At the Society of Young Publishers’ digital AGM on 28 January, the society outlined their new objectives for the year. The Society of Young Publishers (SYP) began in London in 1949, and, as it enters its 75th year, is now made up of eight branches across the UK and Ireland. As such, the Society is reinforcing their commitment to society-wide collaboration with strengthened internal communication practices that will elevate the points of connection between branches, and encourage feedback amongst volunteers, as the society continues to grow.
The SYP has developed several new roles across the branches, particularly within membership and digital content, to encourage cross-branch initiatives that will help expand SYP outreach and maximise the membership benefits offered to individuals across the UK and Ireland. Part of this will include revamping the member-exclusive resource centre, the SYP website, and expanding the mentorship, upskilling and networking opportunities offered to the SYP Ahead stream, the strand of SYP members seeking development in their first ten years of the industry.
The SYP have also pledged their commitment to developing their regional diversity initiatives, the Spare Room Project and the Spare Zoom Project, which aim to increase the accessibility of the publishing industry for aspiring publishers based across the UK and Ireland. They will celebrate their 75th with a host of activities and content that will look back at the impressive history of the SYP and re-emphasise the key role the SYP continues to play in encouraging publishing connections and offering insight into the industry, particularly in the range of areas the SYP covers.
Michaela O’Callaghan, Trade Marketing Executive at Bounce Sales and Marketing, will continue her work as Co-Chair of the SYP UK committee and this year will be joined by Eleanor Gaffney, Project Editor at Dialogue and the previous Chair of the SYP South West branch.
O’Callaghan said “Last year, we made some significant steps to increase collaboration between branches, and it has been great to see these coming into action already. It is an exciting year for the SYP, and I am excited to see how we can align our SYP 75th anniversary celebrations with our commitment to regional diversity and ensuring all those looking to get into and ahead within the industry feel informed and encouraged to do so.
Finally, I would love to welcome our new team of chairs and committee members. We are honoured to have so many impassioned and dedicated volunteers on board, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve over the year.”
Gaffney added: “I'm so thrilled to be stepping into this position during such an important year for the SYP. We have brilliant plans in the pipeline for celebrating the 75th anniversary and will continue to champion all of our regional branches, as well as the Spare Room and Spare Zoom Projects, as the society strives to help people from all around the UK and Ireland get into and ahead in the publishing industry. With improved value for members and a continued focus on inclusivity and upskilling, 2024 looks to be a bright year for the SYP!”
Numerous appointments have been made to the SYP’s regional branch committees. The SYP South West committee will be co-chaired by Sophie Dickinson and Charlotte Grant. Rose Winter will be heading up the SYP Ireland Committee whilst Imogen Davies is the new Chair of the SYP North Committee. Alisha Raggatt and Isabelle Cowles will be leading the SYP Oxford Committee. Finally, Leyre Veras Preciado and Meghan Capper are Co-Chairs of SYP London. Averie Watson and Hayley Cadel are current Co-Chairs of SYP Scotland and SYP Scotland will be opening applications for the next year in April.
Follow @SYP_UK and the regional SYP teams (@SYPIreland, @SYP_LDN, @SYPNorth, @SYP_Oxford, @SYPScotland, @SYP_Wales and @SYP_SouthWest) on Twitter for regular updates. You can also follow @SYP_UK, @SYP_London, @Oxford_SYP, @SYPScotland, @SYP_Wales and @SYP_Southwest on Instagram.
The SYP currently have a few voluntary committee roles open to applications. Please look here to discover the volunteering options available: https://thesyp.org.uk/volunteer/
Applications from candidates from Black, Indigenous and people of Colour, LGBTQIA+, disabled, neurodivergent and underrepresented communities are particularly encouraged.
Comments