Call for Student Volunteers: Academic MindTrek Conference

The 26th International Academic Mindtrek conference will take place in Paidia Living Lab of Play in Tampere, between the 3rd and 6th October 2023. We’re thrilled to invite you to embark on a fantastic journey as a Student Volunteer at the upcoming Academic MindTrek conference.

The call for Student Volunteers is now open until September 15th to all students currently enrolled at a Finnish university!

Why volunteer?

At the heart of a successful conference are our Student Volunteers – and that could be you! As a volunteer, you’re not just helping out; you’re gaining access to a world of opportunities. Here’s what’s in store for you:

• Participate in the conference: Enjoy free registration covering the conference fee. Sip on some coffee while you soak up all the knowledge. You’ll have access to all the conference resources (except workshops) to fuel your curiosity. It does not cover travel or accommodation expenses.
• Hear great speakers: Say goodbye to classroom walls and hello to thought-provoking discussions. Listen and engage closely with contributors of, e.g., full papers, and posters, covering captivating topics like gamification, metaverse, human-nature interactions, and more.
• Gain valuable experience: Immerse yourself in an environment where leading academic and industry researchers, and practitioners meet. Sharpen your communication skills, boost your research know-how all whilst contributing to organising a conference. Being a SV also looks good on your CV!
• Expand your network: Meet and exchange ideas with academic and industry leaders from around the globe. Forge connections that could shape your research path and future endeavours.
• SV Fashion: Sport your style with a patch for your student overall, along with a comfy beanie or t-shirt.
  
  
  

Who are we looking for?

Calling all enthusiastic souls! Whether you’re a seasoned volunteer or brand-new to the scene, you can help MindTrek become a success! Here’s what we’re searching for:

• Fluent in English (bonus points for multilingual talents!)
• Comfortable with basic computer skills and familiar with tools like Word and Zoom
• Currently enrolled in any undergraduate or graduate program at Tampere University or another Finnish university
• (Optional) Proficient with Discord, Zoom, and live-streaming environments

Even if you don’t meet all of the above criteria, but are motivated to help out, you’re welcome to apply!

What are your tasks as a volunteer?

You will be working during the main conference days, as well as help with the preparations before that. The estimated workload will be 12-15 hours. We will do our best to take your availability, specific interests and abilities into consideration when assigning your tasks. Some examples of tasks from previous years include:

• Working at the registration desk, by providing badges or virtual access
• Providing general information about the conference to the attendees
• Helping people to find their ways to correct rooms
• Report and/or solve technical problems in sessions
• Assisting speakers in setting up their presentations
• Giving general assistance and running errands
• Writing blog posts about presentations from the conference. 
  

Please note that you are expected to attend an orientation session before the conference, arrive at Paidia in Tampere in due time, and show up on time for the assigned tasks. More details will be provided upon acceptance.

How can you become a volunteer?

Ready to dive in? We’re excited to have you on board. Apply to be a Student Volunteer by filling out this form (https://forms.office.com/e/EPesNNPFsT). 

Important dates:

• Deadline for student volunteer application: September 15th, 2023
• Notification of acceptance: September 18th, 2023
• Conference dates: October 3rd to 6th, 2023

Please ensure that you submit your application latest by September 15th EOD, as we sadly cannot accept late applications. The conference time zone is GMT +3 – please consider possible time zone differences when applying and identifying your availability. 

Also, please adjust your spam filter so messages with the ‘tuni.fi’ domain will not be placed in your junk-mail folder.

Volunteer Organisation and Contact Information

Do you have any questions or comments? The fastest way to get in contact with us is to send an email to our shared inbox tg-academicmindtrek-studentactivitieschair@groups.tuni.fi. We will get back to you as soon as possible! 

Let’s make Academic MindTrek 2023 an unforgettable conference together. We can’t wait to meet and work with you!

Velvet Spors (velvet.spors@tuni.fi)

Corinna Wüllner (corinna.wuellner@tuni.fi)

Pallabi Bhowmick (pbhowmic@iu.edu)