Volunteering
Volunteer as a group
The majority of our work is with groups and organisations, clubs and societies, which volunteer staff time, occasional resources and ideas in partnership projects to enable local communities to express themselves, whether this expression is around concerns or issues, arts, culture, heritage, creative projects or with specific groups of people in the community, for example, older people, children and youth, women, people with disabilities and ethnic minorities.
If your group has an idea they wish to discuss with us please contact us at feedback[at]nvtv.co.uk. Please note that we cannot offer subsidies for what are essentially promotional videos.
Volunteer as an individual
If you’re passionate about community media and are working towards a career in the sector, we’d like to hear from you. Volunteering with us won’t be paid, but it offers hands-on experience, new skills and the chance to meet and work with others in the industry. Many local filmmakers began their careers here.
We’re looking for people who already have some training or practical experience in digital media – through education, personal projects or community work. If you’re completely new to media, a college or university course may be a better starting point, as we don’t typically offer basic training through volunteering alone.
Most of our opportunities sit within structured programmes or longer-term placements (usually three months or more) and are publicly advertised. We also run occasional workshops, summer schools and apprenticeship schemes, often in partnership with others.
Our work is largely focused on arts, heritage, documentary, current affairs and community projects rather than drama production. We also expect volunteers to be multi-skilled rather than specialising in a single role – gaining experience across shooting, editing, sound and production. We’re less interested in qualifications or vague aspirations, and more interested in what you’ve actually made. That could be a community video, a filmed event, interviews, a vlog or any other practical work that shows initiative and engagement.
If you’re applying, please include examples of your work along with a short CV or a brief statement about your experience and interests (around two pages max). Think about what you’ve made, what you’ve learned and how you’ve used media to communicate with others.
All volunteers take a basic competency test in camera and sound and receive initial training. The work can involve irregular hours, but it offers real production experience – from idea development through to broadcast.
A key benefit of volunteering with NVTV is the opportunity to see work transmitted on television and credited, something that’s rare at entry level. Some volunteers have gone on to develop series, launch production companies or move into wider industry roles.
Northern Visions was awarded the Investors in Volunteers quality mark in 2011, one of around 470 organisations in the UK to receive it.
Get in touch!
If you’d like to chat with us about volunteering, contact us at: feedback@nvtv.co.uk
Arts projects at Northern Visions are generously supported by:
