  • Photographs help. Or drawings. But they need to be your originals. Don't download pics off the internet.
  • Don't overthink it. If you think something is interesting, chances are someone else will too.  
  • Don't get disheartened if your submission doesn't get published. We've all been rejected before. Just roll up your sleeves and have another go.
  • There's no limit to how long or short your submission should be. Our rule of thumb is: As long as it needs to be and as short as it can be. If it's interesting, that's what's important.
  • You get better by doing. Maybe your first submission won't be perfect. But you'll improve the more you create. Just start!

Some questions from Teachers:

I'm a teacher. Can my entire class submit something at once?

Absolutely. We may not publish everything, and the items we do publish may be staggered over time. But if you want to make it a class project for each student to submit something, we'd be most accommodating. 

I'm a teacher. Can I talk with someone from Everything Geraldton about the Young Voices program over the phone?

No problem at all. Give Jason Smith from Everything Geraldton a call on 0404 443 442.

I'm a teacher. I have some students with some great writing but for personal reasons we can't provide a bank account for them. How can those students get paid their $50?

Give us a call to discuss any outliers. We're flexible here. We can arrange for the payment to be made via the school if needed, or you might wish to make other arrangements. We want every student in the Mid West to have a chance to contribute. 

I'm a teacher. I have some younger students who have produced something that is in written form and can't be digitally uploaded. Can they still submit it?

Sure thing. You can post physical items to Everything Geraldton, PO Box 772, Geraldton WA 6531. We will scan or photograph it, and transcribe the text if possible or relevant. 

Some more questions:

Why is Everything Geraldton running this program?

We know first hand the power and value of sharing ideas and stories. It's one of the things that connects us as humans. When we publish something that resonates with others, we feel something special. We'd love for a younger generation to know that feeling too. And we'd love for our audience to have the opportunity to understand what the youth of Geraldton and the Mid West think.  

Why are you paying the students? Wouldn't they do it for free?

There's something special about getting paid for creative work you do. We'd like as many students as possible to know that rewarding feeling.

What format should the content be in?

Written content can be in a Pages document, or Word document, or similar, or may be a PDF. Images may be included in the document for layout purposes, but should also be uploaded separately so we can easily publish them. Video content should be in .mov or .mp4 format, but if you're having trouble with that, let us know. We are very flexible on the format of both the written content and video content. 

Who owns the copyright to the content that is submitted?

Whoever creates the content owns the copyright, and it stays with them. You grant us, Just Everything Pty Ltd, a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any content you submit to us. 

Will you make changes to my content?

We may fix minor grammatical errors, but won't change your work substantively. We may add things to help tell the story, such as extra images, maps, links, and things along those lines.

Where will the content be published?

Depending on the content and our editorial decisions, the content may appear in any product Just Everything Pty Ltd manages, or any platform of our partners. This will likely include the Everything Geraldton website, app, social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and any other Everything Geraldton products. 

How many Young Voices items will you be publishing?

As this is a brand new concept for Geraldton, we honestly don't know what the uptake will be like. We may receive 6000 submissions. We may receive 6. Our hope is to publish the content on an ongoing basis, with a certain number published each week. But we will be observing the amount and quality of content we get, and we'll have a clearer picture as we move forward. 

What if I'm no longer a student but want to write or produce something for Everything Geraldton?

You're welcome to contact us directly. We use free-lance writers from time to time, and would love to hear from you. We don't want to use the budget for this program for other publishing however. Email geraldton@justeverything.com.au and introduce yourself. 

How long will this program be running for? How long have I got to submit something. 

We will be receiving submissions at LEAST up until the end of April 2017. So you definitely have until the end of April 2017 to submit your items. We hope to carry on accepting submissions after this date, however if we're overwhelmed with submissions at that time, we will temporarily halt submissions so we can deal with the backlog. 

How long does the published item stay online for?

Indefinitely. We don't usually remove the items. We expect they will stay on our website as long as we stay in business. We may even republish some of them in the future to re-surface them.  

Can my friends and I submit a collaboration?

Yes. You can submit something that more than one person worked on. We will still only pay $50 for the item, and it's up to you to decide which bank account will receive the payment and how you'll split it. But if you want to produce a video or written item with your friends, that's fine by us. (Remember, there's no limit on how many items you can submit.)

Will you really publish things written by little children?

We will be including the age on each Young Voices article we publish. We think our audience will be accomodating to the varying levels of skill if they understand who is writing the items. We think it will be great for children and teenagers alike to have their writing and videos shared. 

What about just a photograph?

We probably won't pay for just a photograph. BUT>>> If your passion is photography, there is a way you can get published on Everything Geraldton. Submit a listicle that includes multiple photographs of yours around a particular theme. Such as "10 amazing Geraldton sunsets" or "6 beautiful wildlife photographs from the Mid West".

How will you know if a submission is coming from a real student in the Mid West?

As part of the submission process, you must provide the contact details for a guardian/parent or a school teacher. We may contact that adult to confirm the authenticity of the submission, and if necessary, we may require more proof, such as a student ID card. We are also able to detect the IP address of computers making submissions. 

What about privacy? What information about each child will be made public?

The first name, surname, and age of each student will be published along with their submissions. Photos that are supplied in the submission will also be included. Parents/guardians should decide if they're comfortable with the name and age of their child being displayed publicly. We abide by our privacy policy which is linked to at the bottom of this page. If you wish to discuss any privacy concerns 

I have other questions that aren't listed here. How can I get in touch about Young Voices?

If you have a question that isn't answered here, we'd love to hear from you. Email your question to youngvoices@justeverything.com.au