Hey there, my name is Sylvie and I’ve spent my week at Hillz for a work experience placement. Radio is something that I’ve had an interest in for a few years now and so I knew that I wanted to find a local station to start at when it was time for me to find work experience.
I’ve only been with Hillz for 4 days and in that time alone I feel so achieved. I’ve done so much amazing stuff in such a short space of time. Half of my time here each day has been spent with the other members of the Skillz with Hillz radio training programme, where young people with an interest in radio can go to learn the skills to get on air. But honestly, it’s been so much more than that in every way. While on the first day I was just learning my first set of skills, by the second day we were already live and on air! I had no idea I would be on that quickly from when I started but getting hands on so quickly was a huge confidence boost and quickly got me ready for the rest of my week. My first time on air was presenting a news bulletin for the Wednesday morning show ‘Kickstart with Kate’. It went really well, and I didn’t find being in front of a microphone half as scary as I thought it might have been. It wasn’t a long segment but it did a great job in allowing me a first taste of what it was like to do a job that I had been so excited to do, I even got to announce the weather!
After my first live segment we had an out-trip to the Delia Derbyshire building at Coventry University. We were taught the basics of soldering, which I am apparently quite good at! It was a really enjoyable time, despite the fact that I had previously never even considered myself soldering. Being a sixth former who is soon to start my university applications I was grateful for the ability to tour that art centre building, any taste of uni life is important at this stage, especially if you’re like me and see your future in university.
After that, the programme ended but I still had a few more hours left until my day ended and I spent my time helping out the lovely staff and then assisting with the afterschool youth club. It was lovely getting to meet so many amazing young people and helping to give them a comfortable and welcoming space. My interests matched with so many others for the first time in a long time and I loved just having the ability to socialise with so many likeminded people, it’s the little things like that that have made this experience for me.
On Thursday, we had an interview with the lovely Coventry based artist Serena Jasmine. I’ve never interviewed anyone live before but was immediately sat in the hot seat to lead the way. And I loved it! It was deeply enjoyable, all of us bouncing off each other and eventually spending over an hour on the segment. It was a great experience, especially being able to lead so much. I really enjoyed my time behind the main microphone and getting to discuss my questions with the group. It boosted my confidence so much and the fact that I was trusted to have a go so early is something I have been so grateful for.
I’ve spent a lot of my week in the study, more than I thought I would, it’s been amazing, really consolidating the fact that radio is something that I want to continue doing. I think my love for the job and desire to do it has only increased in my time here. It’s something I care about so much and being able to broadcast myself and my voice to so many people has been so gratifying and actually very validating.
Sometimes I find it hard to find places that I fit in, places that I feel represented or heard in Coventry. While being at Hillz not only have I felt seen and represented, but I’ve been able to project my voice to others and help others too, and that is one of the most important parts of this to me. I have been able to talk to others in group segments and in my own short takeover segment. Things as small as getting my own music taste out into the world has me all happy and excited. It doesn’t really seem like a big deal, of course a radio host on community radio can play their own music! But it is so gratifying to get a piece of yourself out there through the music you love.
Everyone I have met here at Hillz have been welcoming, kind and a pleasure to be around, I’m almost upset that this week is almost over and I have to leave everyone so quickly! Everyone has been conversational and inclusive which has been great for someone like me who can be so nervous and awkward in a new situation. Everyone has made me feel comfortable and happy and I couldn’t have asked for better people to guide me through this experience. I’ve felt like a real part of the team and I feel like I’m contributing to something so much bigger than myself, especially helping other young people that I see so much of myself in. Everyone has been more than happy to give me things to do and work on, I haven’t stopped all week but I wouldn’t ask for anything else. I love having plenty of new things to do, really breaks up the monotony of sixth form life. Things as small as the fact that everyone has said my name right has made this experience worth it, nobody has called me Sylvia, and that’s a strangely big deal to me. I feel seen as myself here and not just as some random person.
That’s the biggest reason that I want to recommend coming here to other people of my age group. No matter who you are you will be accepted here, there’s been absolutely no judgement. Even if working in radio isn’t something that interests you, I think that there’s something here for everyone to take part in and enjoy and the environment is so friendly that anyone will have a good time no matter what they’re doing.
Overall, my experience here at Hillz has been hugely beneficial to me, growing my self confidence as well as my self-image. I cannot recommend coming here enough to anyone of any age, but especially young people like me. I can already see myself coming back here in the near future.
– Written by work experience student Sylvie