Description

Who We Are

YouthNoise.com is a nonprofit social networking site that provides a space for young activists to write, connect, learn and act to create positive change in the world. We empower young people everywhere to catapult their passion and idealism into movements to sustain the planet.

YouthNoise is partnering with the Nike Let Me Play campaign, a global initiative dedicated to supporting community-based sports programs and providing athletic opportunities for youth. Let Me Play will engage young people (ages 17 to 24) in ways to use athletics to support worthwhile causes.

Position Overview

We are looking for five Let Me Play bloggers who are passionate about both sports and social change to be the voice of this campaign. Maybe you can’t get enough of rugby or dancing or even Wii tennis. Or maybe you’re a walking sports encyclopedia who has a life-size cardboard cutout of Dirk Nowitzki and can rattle off batting averages for every Red Sox player in the last ten years. If you get excited about using sports for social good and you are a talented and entertaining writer, we want to hear from you. Two bloggers will be assigned specifically to cover content of interest to the Los Angeles and New York geographic areas, but all bloggers can work from any location in the United States. Bloggers will be paid a monthly stipend of $500.

Let Me Play bloggers will be responsible for posting relevant, creative and youth-friendly content on a daily basis. Each blogger will have his or her own space on the YouthNoise site to create a personalized, lively blog that will generate community feedback and involvement. Bloggers will also serve as community managers for their blogs and will follow them with stalkerish obsession.

Responsibilities:
• Covering news and events related to Let Me Play’s mission and offering pertinent commentary
• Profiling people or organizations doing projects to promote sports for good
• Collaborating with the rest of the Let Me Play staff to integrate ongoing online and offline happenings
• Attending weekly phone calls and keeping up regular contact with the YouthNoise Web Producer
• Reading and responding to user comments and guiding online conversations in a constructive direction
• Monitoring the blog for inappropriate comments and redirecting conversations to the proper forum if necessary (message boards, debates, etc.)

Qualifications:
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills (a big plus if you have photography or video skills)
• Blogging and/or social networking experience (finally, all those hours you spent on Facebook will come in handy)
• A fabulous sense of humor! Really. We love all things quirky, ironic, irreverent and silly, and we are looking for kindred spirits.
• A stellar ability to find cool, interesting things online and get other people interested in them

How to apply

We don’t like reading boring cover letters any more than you like writing them. Instead, answer the following questions in a conversational e-mail that will give us a sense of your writing style. Send to Gillian Dicker, Web Producer, at gillian@youthnoise.org, along with an updated resume and at least three writing samples (preferably URLs to blog entries).

1. Why do you think you’d be a good Let Me Play blogger? Briefly describe why you’re interested in the position and outline any experience that would be helpful.
2. What is the most interesting piece of sports or activist news, gossip or hilarity that you’ve found online in the last week? Attach a link and write a few sentences about why you like it.
3. What is the greatest YouTube video you’ve ever seen? Include a link and a brief description (bonus points if it is in the form of a haiku).
4. If your life had a theme song, what would it be?

Posted on: 06/04