Children and Youth: Participation in Media
This issue of The Soul Beat focuses on information from the Soul Beat Africa network of experiences and resources about producing media with the participation of children and youth. If you would like to contribute your experiences or information, please e-mail Anja Venth aventh@comminit.com
1. Radio Infantil - Mozambique
Transmitted via the local community radio, children and youth from the Alto Molócùe district in Mozambique produce programmes with dialogues, interviews, testimonials, quizzes and dramas. Participants receive participatory training on issues of child rights and health and on how to produce radio. On Saturdays, children from different regional schools gather to produce programmes transmitted directly from the amphitheatre outside the radio house.
Contact Lena Vind-Andersen lena.ibis@eikmail.com
2. Digital Interactive Video Online (DIVO) - Ghana, UK
Peer-led participatory film-making in which young women from Ghana and the UK are creating and sharing digital films about their experience of gender and sexual health. Participants receive training in the use of digital video storytelling and relevant equipment. This aims to help the young women gain technical skills as well as enabling participants to have personal, creative ownership of their stories.
Contact kirsten@fruitti.com
3. Radio Kidocracy - South Africa
An annual young broadcasters convention aimed at bringing together groups of children and young people between the ages of 13 to 18 to talk about the Africa Charter on Children's Broadcasting. Radio Kidocracy 2004 included radio production and recording workshops involving all delegates in radio-making projects.
Contact Coslyn coslyn@bushradio.co.za OR Shaheen shaheen@bushradio.co.za
4. Youth Broadcasting - Somalia
Nine Somalian youth groups were trained in the basics of broadcasting to produce radio and TV programmes focusing on community concerns, such as HIV/AIDS and youth leadership. Youth groups in Central and Southern Somalia produced six video programmes and three radio programmes which were broadcast through local radio and TV stations and also disseminated through video parlours.
Contact Robert Kihara rkihara@unicef.org
5. Mundo Sem Segredos (World Without Secrets) - Mozambique
Childrens radio programme that addresses HIV/AIDS and is training children to participate in the programming and presenting of radio shows. Programmes contain a mix of interviews, drama, live reports, testimonials, music and poetry that is intended to entertain and inform listeners. Children are encouraged to participate through letters, phone calls and competitions.
Contact Niamh Hanafin nhanafin@teledata.mz
6. Media and Children - Madagascar
Media and Children is a project aimed at adolescents aged 12-16 who aspire to become journalists. The project holds workshops teaching children how to read the news and make their own newspapers. Adult mentors for the children are trained in parallel to provide suitable on-going facilitation.
7. Action Health Participatory Video Project - Nigeria
9. These Rights are Mine - Uganda
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The 5th World Summit on Media for Children will be hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa in March 2007!
The Children and Broadcasting Foundation for Africa (CBFA), a nonprofit organisation based in Johannesburg, is hosting this World Summit. The theme is "Media as a Tool for Global Peace and Democracy" For information contact Firdoze Bulbulia moments@icon.co.za
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10. African Charter on Children's Broadcasting
Charter introduced by the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) in Cape Town, South Africa on October 13 2000 to provide guidance in children's broadcasting in Africa. Article one states - "Children should have programmes of high quality, made specifically for them and which do not exploit them at any stage of the production process. Children should be allowed to have a say in the initial stages of production of the programmes being produced for them."
11. Children and Environment in Emthanjeni: Report on Training Workshop for Adults in Emthanjeni on Working in a Participatory Way with Children to Attain their Environmental Rights
by Jeanne Swart
This 127-page report reflects on training workshops conducted at Emthanjeni, South Africa for adults working in a participatory way with children to promote their environmental rights. It explores how participatory children workshops can be used to promote environmental awareness amongst children.
12. Child Affective Media
by Wajuhi Kamau
In this paper, the author shares the experience of Plan International in developing a participatory children's video project in Kenya and identifies key strategies used. The author states that the Video Project has assisted children, community and development workers to identify and analyse issues that impact on childrens development.
13. Meeting the Challenge of Research With Very Young Children: A Practical Outline of Methodologies Used in the Formative Research & Pre-testing of the Takalani Sesame HIV and AIDS Television and Radio Programmes
by Glynis Clacherty & Ann Kushlick
This paper illustrates participatory research approaches that Clacherty & Associates and Ochre Communication have adopted for very young children. It uses the introduction and development of the HIV and AIDS curriculum in Takalani Sesame as a specific example.
14. Soul Buddyz Three: Target Audience Research
Soul Buddyz is a multi-media "edutainment" vehicle from Soul City for children aged 8-12, designed to promote health and well-being. It consists of a television drama, radio drama and a book for use in the Grade 7 Lifeskills classroom. In order to create appropriate storylines, audience research is undertaken before embarking on each new series. This paper shares research in developing Soul Buddyz Three.
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UNICEF's MAGIC website shares information about media activities and good ideas for, with and from children. Visit Unicef website
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15. Making Your Voice Heard: A Media Toolkit for Children & Youth
This toolkit aims to help children, youth and youth-based organisations, community groups, and educators to understand and gain access to media so that they can help promote balanced images of young people and the positive roles they play in society. It deals with such issues as who decides what stories get reported and from what angle, understanding stereotypes, speaking to the media and taking action against inappropriate or offensive stories.
16. Children's Rights and the Media: A Resource for Journalists
by Shareen Singh, Nisha Naidoo & Shereen Usdin
This booklet encourages the media to re-examine the way in which children's issues are covered and to raise the priority accorded to children in print and broadcast media. It is a source of information and statistics and provides contact details of individuals and organisations working for children's rights, making it easier for media professionals to source expert opinion.
17. Children, HIV/AIDS and Communication in South Africa
The brief strives to identify key issues related to children and HIV/AIDS, including discrimination, grief, knowledge, attitudes and practices. It attempts to determine what programmes have been implemented, both media and non-media, relating to children and HIV/AIDS; and to provide a comprehensive bibliography of literature in the area.
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The Soul Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.
Please send material for The Soul Beat to the Editor - Anja Venth aventh@comminit.com
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