Making Your Voice Heard: A Media Toolkit for Children & Youth

Developed by the Youth Media & Communication Initiative, this toolkit offers ways to change negative youth stereotypes in the media. It aims to help children, youth and youth-based organisations, community groups, and educators to understand the media and to gain access to various media. If children and youth contribute to the coverage of news and events in the media, they can help promote a more balanced image of young people and the positive roles they play in society.

This manual contains nine sections and 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.

It also contains a media guide for NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and youth-based community groups and guidance for journalists on how to report about young people. There are tips for young people on how to develop a communication plan, write news, feature stories and letters to editors. There are appendixes that discuss the relevant international instruments on children and the media.