VIDEO CONTEST
The MDGs and the WSIS are two linked issues. Bridging the digital gap is one step toward the achievement of the MDGs. Educating the youth to this essential issue and make them participate actively in the process constitutes a target in itself. Every Participant is invited to send a video work dealing with one single MDG. However, the participant can send up to eight video works, each one dealing with a different MDG. Selected video works will be screened in an open space made available for WFUNA and CONGO at the WSIS, on 10th December 2003.
The rules :
The competition is opened to people aged between 15 and 35.
Competitors should produce and submit a short video on one of the Millennium Development Goals.
Videos must be produced in English, French or Spanish, or mute.
Supports for the videos must be VHS, DV or DVD
Duration for each video should not exceed 2 minutes (including title and credits).
Each video must mention the name of her/his author, the country and her/his related organization if any.
Each Video must be accompanied by a short description paper (500 words maximum) explaining the idea of the author. Please mention on the same paper, your address, birth date, gender, name, address, Tel, Email.
Deadline :
The competition runs from 15th October to 25th November 2003.
All videos should be sent before 26 November 2003 to :
Kouraich Jaouahdou,
CONGO Communication Officer
Palais des Nations, bureau E2-B. CH 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland.
Selection process :
All videos will be viewed by a selection committee constituted of two representatives of CONGO, two representatives of WFUNA, a specialist from the film industry as well as a specialist of development related issues.
The committee will select one video per MDG, which will make a total of 8 winners.
Selection criteria will include pertinence and interest of the illustration of the chosen topic, as well as technical and artistic quality of the video.
Winners will be individually contacted.
Award :
The winning videos will be shown to the public during the WSIS, on 10 December 2003, on the ICT4D Platform in Geneva, and their authors will receive a certificate.
Furthermore, WFUNA and CONGO will do their utmost to ensure a large diffusion of the videos during 2004 and 2005 through solidarity oriented film festivals.
October 31, 2003
Internet Access Soars in Schools, But "Digital Divide" Still Exists at Home for Minority and Poor Students
Two New Reports Look at Computer and Internet Use in Education
While public schools have made huge improvements in providing computer and Internet access, minority and poor students lack computer access outside of regular school hours, according to two new reports released today by the National Center for Education Statistics in the department's Institute of Education Sciences (IES).
"The pace of technological change is truly astounding and has left no area of our lives untouched, including schools," said U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. "These reports are good news and show how much progress has been made in connecting nearly every school in the nation to the Internet. But there are still big differences in home computer use that need to be addressed before we can declare the digital divide closed.
"We need to address the limited access to technology that many students have outside of school. There is much more we can do. Closing the digital divide will also help close the achievement gap that exists within our schools."
The No Child Left Behind Act continues to support enhancing education through technology and helps to support those students who need it most. Approximately $700 million has been appropriated for educational technology programs in 2002 and 2003.
The first report, "Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-2002," is an annual department survey conducted to report on the availability and use of technology in schools. Among its findings:
In 1994, 3 percent of classrooms in U.S. public schools had access to the Internet; in the fall of 2002, 92 percent had Internet access; in 1994, 35 percent of schools had access; and in fall 2002, 99 percent had access.
In 2002, the ratio of students to instructional computers with Internet access in public schools was 4.8 to 1, an improvement from the 12 to 1 ratio in 1998 when it was first measured.
In 2002, the ratio of students to instructional computers with Internet access was higher in schools with the highest poverty concentration than in schools with the lowest. Despite this gap, in schools with the highest poverty concentration, the ratio improved from 6.8 students per computer in 2001 to 5.5 in 2002.
In 2002, 53 percent of public schools with access to the Internet reported that they made computers available to students outside of regular hours (96 percent after school, 74 percent before school, 6 percent on weekends).
Eighty-six percent of public schools reported that they had a Web site or Web page (75 percent in 2001).
Eighty-seven percent of public schools with Internet access indicated that their school or school district had offered professional development to teachers in the schools to help them integrate the use of the Internet into the curriculum in the 12 months prior to the survey.
Schools used various means to control student access to inappropriate material on the Internet. Ninety-six percent used blocking software, 91 percent reported that teachers monitored students' access, 82 percent had a written agreement that parents have to sign, 77 percent had contracts that the students had to sign, 41 percent had honor codes and 32 percent allowed access only to an intranet.
To access the report, visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2004011.
The second report, "Computer and Internet Use by Children and Adolescents in 2001," shows that computer and Internet access has become an important component of schoolwork, but that a digital divide still exists:
Many children use technology to complete school work: 44 percent use computers and 77 percent use the Internet for their assignments.
The digital divide still exists in homes: 41 percent of blacks and Hispanics use a computer at home compared to 77 percent of whites.
Only 31 percent of students from families earning less than $20,000 use computers at home, compared to 80 percent of those from families earning more than $75,000.
White students are more likely than black and Hispanic students to use computers for completing school assignments (58 percent vs. 28 percent vs. 27 percent).
However, racial and ethnic differences in the use of computers seem largely to be a function of home access. No significant differences in usage to complete homework assignments were detected between racial/ethnic groups who had computer access at home.
This report can be downloaded at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2004014.
Two New Reports Look at Computer and Internet Use in Education
While public schools have made huge improvements in providing computer and Internet access, minority and poor students lack computer access outside of regular school hours, according to two new reports released today by the National Center for Education Statistics in the department's Institute of Education Sciences (IES).
"The pace of technological change is truly astounding and has left no area of our lives untouched, including schools," said U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. "These reports are good news and show how much progress has been made in connecting nearly every school in the nation to the Internet. But there are still big differences in home computer use that need to be addressed before we can declare the digital divide closed.
"We need to address the limited access to technology that many students have outside of school. There is much more we can do. Closing the digital divide will also help close the achievement gap that exists within our schools."
The No Child Left Behind Act continues to support enhancing education through technology and helps to support those students who need it most. Approximately $700 million has been appropriated for educational technology programs in 2002 and 2003.
The first report, "Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-2002," is an annual department survey conducted to report on the availability and use of technology in schools. Among its findings:
In 1994, 3 percent of classrooms in U.S. public schools had access to the Internet; in the fall of 2002, 92 percent had Internet access; in 1994, 35 percent of schools had access; and in fall 2002, 99 percent had access.
In 2002, the ratio of students to instructional computers with Internet access in public schools was 4.8 to 1, an improvement from the 12 to 1 ratio in 1998 when it was first measured.
In 2002, the ratio of students to instructional computers with Internet access was higher in schools with the highest poverty concentration than in schools with the lowest. Despite this gap, in schools with the highest poverty concentration, the ratio improved from 6.8 students per computer in 2001 to 5.5 in 2002.
In 2002, 53 percent of public schools with access to the Internet reported that they made computers available to students outside of regular hours (96 percent after school, 74 percent before school, 6 percent on weekends).
Eighty-six percent of public schools reported that they had a Web site or Web page (75 percent in 2001).
Eighty-seven percent of public schools with Internet access indicated that their school or school district had offered professional development to teachers in the schools to help them integrate the use of the Internet into the curriculum in the 12 months prior to the survey.
Schools used various means to control student access to inappropriate material on the Internet. Ninety-six percent used blocking software, 91 percent reported that teachers monitored students' access, 82 percent had a written agreement that parents have to sign, 77 percent had contracts that the students had to sign, 41 percent had honor codes and 32 percent allowed access only to an intranet.
To access the report, visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2004011.
The second report, "Computer and Internet Use by Children and Adolescents in 2001," shows that computer and Internet access has become an important component of schoolwork, but that a digital divide still exists:
Many children use technology to complete school work: 44 percent use computers and 77 percent use the Internet for their assignments.
The digital divide still exists in homes: 41 percent of blacks and Hispanics use a computer at home compared to 77 percent of whites.
Only 31 percent of students from families earning less than $20,000 use computers at home, compared to 80 percent of those from families earning more than $75,000.
White students are more likely than black and Hispanic students to use computers for completing school assignments (58 percent vs. 28 percent vs. 27 percent).
However, racial and ethnic differences in the use of computers seem largely to be a function of home access. No significant differences in usage to complete homework assignments were detected between racial/ethnic groups who had computer access at home.
This report can be downloaded at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2004014.
October 30, 2003
Kids Are Calling More Shots Over Household Media Choices
by Ross Fadner
Kids have always been a big factor in family purchase decisions but their influence appears to be growing – especially when it comes to decisions about the acquisition of new media technologies.
Specifically, the influence consumers ages 8 to 17 have over the books, music, newspapers, magazines, DVDs, as well as food purchases, acquired by their households has increased by 10 percent or more in the past year, according to findings of the 2003 Roper Youth Report.
The study, which ws released Wednesday by Roper ASW, is based on 500 in-depth personal interviews and is considered a key piece of consumer research.
“Purchasing clout among today’s kids has expanded beyond the traditional borders of snack food and video games,” noted Ed Keller, CEO of Roper ASW. “We are beginning to see children as young as eight having an impact on new, more sophisticated areas like home design.”
The study does offer one ironic finding. While kids are exerting greater influence than ever over family purchase decisions, they likely are a less significant source of actually funding those purchases. Roper found that parents have significantly cut the median allowance among 8-17 year olds over the last year. For 8-12 year olds, the median allowance has fallen from $10 in 2002 to $5 in 2003. Similarly, 13 to 17 year olds saw five dollars sliced off the top of their $20, 2002 median allowance this year.
Despite these tough times for teens, they’re still going to the mall and they’re still spending. Nine out of ten teens go to the mall at least “occasionally,” up slightly from last year, with one third going “fairly often,” and ten per cent going out “very often.” When asked the next thing they plan to buy with their money, clothing (29%), video games (16%), and CDs (15%) topped the list.
According to the data, more and more 8-17 year olds are saving up for more expensive purchases. Clothing, shoe, and music purchases rose 8, 5, and 3 per cent respectively among teens and tweens. Thirty-two percent of kids are saving money for clothes, 15% for shoes, and 13% for music purchases.
A further one-quarter of teens say they are saving because “it’s good to save,”—a 21% increase from last year’s report. College saving, however, has lost steam as a motivating factor for kids to hold onto their money, sputtering to 29% from 34% last year—further indication that our children have no concept of just how expensive college really is.
In spite of the economic setbacks, Keller applauds the pervading “save now, spend later” spirit of young consumers, noting that its not easy for them to have to wait for what they want in today’s instant gratification society. “The sales cycle may be longer, but kids today continue to be strong consumers,” said Keller. “Delayed gratification isn’t easy, especially in today’s face paced world. Marketers must appeal to and applaud their ability to save up for the things they want to purchase.”
The data also points out that candy (35%), soda and soft drinks (26%), clothes (25%) and food (21%) were the leaders in the most recent purchases category.
by Ross Fadner
Kids have always been a big factor in family purchase decisions but their influence appears to be growing – especially when it comes to decisions about the acquisition of new media technologies.
Specifically, the influence consumers ages 8 to 17 have over the books, music, newspapers, magazines, DVDs, as well as food purchases, acquired by their households has increased by 10 percent or more in the past year, according to findings of the 2003 Roper Youth Report.
The study, which ws released Wednesday by Roper ASW, is based on 500 in-depth personal interviews and is considered a key piece of consumer research.
“Purchasing clout among today’s kids has expanded beyond the traditional borders of snack food and video games,” noted Ed Keller, CEO of Roper ASW. “We are beginning to see children as young as eight having an impact on new, more sophisticated areas like home design.”
The study does offer one ironic finding. While kids are exerting greater influence than ever over family purchase decisions, they likely are a less significant source of actually funding those purchases. Roper found that parents have significantly cut the median allowance among 8-17 year olds over the last year. For 8-12 year olds, the median allowance has fallen from $10 in 2002 to $5 in 2003. Similarly, 13 to 17 year olds saw five dollars sliced off the top of their $20, 2002 median allowance this year.
Despite these tough times for teens, they’re still going to the mall and they’re still spending. Nine out of ten teens go to the mall at least “occasionally,” up slightly from last year, with one third going “fairly often,” and ten per cent going out “very often.” When asked the next thing they plan to buy with their money, clothing (29%), video games (16%), and CDs (15%) topped the list.
According to the data, more and more 8-17 year olds are saving up for more expensive purchases. Clothing, shoe, and music purchases rose 8, 5, and 3 per cent respectively among teens and tweens. Thirty-two percent of kids are saving money for clothes, 15% for shoes, and 13% for music purchases.
A further one-quarter of teens say they are saving because “it’s good to save,”—a 21% increase from last year’s report. College saving, however, has lost steam as a motivating factor for kids to hold onto their money, sputtering to 29% from 34% last year—further indication that our children have no concept of just how expensive college really is.
In spite of the economic setbacks, Keller applauds the pervading “save now, spend later” spirit of young consumers, noting that its not easy for them to have to wait for what they want in today’s instant gratification society. “The sales cycle may be longer, but kids today continue to be strong consumers,” said Keller. “Delayed gratification isn’t easy, especially in today’s face paced world. Marketers must appeal to and applaud their ability to save up for the things they want to purchase.”
The data also points out that candy (35%), soda and soft drinks (26%), clothes (25%) and food (21%) were the leaders in the most recent purchases category.
October 29, 2003
New Director of UNESCO's Communication Development Division Takes Office
16-10-2003 (UNESCO)
Wijayananda Jayaweera of Sri Lanka has taken office as the new Director of UNESCO's Communication Development Division. After Mogens Schmidt, recently nominated as Director of Organization's Division of Freedom of Expression, Democracy and Peace, and Elizabeth Longworth, freshly appointed Director of the Information Society Division, the new management team of UNESCO's Communication and Information Sector led by Abdul Waheed Khan is now complete.
Born in 1949, Mr Jayaweera holds an M.A. in Mass Communication from the University of Leicester (UK), a Diploma in Journalism from the University of Colombo (Sri Lanka) and a Certificate in Applied Development Communication awarded by the International Training Institute, Sydney (Australia).
Between 1969 and 1987, Mr Jayaweera worked at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation where he successively held the positions of programme producer, broadcasting manager, news editor, station manager and senior trainer. Between 1984 and 1987, he simultaneously served as Project Organizer for the implementation of the UNESCO/DANIDA Mahaweli Community Radio project. From 1987 to 1991, he worked with the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development as a Training Director on courses relating to training methodology and community radio conducted in Iran, Malaysia and the Papua New Guinea. During the same period, he also provided consultancy services to DaniCom on training and broadcasting policy development in Bhutan (CTA for Broadcasting Development Project funded by DANIDA).
From 1991 to 1994, he managed the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Training Institute and played an active role in the development of its training programme. In 1994, he joined UNESCO as a Programme Specialist in the Communication Development Division of the Communication and Information Sector. He subsequently served as Head of UNESCO Office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 1999 to 2002, before being transferred to New Delhi where he continued to serve as Regional Adviser for Communication and Information in Asia.
16-10-2003 (UNESCO)
Wijayananda Jayaweera of Sri Lanka has taken office as the new Director of UNESCO's Communication Development Division. After Mogens Schmidt, recently nominated as Director of Organization's Division of Freedom of Expression, Democracy and Peace, and Elizabeth Longworth, freshly appointed Director of the Information Society Division, the new management team of UNESCO's Communication and Information Sector led by Abdul Waheed Khan is now complete.
Born in 1949, Mr Jayaweera holds an M.A. in Mass Communication from the University of Leicester (UK), a Diploma in Journalism from the University of Colombo (Sri Lanka) and a Certificate in Applied Development Communication awarded by the International Training Institute, Sydney (Australia).
Between 1969 and 1987, Mr Jayaweera worked at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation where he successively held the positions of programme producer, broadcasting manager, news editor, station manager and senior trainer. Between 1984 and 1987, he simultaneously served as Project Organizer for the implementation of the UNESCO/DANIDA Mahaweli Community Radio project. From 1987 to 1991, he worked with the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development as a Training Director on courses relating to training methodology and community radio conducted in Iran, Malaysia and the Papua New Guinea. During the same period, he also provided consultancy services to DaniCom on training and broadcasting policy development in Bhutan (CTA for Broadcasting Development Project funded by DANIDA).
From 1991 to 1994, he managed the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Training Institute and played an active role in the development of its training programme. In 1994, he joined UNESCO as a Programme Specialist in the Communication Development Division of the Communication and Information Sector. He subsequently served as Head of UNESCO Office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 1999 to 2002, before being transferred to New Delhi where he continued to serve as Regional Adviser for Communication and Information in Asia.
Nielsen, Agency Probes Find Young Men Really Are Tuning Out: Network Programming May Be To Blame
by Joe Mandese and Ross Fadner
Following weeks of finger pointing over a precipitous decline in network TV viewing by young adult males, evidence is mounting that it the cause of the problem actually are young adult males themselves. They’re simply aren’t watching network TV as much as they used to.
The findings, which come from an exhaustive internal analysis conducted by Nielsen Media Research, as well as an independent study by Interpublic’s Magna Global USA unit, counter assertions by the major broadcast networks that Nielsen is to blame. When ratings for men 18-24 – a troublesome and fluky demographic to begin with – began plummeting this season, the networks claimed it was sloppy research on Nielsen’s part, not the appeal of their own programming, that was at fault.
In a report sent to clients on Tuesday, Nielsen asserted, “Young male viewers are, in fact, watching less primetime television this year than last.”
Nielsen said the primetime fall off ranged from 8 percent to 12 percent, though total day viewing among the demo is actually up slightly over last year. Nielsen attributed at least part of the decline to changes in media usage patterns by young adult males, noting, for example, that video game usage among young males has risen in primetime. It also noted that there have been increases in DVD usage. And while the client white paper didn’t says so, Nielsen executives said they believed young males also are engaging in other new media activities, including the Internet, all at the expense of network TV.
It’s clearly at the expense of the broadcast networks, they say, because there has not been any corresponding decline in viewing to cable networks.
And while Nielsen was not explicit about the cause for these shifting viewing patterns, Steve Sternberg, senior vice president-audience research at Magna didn’t mince words in his report, asserting, “It’s the programming, stupid.”
After exploring several scenarios, Sternberg said the agency concluded that the viewing decline is real and that young men simply are tuning at network TV because it is not as appealing to them.
“Young viewers don’t watch television simply because it’s there,” said Sternberg. “You have to put on programs they want to watch – just like any other group of viewers, maybe even more so. And at least through the first month of the season, there is not much on network television geared to young men.”
Actually, Nielsen Tuesday said that had begun to change by the second month, when Fox’s coverage of post-season baseball brought back young males in droves. In fact, they appear to have stayed there for the first week following the end of the baseball season.
If they weren’t being sampled properly or if the ratings decline reflected an actual decrease in overall TV usage by young adult males, Nielsen executives said it’s not likely that the networks would have seen a surge in the demographic during Fox’s baseball coverage.
How well the networks will be able to hold on to that rebound isn’t clear, but if they don’t, it’s clear that they will be shelling out an awful lot of makegoods to compensate advertisers for failing to meet ratings guarantees. While the networks are loath to guarantee against an explicit 18-24 year old demo, that subset is a key component of the broader and commonly guaranteed men 18-34 demo, which is beginning to feel the effects of the younger male slide.
The reason: due to population shifts, men 18-24 represent a greater share of the men 18-34 demo and they tend to watch less TV than their older counterparts.
That’s not something that is likely to change, barring a breakthrough in network programming strategies. As a result, the supply of young adult male gross rating points is bound to erode, which theoretically should drive advertising costs for buying the demo through the roof.
For its part, Magna says this is nothing new, noting that men 18-24 have always been a “fluky” demo. In fact, Magna noted that in two of the past eight years (1996 and 1998) primetime usage among men 18-24 has actually been lower than this year (see data below).
Not everyone is convinced. Network executives continue to maintain the falloff is extraordinary – to extraordinary to be accounted for by natural changes in consumer behavior.
“TV use is habitual behavior and habits are hard to change,” said Alan Wurtzel, president-research at NBC, adding, “I do think we’ll find out there was something wrong in the methodology”
“It is our feeling that the whole question of the decline in the 18-34 viewing demographic is an extraordinary situation,” added Dave Poltrack, executive vice president-planning and research at CBS. “We have never seen a decline of this significance before.”
“The [TV viewing] behavior of the general population doesn’t really change,” concurred Gale Metzger, president of Statistical Research Inc. and head of the SMART TV ratings lab, as well as a series of CONTAM (Committee on Nationwide Television Audience Measurement) studies, he said proved that fact years ago. In fact, Metzger suggested the real problem with young men is an ongoing issue of cooperation rates, especially in households where young men are still living at home with parents who may have opted into the Nielsen sample.
Men 18-24 Primetime Usage Trends
Year Weeks 1-4 Season-March
1993 26.9 27.5
1994 26.2 27.5
1995 25.3 26.3
1996 22.5 24.9
1997 23.8 25.0
1998 22.6 23.3
1999 23.2 23.8
2000 24.1 25.8
2001 24.4 24.6
2002 25.3 25.4
2003 22.9 ????
Source: Magna Global USA analysis of data from Nielsen Media Research.
by Joe Mandese and Ross Fadner
Following weeks of finger pointing over a precipitous decline in network TV viewing by young adult males, evidence is mounting that it the cause of the problem actually are young adult males themselves. They’re simply aren’t watching network TV as much as they used to.
The findings, which come from an exhaustive internal analysis conducted by Nielsen Media Research, as well as an independent study by Interpublic’s Magna Global USA unit, counter assertions by the major broadcast networks that Nielsen is to blame. When ratings for men 18-24 – a troublesome and fluky demographic to begin with – began plummeting this season, the networks claimed it was sloppy research on Nielsen’s part, not the appeal of their own programming, that was at fault.
In a report sent to clients on Tuesday, Nielsen asserted, “Young male viewers are, in fact, watching less primetime television this year than last.”
Nielsen said the primetime fall off ranged from 8 percent to 12 percent, though total day viewing among the demo is actually up slightly over last year. Nielsen attributed at least part of the decline to changes in media usage patterns by young adult males, noting, for example, that video game usage among young males has risen in primetime. It also noted that there have been increases in DVD usage. And while the client white paper didn’t says so, Nielsen executives said they believed young males also are engaging in other new media activities, including the Internet, all at the expense of network TV.
It’s clearly at the expense of the broadcast networks, they say, because there has not been any corresponding decline in viewing to cable networks.
And while Nielsen was not explicit about the cause for these shifting viewing patterns, Steve Sternberg, senior vice president-audience research at Magna didn’t mince words in his report, asserting, “It’s the programming, stupid.”
After exploring several scenarios, Sternberg said the agency concluded that the viewing decline is real and that young men simply are tuning at network TV because it is not as appealing to them.
“Young viewers don’t watch television simply because it’s there,” said Sternberg. “You have to put on programs they want to watch – just like any other group of viewers, maybe even more so. And at least through the first month of the season, there is not much on network television geared to young men.”
Actually, Nielsen Tuesday said that had begun to change by the second month, when Fox’s coverage of post-season baseball brought back young males in droves. In fact, they appear to have stayed there for the first week following the end of the baseball season.
If they weren’t being sampled properly or if the ratings decline reflected an actual decrease in overall TV usage by young adult males, Nielsen executives said it’s not likely that the networks would have seen a surge in the demographic during Fox’s baseball coverage.
How well the networks will be able to hold on to that rebound isn’t clear, but if they don’t, it’s clear that they will be shelling out an awful lot of makegoods to compensate advertisers for failing to meet ratings guarantees. While the networks are loath to guarantee against an explicit 18-24 year old demo, that subset is a key component of the broader and commonly guaranteed men 18-34 demo, which is beginning to feel the effects of the younger male slide.
The reason: due to population shifts, men 18-24 represent a greater share of the men 18-34 demo and they tend to watch less TV than their older counterparts.
That’s not something that is likely to change, barring a breakthrough in network programming strategies. As a result, the supply of young adult male gross rating points is bound to erode, which theoretically should drive advertising costs for buying the demo through the roof.
For its part, Magna says this is nothing new, noting that men 18-24 have always been a “fluky” demo. In fact, Magna noted that in two of the past eight years (1996 and 1998) primetime usage among men 18-24 has actually been lower than this year (see data below).
Not everyone is convinced. Network executives continue to maintain the falloff is extraordinary – to extraordinary to be accounted for by natural changes in consumer behavior.
“TV use is habitual behavior and habits are hard to change,” said Alan Wurtzel, president-research at NBC, adding, “I do think we’ll find out there was something wrong in the methodology”
“It is our feeling that the whole question of the decline in the 18-34 viewing demographic is an extraordinary situation,” added Dave Poltrack, executive vice president-planning and research at CBS. “We have never seen a decline of this significance before.”
“The [TV viewing] behavior of the general population doesn’t really change,” concurred Gale Metzger, president of Statistical Research Inc. and head of the SMART TV ratings lab, as well as a series of CONTAM (Committee on Nationwide Television Audience Measurement) studies, he said proved that fact years ago. In fact, Metzger suggested the real problem with young men is an ongoing issue of cooperation rates, especially in households where young men are still living at home with parents who may have opted into the Nielsen sample.
Men 18-24 Primetime Usage Trends
Year Weeks 1-4 Season-March
1993 26.9 27.5
1994 26.2 27.5
1995 25.3 26.3
1996 22.5 24.9
1997 23.8 25.0
1998 22.6 23.3
1999 23.2 23.8
2000 24.1 25.8
2001 24.4 24.6
2002 25.3 25.4
2003 22.9 ????
Source: Magna Global USA analysis of data from Nielsen Media Research.
New Technologies in Education: Mirage or Miracle?: UNESCO-CI (3.01b): "New Technologies in Education: Mirage or Miracle?
14-10-2003 (UNESCO)
'Whilst expecting any single technology magically to transform education is a chimera, we should not despair of the general potential of technology to improve education' says John Daniel, UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Education in the Editorial of the October issues of UNESCO's education newsletter Education Today.
Under the title 'New Technologies: Mirage Or Miracle?' Education Todayfocuses its central dossier on the questions whether ICTs have fulfilled their promise of better and cheaper education for more students.
The issue futures articles on 'Computers in schools: 10 points to avoid past errors', discusses the question 'New Technologies: Mirage or Miracle?', looks at the pioneering role of radio and TV in distance education and stresses the key role of teacher training. "
14-10-2003 (UNESCO)
'Whilst expecting any single technology magically to transform education is a chimera, we should not despair of the general potential of technology to improve education' says John Daniel, UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Education in the Editorial of the October issues of UNESCO's education newsletter Education Today.
Under the title 'New Technologies: Mirage Or Miracle?' Education Todayfocuses its central dossier on the questions whether ICTs have fulfilled their promise of better and cheaper education for more students.
The issue futures articles on 'Computers in schools: 10 points to avoid past errors', discusses the question 'New Technologies: Mirage or Miracle?', looks at the pioneering role of radio and TV in distance education and stresses the key role of teacher training. "
Youth media websites in Moldova:
www.centrulmedia.md -- belongs to the Youth Media Center "Young Voices".
Was designed and created by children themselves, without any support from
adults. Includes information on Youth Media Center, Youth Radio, Youth
Press Center, and an archive of e-newsletter, edited by the same team.
Other pages: Events, Forum, Photo Gallery... English version is not in place yet.
I would invite you to open Photo Gallery, in order to see how their life in
the center looks like.
www.youth.md -- belongs to National Youth Resource center, and addresses
youth NGOs and associations, young volunteer groups etc. Young people have
access to the electronic database on the youth legislation, information
about 540 youth NGOs, youth job opportunities, trainers' and volunteers'
teams, contact data of potential funding institutions, and an e-list of
1,700 sources from the library of the Center. The library is unique,
including materials in youth policies, guidelines for training and
activities with children and youth, materials on free-time animation,
children's rights, communication, counseling, vocational orientation. The
Center distributes weekly its electronic newsletter to 950 e-addresses of
Youth NGOs, associations, schools, media etc. and prints newsletter
"Network
for You".
www.ctj.md -- is created by Young Journalist's Center, an NGO reuniting representatives of school newspapers. The web site includes a database on 26 school newspapers, a forum and a chat, the archive of the Center's
newsletter ? "Your Newspaper", a photo gallery, surveys on line etc.
www.centrulmedia.md -- belongs to the Youth Media Center "Young Voices".
Was designed and created by children themselves, without any support from
adults. Includes information on Youth Media Center, Youth Radio, Youth
Press Center, and an archive of e-newsletter, edited by the same team.
Other pages: Events, Forum, Photo Gallery... English version is not in place yet.
I would invite you to open Photo Gallery, in order to see how their life in
the center looks like.
www.youth.md -- belongs to National Youth Resource center, and addresses
youth NGOs and associations, young volunteer groups etc. Young people have
access to the electronic database on the youth legislation, information
about 540 youth NGOs, youth job opportunities, trainers' and volunteers'
teams, contact data of potential funding institutions, and an e-list of
1,700 sources from the library of the Center. The library is unique,
including materials in youth policies, guidelines for training and
activities with children and youth, materials on free-time animation,
children's rights, communication, counseling, vocational orientation. The
Center distributes weekly its electronic newsletter to 950 e-addresses of
Youth NGOs, associations, schools, media etc. and prints newsletter
"Network
for You".
www.ctj.md -- is created by Young Journalist's Center, an NGO reuniting representatives of school newspapers. The web site includes a database on 26 school newspapers, a forum and a chat, the archive of the Center's
newsletter ? "Your Newspaper", a photo gallery, surveys on line etc.
A Growing Number of Video Viewers Watch From Crib
October 29, 2003
A Growing Number of Video Viewers Watch From Crib
By TAMAR LEWIN
alf an hour before bedtime, John Hill-Edgar is in his blue bouncy chair, watching the "Baby Bach" DVD, riveted by the sound of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" and the pictures of a toy train, a baby, a bubble-blowing toy bear.
He is just 7 months old, too young to talk, but like many other American babies, he has been watching videos from the "Baby Einstein" series almost since birth.
In the last five years, there has been an explosion in electronic media for babies and toddlers: "Teletubbies," the first television show for preverbal children; computer "lapware" for babies to play with while sitting in a parent's lap; and hundreds of videotapes and DVD's for even the tiniest infants.
Many babies are now immersed in electronic media for hours every day. In fact, more than a quarter of children under 2 have a television in their room, according to a large study of young children's media habits that was issued yesterday by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
On a typical day, the study found, 59 percent of children 6 months to 2 years watch television, and 42 percent watch a videotape or a DVD. The median time they spend watching some form of media or another on the screen is slightly more than two hours.
"The last time we did a big study on kids and media, about five years ago, we didn't think to go younger than 2, because we didn't think there was anything there," said the new report's lead author, Vicky Rideout, vice president of the Kaiser Foundation. "But that's really changed. And based on what we've now found with the 6-month-to-2-year-olds, if we do this kind of study again, we'd probably go down to birth."
According to the study, 10 percent of the babies and toddlers from 6 months to 2 years have a television remote control designed for children. And 32 percent have videos from the "Baby Einstein" series, created seven years ago as a way of exposing infants to poetry, language, music and art. "Baby Einstein" is now a Disney line that includes books, flashcards and puppets, along with DVD's and videotapes whose titles have expanded to include, among others, "Baby Shakespeare," "Baby Galileo" and "Baby Newton."
This is no surprise to baby John's mother, Dr. Allison Hill-Edgar, who received her first "Baby Einstein" video when she was pregnant with her older son, Morgan.
Morgan, now 2, has already developed distinct video preferences. "No, Mommy," he said as his mother put on "Baby Bach" in their apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. "No `Baby Bach.' I want Mose-art. Mose-art, Mommy! Mose-art."
After many viewings, though, the "Baby Mozart" DVD has worn out, so on this night it was just "Baby Bach" and "Baby Van Gogh." Morgan talked to his mother as he watched, heralding each new appearance on the screen. "Sky!" he exclaimed. "Trees."
"We don't watch every day, and it's something we do together and talk about, so I really don't worry that it stifles their creativity or anything," said Dr. Hill-Edgar, who is doing her residency in internal medicine. "We probably have about 20 kid tapes. And sometimes, if I'm at the computer, Morgan will sit on my lap and look at this Keith Haring Web site he likes."
There is little consensus about precisely how electronic media affect young children, and little data on which to base any conclusions.
"We know the first two years are a crucial developmental period, but at this point we don't have a clue about the impact of all this media," Ms. Rideout said. "The Nielsen ratings don't even count kids under 2, so there's no commercial ratings available. We're hoping this study provides some base-line data."
The Kaiser study was based on a nationally representative telephone survey conducted last spring among 1,065 parents with children 6 months to 6 years old. The study, whose margin of sampling error was plus or minus three percentage points, found that more than a third of all such children had a television in their bedroom and that those who did spent more time watching than those who did not.
According to the parents' own reports, more than a third live in homes where the television is on almost all the time, even if no one is watching. And children in such homes are much less likely than others to be able to read at ages 4 to 6, though the authors emphasized that the relationship was not necessarily causal.
But it is among the babies and toddlers that the most startling picture emerges. "We've got a mom in the office whose 2-year-old daughter has a special computer table, and she's got her games and her activities and her bookmarked Web sites," Ms. Rideout said. "It's a new phenomenon to have little kids spend this kind of time with the media, and while we don't know what it does, I think there are some red flags."
The baby-media blitz began in the late 1990's, on the heels of a flurry of publicity about how the earliest years were the most important for a child's brain development. There was so much discussion of the "Mozart effect" — the idea that exposure to classical music made a person smarter — that Zell Miller, then the governor of Georgia, proposed that the state give a classical CD to every new mother leaving the hospital.
Capitalizing on parental anxieties, many of the new tapes and DVD's are marketed as educational aids, with titles like "Brainy Baby — Right Brain," "Bee Smart Baby Multilingual Vocabulary Builder" and "Baby Genius — Mozart and Friends."
The original "Baby Einstein" tape features nursery rhymes and counting in English, Spanish, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese and Russian, and explains in the guide to parents that "research has shown that infants have a natural ability to distinguish and assimilate the sounds of all languages, but that this ability fades as babies grow older."
Alma Schneider of Montclair, N.J., who got the tape as a gift when her daughter, Ilah Saltzman, was just a few days old, said, "You want to make sure you're doing everything you can for your child, and you know everyone else uses `Baby Einstein,' so you feel guilty if you don't."
In 1999, the year after "Teletubbies," a British import, arrived on American television, the American Academy of Pediatrics adopted a statement that said children under 2 should not watch television and that children of all ages should not have a television in their room.
"Maybe it should be phrased more positively, that children do best with the maximum free play, the maximum interaction and maximum face time with their parents," said Dr. Michael Rich, a member of the academy's committee on public education.
But, Dr. Rich said, experts do not know how much difference there is "between kids raised on media and those raised on more interactive play, and I don't think we'll ever have that data."
Some experts say the academy's recommendation should help parents resist the media marketing.
"I think the academy was trying to help parents understand that in the very early years of life, what babies and toddlers need most is adults," said Matthew Melmed, executive director of Zero to Three, a national center for infants, toddlers and families. "We're programmed, as human beings, to learn through interpersonal relationships."
Many parents say that they understand that large doses of television are not good for babies and toddlers, and that when these children do watch, it is better to watch with them. But as a real-world matter, parents say, the only time they put the DVD in is when they need a respite from child care.
"It's like a treat for Eli," said Joanna Grand of South Hadley, Mass., whose 9-month-old son is allowed to watch "Baby Mozart," which he got as a baby present, only about once a week. "He gets very quiet, and he can't take his eyes off it, so it gives us a little time to make dinner. My husband hates the idea of it. He sees the baby staring at the TV like that, and it freaks him out."
October 29, 2003
A Growing Number of Video Viewers Watch From Crib
By TAMAR LEWIN
alf an hour before bedtime, John Hill-Edgar is in his blue bouncy chair, watching the "Baby Bach" DVD, riveted by the sound of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" and the pictures of a toy train, a baby, a bubble-blowing toy bear.
He is just 7 months old, too young to talk, but like many other American babies, he has been watching videos from the "Baby Einstein" series almost since birth.
In the last five years, there has been an explosion in electronic media for babies and toddlers: "Teletubbies," the first television show for preverbal children; computer "lapware" for babies to play with while sitting in a parent's lap; and hundreds of videotapes and DVD's for even the tiniest infants.
Many babies are now immersed in electronic media for hours every day. In fact, more than a quarter of children under 2 have a television in their room, according to a large study of young children's media habits that was issued yesterday by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
On a typical day, the study found, 59 percent of children 6 months to 2 years watch television, and 42 percent watch a videotape or a DVD. The median time they spend watching some form of media or another on the screen is slightly more than two hours.
"The last time we did a big study on kids and media, about five years ago, we didn't think to go younger than 2, because we didn't think there was anything there," said the new report's lead author, Vicky Rideout, vice president of the Kaiser Foundation. "But that's really changed. And based on what we've now found with the 6-month-to-2-year-olds, if we do this kind of study again, we'd probably go down to birth."
According to the study, 10 percent of the babies and toddlers from 6 months to 2 years have a television remote control designed for children. And 32 percent have videos from the "Baby Einstein" series, created seven years ago as a way of exposing infants to poetry, language, music and art. "Baby Einstein" is now a Disney line that includes books, flashcards and puppets, along with DVD's and videotapes whose titles have expanded to include, among others, "Baby Shakespeare," "Baby Galileo" and "Baby Newton."
This is no surprise to baby John's mother, Dr. Allison Hill-Edgar, who received her first "Baby Einstein" video when she was pregnant with her older son, Morgan.
Morgan, now 2, has already developed distinct video preferences. "No, Mommy," he said as his mother put on "Baby Bach" in their apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. "No `Baby Bach.' I want Mose-art. Mose-art, Mommy! Mose-art."
After many viewings, though, the "Baby Mozart" DVD has worn out, so on this night it was just "Baby Bach" and "Baby Van Gogh." Morgan talked to his mother as he watched, heralding each new appearance on the screen. "Sky!" he exclaimed. "Trees."
"We don't watch every day, and it's something we do together and talk about, so I really don't worry that it stifles their creativity or anything," said Dr. Hill-Edgar, who is doing her residency in internal medicine. "We probably have about 20 kid tapes. And sometimes, if I'm at the computer, Morgan will sit on my lap and look at this Keith Haring Web site he likes."
There is little consensus about precisely how electronic media affect young children, and little data on which to base any conclusions.
"We know the first two years are a crucial developmental period, but at this point we don't have a clue about the impact of all this media," Ms. Rideout said. "The Nielsen ratings don't even count kids under 2, so there's no commercial ratings available. We're hoping this study provides some base-line data."
The Kaiser study was based on a nationally representative telephone survey conducted last spring among 1,065 parents with children 6 months to 6 years old. The study, whose margin of sampling error was plus or minus three percentage points, found that more than a third of all such children had a television in their bedroom and that those who did spent more time watching than those who did not.
According to the parents' own reports, more than a third live in homes where the television is on almost all the time, even if no one is watching. And children in such homes are much less likely than others to be able to read at ages 4 to 6, though the authors emphasized that the relationship was not necessarily causal.
But it is among the babies and toddlers that the most startling picture emerges. "We've got a mom in the office whose 2-year-old daughter has a special computer table, and she's got her games and her activities and her bookmarked Web sites," Ms. Rideout said. "It's a new phenomenon to have little kids spend this kind of time with the media, and while we don't know what it does, I think there are some red flags."
The baby-media blitz began in the late 1990's, on the heels of a flurry of publicity about how the earliest years were the most important for a child's brain development. There was so much discussion of the "Mozart effect" — the idea that exposure to classical music made a person smarter — that Zell Miller, then the governor of Georgia, proposed that the state give a classical CD to every new mother leaving the hospital.
Capitalizing on parental anxieties, many of the new tapes and DVD's are marketed as educational aids, with titles like "Brainy Baby — Right Brain," "Bee Smart Baby Multilingual Vocabulary Builder" and "Baby Genius — Mozart and Friends."
The original "Baby Einstein" tape features nursery rhymes and counting in English, Spanish, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese and Russian, and explains in the guide to parents that "research has shown that infants have a natural ability to distinguish and assimilate the sounds of all languages, but that this ability fades as babies grow older."
Alma Schneider of Montclair, N.J., who got the tape as a gift when her daughter, Ilah Saltzman, was just a few days old, said, "You want to make sure you're doing everything you can for your child, and you know everyone else uses `Baby Einstein,' so you feel guilty if you don't."
In 1999, the year after "Teletubbies," a British import, arrived on American television, the American Academy of Pediatrics adopted a statement that said children under 2 should not watch television and that children of all ages should not have a television in their room.
"Maybe it should be phrased more positively, that children do best with the maximum free play, the maximum interaction and maximum face time with their parents," said Dr. Michael Rich, a member of the academy's committee on public education.
But, Dr. Rich said, experts do not know how much difference there is "between kids raised on media and those raised on more interactive play, and I don't think we'll ever have that data."
Some experts say the academy's recommendation should help parents resist the media marketing.
"I think the academy was trying to help parents understand that in the very early years of life, what babies and toddlers need most is adults," said Matthew Melmed, executive director of Zero to Three, a national center for infants, toddlers and families. "We're programmed, as human beings, to learn through interpersonal relationships."
Many parents say that they understand that large doses of television are not good for babies and toddlers, and that when these children do watch, it is better to watch with them. But as a real-world matter, parents say, the only time they put the DVD in is when they need a respite from child care.
"It's like a treat for Eli," said Joanna Grand of South Hadley, Mass., whose 9-month-old son is allowed to watch "Baby Mozart," which he got as a baby present, only about once a week. "He gets very quiet, and he can't take his eyes off it, so it gives us a little time to make dinner. My husband hates the idea of it. He sees the baby staring at the TV like that, and it freaks him out."
BOURSE: "MONDO TV: to realize a 'cartoon' in Unicef's favor.
Mondo TV Group - leading european operator in production and distribution of cartoons - has signed with Unicef Italia an agreement for the realization of a short film of cartoons (about 13 minutes).
The expenses for production, which is based on Bianca Pitzorno's characters and the story 'L'isola degli smemorati', will be fully covered by Mondo TV; all proceeds will be in advantage of Unicef's activities in favor of children which have been victims of exploitation.
This initiative, to be completed within 2004, has been realized by Mondo TV with the unique goal of supporting Unicef activities in favor of childhood. The production fully reflects the Group's stylistic choice of realizing productions with high educational and formative value and without any violent contents or episodes.
Rome, 22th October 2003"
Mondo TV Group - leading european operator in production and distribution of cartoons - has signed with Unicef Italia an agreement for the realization of a short film of cartoons (about 13 minutes).
The expenses for production, which is based on Bianca Pitzorno's characters and the story 'L'isola degli smemorati', will be fully covered by Mondo TV; all proceeds will be in advantage of Unicef's activities in favor of children which have been victims of exploitation.
This initiative, to be completed within 2004, has been realized by Mondo TV with the unique goal of supporting Unicef activities in favor of childhood. The production fully reflects the Group's stylistic choice of realizing productions with high educational and formative value and without any violent contents or episodes.
Rome, 22th October 2003"
October 28, 2003
24/10/2003
Sesame Street Stories for children in the Middle East
Episodes of the popular Sesame Street TV series for children are being produced in Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territories with the support of the European Commission within its EU Partnership for Peace Programme. Building on the well-established Sesame Street model, these Sesame Stories aim to promote long-term respect and understanding in the Middle East among Palestinian, Israeli, and Jordanian children, in the belief that ignorance of others fuels the ongoing conflict in the region.
In times of heightened fear, conflict and violence, this project offers children in the region a different experience and one they can share across borders. Seventy-eight stories as well as outreach programmes for children from 4 to 7 years have been co-produced by Palestinians, Israelis, and Jordanians in consultation with the Sesame Workshop, presenting themes such as acceptance, empathy, and appreciating similarities and differences. The makers of the series have worked closely together with educational advisors and child psychologists. Sesame Stories will be broadcast in Israel's HOP! TV, Jordanian JRTV, and the Palestinian Ma'an Network, starting in the coming weeks.
“ Working with children today will help build peace tomorrow," said Michael Leigh, Deputy Director General for the Middle East in the European Commission External Relations Directorate General. "The Sesame Stories project is an inspiring initiative which should help build understanding and mutual respect. The Commission's support for this project testifies to our long-term commitment to peaceful coexistence and tolerance in the Middle East.”
“ Sesame Stories is the cornerstone and model for Sesame Workshop's global initiative to produce educational media with a specific focus on respect and understanding,” said Gary E. Knell, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sesame Workshop. “Through the dedication of our talented partners and commitment from generous funders, Sesame Stories strives to counter the negative images that children see on television every day and to offer hope for a better world. Sesame Stories conveys realistic and positive messages, and provides a valuable tool to children in developing new perspectives about themselves and those around them.”
The Sesame Street project, supported under the MEDA EU Partnership for Peace Programme, has a total budget of €7.14 million, of which the EU is providing €2.5 million. The project started in October 2001 and all chapters are already produced. Broadcasting has started in Israel and will start in the West Bank/Gaza and Jordan in October 2003.
Sesame Street Stories for children in the Middle East
Episodes of the popular Sesame Street TV series for children are being produced in Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territories with the support of the European Commission within its EU Partnership for Peace Programme. Building on the well-established Sesame Street model, these Sesame Stories aim to promote long-term respect and understanding in the Middle East among Palestinian, Israeli, and Jordanian children, in the belief that ignorance of others fuels the ongoing conflict in the region.
In times of heightened fear, conflict and violence, this project offers children in the region a different experience and one they can share across borders. Seventy-eight stories as well as outreach programmes for children from 4 to 7 years have been co-produced by Palestinians, Israelis, and Jordanians in consultation with the Sesame Workshop, presenting themes such as acceptance, empathy, and appreciating similarities and differences. The makers of the series have worked closely together with educational advisors and child psychologists. Sesame Stories will be broadcast in Israel's HOP! TV, Jordanian JRTV, and the Palestinian Ma'an Network, starting in the coming weeks.
“ Working with children today will help build peace tomorrow," said Michael Leigh, Deputy Director General for the Middle East in the European Commission External Relations Directorate General. "The Sesame Stories project is an inspiring initiative which should help build understanding and mutual respect. The Commission's support for this project testifies to our long-term commitment to peaceful coexistence and tolerance in the Middle East.”
“ Sesame Stories is the cornerstone and model for Sesame Workshop's global initiative to produce educational media with a specific focus on respect and understanding,” said Gary E. Knell, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sesame Workshop. “Through the dedication of our talented partners and commitment from generous funders, Sesame Stories strives to counter the negative images that children see on television every day and to offer hope for a better world. Sesame Stories conveys realistic and positive messages, and provides a valuable tool to children in developing new perspectives about themselves and those around them.”
The Sesame Street project, supported under the MEDA EU Partnership for Peace Programme, has a total budget of €7.14 million, of which the EU is providing €2.5 million. The project started in October 2001 and all chapters are already produced. Broadcasting has started in Israel and will start in the West Bank/Gaza and Jordan in October 2003.
Act Now! (Entra en Accion) - Latin America
Summary
In August 2003, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP) and the Advocacy for Population Program (APROPO) launched a Spanish-language website for young people. The interactive Act Now! (Entra en Acci?n) portal is designed to give adolescents in Latin America access to accurate information on a broad range of issues that are important to them.
Main Communication Strategies
The central strategy informing the development of the Act Now! (Entra en Acci?n) portal is addressing adolescents' needs in a holistic way. The news, information, orientation, and resources available on the site are meant to be comprehensive, factual, up-to-date, and non-judgmental.
Specifically, the site is designed to enable Latin American adolescents to find answers to a wide range of questions, such as: How do I know if I'm in love? What does democracy mean? How can I prepare a CV and apply for scholarships? The information is meant to be broad-ranging, spanning issues of health, sexuality, nutrition, democracy, environmental conservation, drug and alcohol prevention, vocational training, and life skills.
Services available on the site include information, online (confidential) counseling, e-greetings, a search engine, and links to youth organisations. The site is meant to be colorful and fun; it provides sports, music, fashion, and entertainment news.
Development Issues
Youth, Health, Technology.
Key Points
In Peru, users of the Internet are mainly young people - they have access to a network of approximately 2,500 public terminals. In Lima alone, 74% of total youth (or more than 1 million people) connect to the Internet on a regular basis.
In an effort to increase access to the Act Now! portal, organisers are working to establish partnerships with other organisations and networks interested in adolescent development.
Partners
CCP and APROPO, with financial support provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Source
Press release, and letter, forwarded by Marcela Aguilar to The Communication Initiative on September 16 2003; and the Act Now! (Entra en Acci?n) site.
For more information, contact:
Carola de Luque
Los Lirios 192
Lima 27-Per?
Tel.: (511) 442-7440, (511) 441-0155
Fax: (511) 442-2111
cluque@apropo.org.pe
OR
Patricia Poppe
Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs
111 Market Place, Suite 310
Baltimore, MD 21202 USA
Tel.: (410) 659-6300
Fax: 410-659-6266
ppoppe@jhuccp.org
Act Now! (Entra en Accion) site
Placed on the Communication Initiative site September 18 2003.
Last Updated September 24 2003.
Summary
In August 2003, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP) and the Advocacy for Population Program (APROPO) launched a Spanish-language website for young people. The interactive Act Now! (Entra en Acci?n) portal is designed to give adolescents in Latin America access to accurate information on a broad range of issues that are important to them.
Main Communication Strategies
The central strategy informing the development of the Act Now! (Entra en Acci?n) portal is addressing adolescents' needs in a holistic way. The news, information, orientation, and resources available on the site are meant to be comprehensive, factual, up-to-date, and non-judgmental.
Specifically, the site is designed to enable Latin American adolescents to find answers to a wide range of questions, such as: How do I know if I'm in love? What does democracy mean? How can I prepare a CV and apply for scholarships? The information is meant to be broad-ranging, spanning issues of health, sexuality, nutrition, democracy, environmental conservation, drug and alcohol prevention, vocational training, and life skills.
Services available on the site include information, online (confidential) counseling, e-greetings, a search engine, and links to youth organisations. The site is meant to be colorful and fun; it provides sports, music, fashion, and entertainment news.
Development Issues
Youth, Health, Technology.
Key Points
In Peru, users of the Internet are mainly young people - they have access to a network of approximately 2,500 public terminals. In Lima alone, 74% of total youth (or more than 1 million people) connect to the Internet on a regular basis.
In an effort to increase access to the Act Now! portal, organisers are working to establish partnerships with other organisations and networks interested in adolescent development.
Partners
CCP and APROPO, with financial support provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Source
Press release, and letter, forwarded by Marcela Aguilar to The Communication Initiative on September 16 2003; and the Act Now! (Entra en Acci?n) site.
For more information, contact:
Carola de Luque
Los Lirios 192
Lima 27-Per?
Tel.: (511) 442-7440, (511) 441-0155
Fax: (511) 442-2111
cluque@apropo.org.pe
OR
Patricia Poppe
Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs
111 Market Place, Suite 310
Baltimore, MD 21202 USA
Tel.: (410) 659-6300
Fax: 410-659-6266
ppoppe@jhuccp.org
Act Now! (Entra en Accion) site
Placed on the Communication Initiative site September 18 2003.
Last Updated September 24 2003.
UNESCO Supports News Exchange Network in South East Europe
21-10-2003 (UNESCO)
UNESCO continues its support of "ERNO", a regional TV news exchange network serving public broadcasters in South East Europe that is also sponsored by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Members of the network that is coordinated in Sarajevo send and receive, via Eurovision satellite, news items and pictures every weekday.
The main objective of the news exchange, which presently includes 12 public broadcasters in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro and Romania, is to strengthen democracy and peace in South East Europe via public television.
One of the ERNO's main targets is to reinforce the tradition of cooperation of public broadcasters of the region, improve the professionalism of TV news staff and develop the journalistic approach and quality of the news stories and bulletins.
Strengthening of the exchange means first and foremost human and technical resource development. The policy line from the very beginning of the exchange project has been to create more balance between the traditional "hard news" and "life stories". UNESCO has started supporting the network since the beginning of this year and it is planned to continue for 3 years.
21-10-2003 (UNESCO)
UNESCO continues its support of "ERNO", a regional TV news exchange network serving public broadcasters in South East Europe that is also sponsored by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Members of the network that is coordinated in Sarajevo send and receive, via Eurovision satellite, news items and pictures every weekday.
The main objective of the news exchange, which presently includes 12 public broadcasters in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro and Romania, is to strengthen democracy and peace in South East Europe via public television.
One of the ERNO's main targets is to reinforce the tradition of cooperation of public broadcasters of the region, improve the professionalism of TV news staff and develop the journalistic approach and quality of the news stories and bulletins.
Strengthening of the exchange means first and foremost human and technical resource development. The policy line from the very beginning of the exchange project has been to create more balance between the traditional "hard news" and "life stories". UNESCO has started supporting the network since the beginning of this year and it is planned to continue for 3 years.
Towards an Information Literate Society
24-10-2003 (UNESCO/NCLIS)
Inequities among nations and individuals in today’s Information Society were targeted at a historic, first-of-its-kind meeting that was recently organized in Prague, Czech Republic, Forty participants from 23 different countries, representing all seven major geographic regions of the world, met to discuss Information Literacy.
With the support of UNESCO, and organized by the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) and the National Forum on Information Literacy, participants wrestled with the fundamental challenge of how to empower people to benefit from existing information and communication resources and technologies in an Internet Age.
To date, advancements in information and communication technologies have only increased the divide between the information rich and the information poor. Prague participants acknowledged the need for three elements to improve this situation: 1) ready access to information and communication technologies; 2) unrestricted availability of needed information; and 3) an information literate citizenry. They agreed that an information literacy citizenry is required to mobilize an effective civil society and create a competitive workforce.
Information Literacy was defined as the ability to identify, locate, evaluate, organize and effectively create, use and communicate information to address an issue or problem.
Participants of the meeting that was held from 20 to 23 September 2003 declared Information Literacy is a basic human right to life long learning.
Shigeru Aoyagi, Chief, Division of Basic Education, UNESCO, stated that: “For all societies, Information Literacy is becoming an increasingly important component of not only literacy policies and strategies, but also of global policies to promote human development.”
Former Finnish Parliament member Mirja Ryynanen urged participants to tell stories and use emotion in approaching policy makers to explain and justify peoples’ right to be information literate.
Information Literacy is a prerequisite for participating effectively in an Information Society. The creation of an Information Society is key to social, cultural, and economic development of nations and communities, institutions and individuals in the 21st century and beyond. NCLIS consultant Woody Horton summarized these concerns by saying, “In our emerging Information Society, information itself is becoming the strategic transforming resource of society…This is the reason why Information Literacy is so important, because, without it, the Information Society will never be able to rise to its full potential and will remain, instead, only an unrealized dream.”
Participants issued “The Prague Declaration: Toward an Information Literate Society” (attached). They further recommended that progress in, and opportunities for implementation of the meeting recommendations should be assessed by an International Congress on Information Literacy in the first half of 2005, and that the possibility of inclusion of Information Literacy within the United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012) should be considered by the international community.
Over 30 papers were commissioned for the Prague meeting by the author-participants, and served as a basis for the discussions. Both abstracts and the full papers are available at http://www.nclis.gov/libinter/infolitconf&meet/infolitconf&meet.html
The full report of the Prague meeting, with a complete set recommendations, will be available in December 2003.
24-10-2003 (UNESCO/NCLIS)
Inequities among nations and individuals in today’s Information Society were targeted at a historic, first-of-its-kind meeting that was recently organized in Prague, Czech Republic, Forty participants from 23 different countries, representing all seven major geographic regions of the world, met to discuss Information Literacy.
With the support of UNESCO, and organized by the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) and the National Forum on Information Literacy, participants wrestled with the fundamental challenge of how to empower people to benefit from existing information and communication resources and technologies in an Internet Age.
To date, advancements in information and communication technologies have only increased the divide between the information rich and the information poor. Prague participants acknowledged the need for three elements to improve this situation: 1) ready access to information and communication technologies; 2) unrestricted availability of needed information; and 3) an information literate citizenry. They agreed that an information literacy citizenry is required to mobilize an effective civil society and create a competitive workforce.
Information Literacy was defined as the ability to identify, locate, evaluate, organize and effectively create, use and communicate information to address an issue or problem.
Participants of the meeting that was held from 20 to 23 September 2003 declared Information Literacy is a basic human right to life long learning.
Shigeru Aoyagi, Chief, Division of Basic Education, UNESCO, stated that: “For all societies, Information Literacy is becoming an increasingly important component of not only literacy policies and strategies, but also of global policies to promote human development.”
Former Finnish Parliament member Mirja Ryynanen urged participants to tell stories and use emotion in approaching policy makers to explain and justify peoples’ right to be information literate.
Information Literacy is a prerequisite for participating effectively in an Information Society. The creation of an Information Society is key to social, cultural, and economic development of nations and communities, institutions and individuals in the 21st century and beyond. NCLIS consultant Woody Horton summarized these concerns by saying, “In our emerging Information Society, information itself is becoming the strategic transforming resource of society…This is the reason why Information Literacy is so important, because, without it, the Information Society will never be able to rise to its full potential and will remain, instead, only an unrealized dream.”
Participants issued “The Prague Declaration: Toward an Information Literate Society” (attached). They further recommended that progress in, and opportunities for implementation of the meeting recommendations should be assessed by an International Congress on Information Literacy in the first half of 2005, and that the possibility of inclusion of Information Literacy within the United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012) should be considered by the international community.
Over 30 papers were commissioned for the Prague meeting by the author-participants, and served as a basis for the discussions. Both abstracts and the full papers are available at http://www.nclis.gov/libinter/infolitconf&meet/infolitconf&meet.html
The full report of the Prague meeting, with a complete set recommendations, will be available in December 2003.
Children fuel internet explosion
Under-12s are the faster growing group online
Children are leading the way when it comes to venturing into cyberspace, surfing the net for music and games. The number of children online in Europe has jumped by a third in a year, analysts Nielsen/NetRatings have found.
There are now just over 13 million teens regularly using the internet, with the UK having more children online than any other European country.
The survey has raised concerns among children's charities, worried about paedophiles preying on teens online.
Broadband access
A year ago around 10 million boys and girls in Europe were using the web, e-mail and instant messaging.
But over the past 12 months, that number has grown to 13.1 million according to the Nielsen/NetRatings survey of eight European countries.
Concern over paedophiles using chatrooms
"What we're seeing now is families using the internet more," said Nielsen/NetRatings analyst Tom Ewing.
"It's likely that this is linked with the growth of broadband access. Perhaps when they're not paying for access by the minute, parents are likely to let children use and explore the web more."
The most dramatic increase has come in the UK. Some 4.5 million of under-18s regularly log on to websites, an increase of more than 50% in a year.
This compares with three million children in Germany and 1.5 million in France, the two nearest rivals.
But it is the "tweenagers" - children under 12 - that are flocking to the net in ever increasing numbers.
Popular sites
"The internet can be a great tool for educational purposes and many children find it fun to use," said Chris Atkinson, policy advisor for National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
"However, parents should continue to monitor their children's activities and the amount of time they spend on the internet, especially if they are using chatrooms."
Last week Microsoft said it would shut down its free and unsupervised chatrooms, citing concerns about child safety.
According to the Nielsen/NetRatings survey, many children are visiting the same sites adults do.
One of the most popular is the virtual pet site, neopets.com. But the search engine Google.com, the research site About.com, and the file-sharing network Kazaa are also big with teens.
The findings from the survey covering Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain and the Netherlands.
Under-12s are the faster growing group online
Children are leading the way when it comes to venturing into cyberspace, surfing the net for music and games. The number of children online in Europe has jumped by a third in a year, analysts Nielsen/NetRatings have found.
There are now just over 13 million teens regularly using the internet, with the UK having more children online than any other European country.
The survey has raised concerns among children's charities, worried about paedophiles preying on teens online.
Broadband access
A year ago around 10 million boys and girls in Europe were using the web, e-mail and instant messaging.
But over the past 12 months, that number has grown to 13.1 million according to the Nielsen/NetRatings survey of eight European countries.
Concern over paedophiles using chatrooms
"What we're seeing now is families using the internet more," said Nielsen/NetRatings analyst Tom Ewing.
"It's likely that this is linked with the growth of broadband access. Perhaps when they're not paying for access by the minute, parents are likely to let children use and explore the web more."
The most dramatic increase has come in the UK. Some 4.5 million of under-18s regularly log on to websites, an increase of more than 50% in a year.
This compares with three million children in Germany and 1.5 million in France, the two nearest rivals.
But it is the "tweenagers" - children under 12 - that are flocking to the net in ever increasing numbers.
Popular sites
"The internet can be a great tool for educational purposes and many children find it fun to use," said Chris Atkinson, policy advisor for National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
"However, parents should continue to monitor their children's activities and the amount of time they spend on the internet, especially if they are using chatrooms."
Last week Microsoft said it would shut down its free and unsupervised chatrooms, citing concerns about child safety.
According to the Nielsen/NetRatings survey, many children are visiting the same sites adults do.
One of the most popular is the virtual pet site, neopets.com. But the search engine Google.com, the research site About.com, and the file-sharing network Kazaa are also big with teens.
The findings from the survey covering Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain and the Netherlands.
MP champions fast food ad ban
Claire Cozens
Monday October 27, 2003
A Labour MP is to introduce a bill that would ban fast food companies from advertising to pre-school children amid mounting pressure for the government to act to stem the rising tide of obesity among children in the UK.
Debra Shipley, the MP for Stourbridge, wants parliament to vote for a ban on the "advertising of high fat, high sugar and high salt content food and drink during pre-school children's television".
"Irresponsible food and drink manufacturers ruthlessly target children through television advertising and clever marketing strategies," said Ms Shipley, who plans to introduce her bill on November 4 under the 10-minute rule.
"No mention is made of the fact that high fat, high sugar and high salt food and drink can cause obesity and diabetes. My bill will prevent these kinds of foods from being foisted on to pre-school children who have no understanding of the nature of advertising."
Ms Shipley's bill already has the support of several campaigning organisations including the National Consumer Council, the National Heart Forum and the National Union of Teachers, whose general secretary, Doug McAvoy, said he is "concerned by the cynical targeting of some companies seeking simply to market their products and exploit schools, pupils and parents".
Last year Ms Shipley tabled an early day motion to ban all TV advertising during programmes aimed at children under five, which was backed by 130 MPs.
But her latest move comes amid mounting pressure for the government to act and is likely to be supported even more strongly.
It emerged last week that the Commons health select committee is examining a ban on children's advertising by food and drink companies as part of its investigation into childhood obesity, and has summoned big advertisers including Coca-Cola and McDonald's to answer charges of targeting children to make profits from products that damage health.
The health committee chairman, David Hinchliffe, was a leading political figure behind the ban on tobacco advertising and is considering backing a similar campaign against fast food.
The Food Standards Agency, an independent food safety watchdog set up by the government in 2000 to protect the public's health, recently published research it claimed showed television advertising could play a key role in obesity.
A team of scientists and nutritionists at Strathclyde University compiled the study, which was the first to claim a direct link between television advertisements and the type and amount of food children eat.
But the food industry denies responsibility for the problem, pointing out the average calorie intake among children is actually falling.
Jeremy Preston, director of the Advertising Association's food advertising group, which lobbies on behalf of food companies, dismissed Ms Shipley's bill as "simplistic", saying he was not aware of any evidence to suggest such a ban would lead to a reduction in child obesity.
"In general terms 90% of all families' household food is bought by mums and at that age it's probably closer to 100%. Pre-school children don't have money of their own," he said.
"If you look at Quebec, which has banned television advertising aimed at pre-school children for years, levels of obesity there are no lower than anywhere else."
· To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 7239 9857
Claire Cozens
Monday October 27, 2003
A Labour MP is to introduce a bill that would ban fast food companies from advertising to pre-school children amid mounting pressure for the government to act to stem the rising tide of obesity among children in the UK.
Debra Shipley, the MP for Stourbridge, wants parliament to vote for a ban on the "advertising of high fat, high sugar and high salt content food and drink during pre-school children's television".
"Irresponsible food and drink manufacturers ruthlessly target children through television advertising and clever marketing strategies," said Ms Shipley, who plans to introduce her bill on November 4 under the 10-minute rule.
"No mention is made of the fact that high fat, high sugar and high salt food and drink can cause obesity and diabetes. My bill will prevent these kinds of foods from being foisted on to pre-school children who have no understanding of the nature of advertising."
Ms Shipley's bill already has the support of several campaigning organisations including the National Consumer Council, the National Heart Forum and the National Union of Teachers, whose general secretary, Doug McAvoy, said he is "concerned by the cynical targeting of some companies seeking simply to market their products and exploit schools, pupils and parents".
Last year Ms Shipley tabled an early day motion to ban all TV advertising during programmes aimed at children under five, which was backed by 130 MPs.
But her latest move comes amid mounting pressure for the government to act and is likely to be supported even more strongly.
It emerged last week that the Commons health select committee is examining a ban on children's advertising by food and drink companies as part of its investigation into childhood obesity, and has summoned big advertisers including Coca-Cola and McDonald's to answer charges of targeting children to make profits from products that damage health.
The health committee chairman, David Hinchliffe, was a leading political figure behind the ban on tobacco advertising and is considering backing a similar campaign against fast food.
The Food Standards Agency, an independent food safety watchdog set up by the government in 2000 to protect the public's health, recently published research it claimed showed television advertising could play a key role in obesity.
A team of scientists and nutritionists at Strathclyde University compiled the study, which was the first to claim a direct link between television advertisements and the type and amount of food children eat.
But the food industry denies responsibility for the problem, pointing out the average calorie intake among children is actually falling.
Jeremy Preston, director of the Advertising Association's food advertising group, which lobbies on behalf of food companies, dismissed Ms Shipley's bill as "simplistic", saying he was not aware of any evidence to suggest such a ban would lead to a reduction in child obesity.
"In general terms 90% of all families' household food is bought by mums and at that age it's probably closer to 100%. Pre-school children don't have money of their own," he said.
"If you look at Quebec, which has banned television advertising aimed at pre-school children for years, levels of obesity there are no lower than anywhere else."
· To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 7239 9857
‘1,000 wishes’ for the children on the world
Make a wish. It’s something children love to do. In Germany, children have even designed them – literally. In UNICEF Germany’s unique ‘1,000 wishes’ campaign, kids from all over Germany have painted their wishes for the children of the world on large pieces of cloth that have been sown together.
The more than 5,000 participants in this project have created a huge tapestry of wishes measuring about 450 square metres. Some popular wishes on this giant ‘carpet’ are “to live in peace,” “have enough to eat,” “good health” and “the chance to go to school.”
Celebrating an anniversary
UNICEF Germany launched the ‘1,000 wishes’ campaign to mark its 50th anniversary. At celebrations on 30 June in Berlin, Germany’s First Lady Christina Rau, patroness of UNICEF Germany, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Sabine Christiansen, presented the huge collective tapestry.
In September, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder presented the ‘wishlist’ at a reception in New York to mark Germany’s 30th anniversary as a member of the United Nations.
The enormous tapestry is now travelling around the world to meet some of the world’s children and get their input.
From New York, the ‘1,000 wishes’ will go to Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town and Tokyo. Children in the respective countries will be able to add their own wishes through a multilingual ‘wish box’ which will be a part of each individual exhibition. The global tour is being conducted with the support of Lufthansa City Centres, a group of 500 travel agencies in 110 German cities and German TV station, WDR/ARD TV. The TV station and its international network of correspondents plan to put together a documentary of the entire trip.
An Olympic finalé
Athens will be the final destination on this heart-felt journey. The ‘1,000 wishes’ will be handed over to the Japanese representative of the Olympic Committee in the Greek capital, where it will be put on public display before the start of the Olympic Games in August 2004.
And for the final act: numerous children of all nationalities will show the tapestry in the Olympic arena as part of their appeal for a better future for children – a truly Olympic initiative by children, for children.
Make a wish. It’s something children love to do. In Germany, children have even designed them – literally. In UNICEF Germany’s unique ‘1,000 wishes’ campaign, kids from all over Germany have painted their wishes for the children of the world on large pieces of cloth that have been sown together.
The more than 5,000 participants in this project have created a huge tapestry of wishes measuring about 450 square metres. Some popular wishes on this giant ‘carpet’ are “to live in peace,” “have enough to eat,” “good health” and “the chance to go to school.”
Celebrating an anniversary
UNICEF Germany launched the ‘1,000 wishes’ campaign to mark its 50th anniversary. At celebrations on 30 June in Berlin, Germany’s First Lady Christina Rau, patroness of UNICEF Germany, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Sabine Christiansen, presented the huge collective tapestry.
In September, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder presented the ‘wishlist’ at a reception in New York to mark Germany’s 30th anniversary as a member of the United Nations.
The enormous tapestry is now travelling around the world to meet some of the world’s children and get their input.
From New York, the ‘1,000 wishes’ will go to Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town and Tokyo. Children in the respective countries will be able to add their own wishes through a multilingual ‘wish box’ which will be a part of each individual exhibition. The global tour is being conducted with the support of Lufthansa City Centres, a group of 500 travel agencies in 110 German cities and German TV station, WDR/ARD TV. The TV station and its international network of correspondents plan to put together a documentary of the entire trip.
An Olympic finalé
Athens will be the final destination on this heart-felt journey. The ‘1,000 wishes’ will be handed over to the Japanese representative of the Olympic Committee in the Greek capital, where it will be put on public display before the start of the Olympic Games in August 2004.
And for the final act: numerous children of all nationalities will show the tapestry in the Olympic arena as part of their appeal for a better future for children – a truly Olympic initiative by children, for children.
Unicef art contest winners awarded
MUSCAT — Images of peace, friendship and a beautiful environment were among the winning entries of the children’s art competition entitled ‘The World We Want’, organised by Unicef under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Development in collaboration with the Omani Society for Fine Arts and private sector sponsors.
The award-presentation ceremony was held at the Jawaharat Shati Complex in Muscat.
Sheikh Hilal bin Mohammed Al Amri, director-general of cultural and social activities, General Organisation for Youth, Sports and Cultural Activities (Goysca), was the chief guest at the function. Her Highness Sayyida Zawan Al Said was the master of ceremony. The Ministry of Education was represented by Issa bin Mohammed bin Shahdad. Taha Suleiman Al Kishri, director of the Omani Society for Fine Arts, also spoke at the ceremony.
Unicef representative June Kunugi said the children aged 4-16 years were asked to describe the world that they wanted, so that their views, hopes and aspirations would be taken into account in the follow-up to the United Nations General Assembly special session on children held in May 2002, at which goals and targets were adopted in the declaration and plan of action entitled ‘A World Fit for Children’.
She also said the timing of the awards ceremony was linked to United Nations Day, held every year on October 24, and which this year had the theme of ‘Global Communities: Building a Bridge to Literacy’.
Entry forms had been distributed to children through schools, women’s association centres, special care centres, and shopping malls in the Muscat area.
The competition sponsors were: Al Khan Foodstuff LLC, BankMuscat, British Airways, Daihatsu, Galfar Engineering & Contracting LLC, Lexus, Minara Premium Sunflower Oil, Oman & UAE Exchange Centre & Co LLC, Oman International Development & Investment Co SAOG (Ominvest), Ranaissance Services SAOG, Salalah Port Services Co SAOG and Toyota. Prize sponsors were: Muscat Electronics LLC, Shah Nagardas Manji & Co, ITM, Smart Kid’s Toys LLC, and media sponsors were: Times of Oman and Al Shabiba.
The top 200 entries will be on display at Jawaharat Shati Complex until October 30
MUSCAT — Images of peace, friendship and a beautiful environment were among the winning entries of the children’s art competition entitled ‘The World We Want’, organised by Unicef under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Development in collaboration with the Omani Society for Fine Arts and private sector sponsors.
The award-presentation ceremony was held at the Jawaharat Shati Complex in Muscat.
Sheikh Hilal bin Mohammed Al Amri, director-general of cultural and social activities, General Organisation for Youth, Sports and Cultural Activities (Goysca), was the chief guest at the function. Her Highness Sayyida Zawan Al Said was the master of ceremony. The Ministry of Education was represented by Issa bin Mohammed bin Shahdad. Taha Suleiman Al Kishri, director of the Omani Society for Fine Arts, also spoke at the ceremony.
Unicef representative June Kunugi said the children aged 4-16 years were asked to describe the world that they wanted, so that their views, hopes and aspirations would be taken into account in the follow-up to the United Nations General Assembly special session on children held in May 2002, at which goals and targets were adopted in the declaration and plan of action entitled ‘A World Fit for Children’.
She also said the timing of the awards ceremony was linked to United Nations Day, held every year on October 24, and which this year had the theme of ‘Global Communities: Building a Bridge to Literacy’.
Entry forms had been distributed to children through schools, women’s association centres, special care centres, and shopping malls in the Muscat area.
The competition sponsors were: Al Khan Foodstuff LLC, BankMuscat, British Airways, Daihatsu, Galfar Engineering & Contracting LLC, Lexus, Minara Premium Sunflower Oil, Oman & UAE Exchange Centre & Co LLC, Oman International Development & Investment Co SAOG (Ominvest), Ranaissance Services SAOG, Salalah Port Services Co SAOG and Toyota. Prize sponsors were: Muscat Electronics LLC, Shah Nagardas Manji & Co, ITM, Smart Kid’s Toys LLC, and media sponsors were: Times of Oman and Al Shabiba.
The top 200 entries will be on display at Jawaharat Shati Complex until October 30
October 9, 2003
AOL's new playground for kids Kids Online is full of treats, but you'd better have broadband
By Jinny Gudmundsen
Special to the Mercury News
America Online's biggest package of programming for children, KOL, went live last week, offering youngsters a variety of kid-friendly sites, activities and resources.
While AOL has provided kid-programming with parental controls since 1996, the new kids channel offers much more content and a snazzier presentation than its predecessor. AOL estimates it has 3.3 million subscribers under age 11.
The KOL channel is not marketed separately. It is available to AOL members who have version 9.0 Optimized for Windows or AOL for Mac OS X. The Macintosh version does not support the fully themed environments that are currently available for the Windows version.
Kids can get to KOL only if their parents have an AOL account and if parents decide to set up a separate Kids Only screen name using the AOL Parental Controls. KOL is targeted to children ages 6 to 12. A KOL Jr. section for youngsters ages 2 to 5 is also available.
Unlike many children's Web sites where kids simply click on lists of things to explore, the new KOL has an interactive interface that allows kids to explore KOL as if it were a video game. As they scroll around, things pop-up, create sounds and animations. Children can personalize their experience by selecting from five new interactive themes.
``I think KOL is really good because it has so many cool games,'' said 6-year-old Shane Brummond, of Oakton, Va., one of several kid testers who experimented with the site.
Shane chose the cartoonish ``Space'' theme because ``I love outer space.'' He downloaded it, becoming captain of his own rocket ship as he piloted past floating space stations and alien retreats, each representing one of 15 content areas.
Eleven-year-old Kevin Lauerman of Great Falls, Va., landed on the ``Jungle'' theme and enjoyed trekking through the lush vegetation to find the content areas hidden among giant snakes wearing earphones, squirt-gun-wielding Venus flytraps, and sleeping jaguars. Other options include ``Ocean,'' the hip ``Hypertech'' and the very girl-oriented ``Style.''
Kids will find the same 15 content areas within each theme. For example, all themes provide a ``Hangout,'' where kids find monitored chat rooms, kid-only message boards and places to cast votes in polls or to rate things.
The ``Toy Time'' department allows kids to become ``field agents'' to test toys. With Mom or Dad's permission, kids can apply to become an official toy tester for KOL and, if selected, they will be sent a free toy to test and an evaluation form. Their opinions might even be posted online.
In ``Homework Help,'' kids will find the World Book Encyclopedia, the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, and a special feature called ``Ask a Teacher'' where kids can get answers from real teachers in real time. There are also brain games and links to other homework helper sites.
Most of the kid testers went looking for games and weren't disappointed with more than 50 offered in the ``Games'' and the ``Sports Illustrated for Kids'' sections. They found arcade, action, brainy, goofy and gross, role-playing and sports games.
Shane went hunting for ``games that I can figure out quickly but are challenging.'' He found his wish in ``Rooftop Skater,'' a fast-action skateboarding game that takes place on the top of tall buildings. Kevin couldn't resist ``Booger Bowling,'' but hated it because it was ``disgusting.''
Nicole Yu, an 11-year-old tester from Great Falls, Va., also checked out ``Booger Bowling'' and thought ``it was gross,'' but she liked it.
Nicole's favorite was the Bookshelf where she found a video trailer for an interactive online storybook called ``Outcast Five'' or ``O5.'' Each weekday KOL will present six new pages to this specially commissioned storybook about the adventures of five budding superheroes. Nicole also enjoyed reading the never-seen-before Batman comic that will continue throughout the year. AOL offers ``first looks'' of popular children's books including Lemony Snicket's new one called ``Slippery Slope.''
As a previous AOL subscriber, Nicole said she was surprised by the diverse content on KOL. ``It was really very good -- I wasn't expecting it to be so creative.''
After a week of exploring KOL every day, Nicole found she ``liked it a lot. I would recommend KOL to anyone who has free time to do things online.''
Another innovative feature is KOL Live radio, a streaming broadcast just for kids. British disc jockey Rick Adams is the personality behind the new show and broadcasts live weekdays from 1 to 4 p.m. PDT. He fields thousands of requests on Instant Messenger, e-mail and over the phone as he spins the top tunes.
KOL's makeover is the brainchild of Malcolm Bird, senior vice president and general manager of the kids-and-teens areas of AOL. A British children's media specialist, Bird said his goal was to create a fun, safe place for kids online. ``We will entertain them, educate them, and protect them online,'' Bird said.
KOL pretty much lives up to Bird's claim. There is a lot to explore, with some of the content changing daily. Kid-testers were entertained by games, pop-star videos, KOL Live Radio, animated videos, and by the content found on the affiliated links from the Time Warner family, including the Cartoon Network, the WB section and SI for Kids. While not as graphically sophisticated or as educationally challenging as other online games for kids, KOL games is impressive because of the sheer number of kid games available.
The KOL channel provides for education with interactive books, homework help, and Time for Kids -- an excellent news site exclusive to AOL and Time for Kids subscribers.
Parents have a set of easy-to-adjust options that allow them to determine what online activities are appropriate. AOL's parental controls are some of the best online.
Appropriateness of material is always an issue with children. KOL uses a lot of body humor, which appealed to some kids and grossed out others.
In one incongruous move, a selection of ``Gay Pride'' icons was among the choices for children to use when creating an online appearance. Val Smith and Peggy Brummond, mothers of kid-testers Allison and Shane, who monitored their children's progress through KOL, questioned the relevancy of these icons to children ages 6 to 12. AOL representatives acknowledged the ``Gay Pride'' choices were deliberately included in KOL.
Is KOL worth a $23.90 monthly AOL subscription? There are still many free sites for kids on the Web. A broadband connection is practically required to get the most out of the new offerings because much of the content includes streaming video and games that run best with a fast connection.
Families already using broadband can add AOL for $15 a month. They get AOL's parental controls and no banner ads in KOL (although there will be corporate sponsorships that include limited but identified advertising). In some areas, AOL offers its own broadband service but you also have to pay for a monthly subscription, driving the cost to about $55 a month.
Because AOL is offering Version 9.0 Optimized as a free trial, you may want to try it first to gauge your child's sustainable interest in KOL before signing up.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jinny Gudmundsen, editor of Choosing Children's Software magazine, publishes a free weekly newsletter at www.ComputingWithKids.com.
October 7, 2003
Soap ratings war 'exposes children to TV violence'
By Matthew Beard
07 October 2003
Children are being exposed to scenes of increasingly explicit sex and violence in television soap operas amid an intense ratings war, according to a study published yesterday.
Of almost 1,000 parents interviewed about their attitudes to the 9pm watershed, 47 per cent said they were concerned that soap operas contained material that was not suitable for children. They expressed particular concern about the "moral" effect on their children of a ratings war between Coronation Street on ITV and EastEnders on BBC.
Around one third were also worried about content in crime series such as The Bill on ITV and police and hospital dramas, according to the joint study by the BBC, the Broadcasting Standards Commission and the Independent Television Commission. A total of 4,000 adults and 1,500 children were questioned about pre-watershed viewing, either in focus groups or surveys. The research forms part of a series of studies by broadcast watchdogs into children's reaction to television. Last month a study into television violence accusedHollyoaks and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which are aimed at teenagers, of "overstepping the mark".
Yesterday's report found that 95 per cent of adults and 72 per cent of children support the watershed, which is policed by the ITC and the Broadcasting Standards Commission, both of which will be replaced by Ofcom in December. Under watershed rules programmes deemed unsuitable for children watching alone cannot be shown before 9pm. After that scenes equivalent to a 15-certificate film are permissible, and 18-certificate content can only be shown after 10pm.
Publication of the report, The watershed: Providing a safe viewing zone, coincides with a series of soap storylines testing viewers' tastes. Parents were concerned at a plot in Coronation Street in which a serial killer drives into a canal in his car containing his estranged wife and her children. A significant minority of parents, particularly those with younger children, believed the underwater shots showing the family struggling to escape should not have been shown until later in the evening.
An extended gay kiss in Casualty also drew complaints. Parents felt the scenes "could influence their children when they were at a vulnerable age" and nearly all believed it was unacceptable pre-watershed viewing. They also criticised scenes from Brookside on Channel 4 shown at 8pm, in which two teenage girls were taken hostage by an armed member of a drugs gang, with the threat of sexual violence.
The report's author, Gillian Ramsay, said: "Soap operas were the main cause of concern across all of the groups in the study. Participants were very conscious of the 'battle for ratings' and thought that the portrayal of sex and violence in soap operas was becoming more explicit and more hard-hitting all the time. There was recognition that the serial nature of the genre made them particularly 'addictive' to their children, which increased their exposure to them." Many parents were concerned that watching scenes of drug-taking, drinking, fighting and gang membership might inspire imitation by their children.
The ITC said a successful soap opera needed to incorporate important social issues without corrupting parents. It said a recent storyline in Coronation Street depicting the rape of a young woman was sensitive, although the programme could have helped victims more by broadcasting a helpline after the credits.
By Matthew Beard
07 October 2003
Children are being exposed to scenes of increasingly explicit sex and violence in television soap operas amid an intense ratings war, according to a study published yesterday.
Of almost 1,000 parents interviewed about their attitudes to the 9pm watershed, 47 per cent said they were concerned that soap operas contained material that was not suitable for children. They expressed particular concern about the "moral" effect on their children of a ratings war between Coronation Street on ITV and EastEnders on BBC.
Around one third were also worried about content in crime series such as The Bill on ITV and police and hospital dramas, according to the joint study by the BBC, the Broadcasting Standards Commission and the Independent Television Commission. A total of 4,000 adults and 1,500 children were questioned about pre-watershed viewing, either in focus groups or surveys. The research forms part of a series of studies by broadcast watchdogs into children's reaction to television. Last month a study into television violence accusedHollyoaks and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which are aimed at teenagers, of "overstepping the mark".
Yesterday's report found that 95 per cent of adults and 72 per cent of children support the watershed, which is policed by the ITC and the Broadcasting Standards Commission, both of which will be replaced by Ofcom in December. Under watershed rules programmes deemed unsuitable for children watching alone cannot be shown before 9pm. After that scenes equivalent to a 15-certificate film are permissible, and 18-certificate content can only be shown after 10pm.
Publication of the report, The watershed: Providing a safe viewing zone, coincides with a series of soap storylines testing viewers' tastes. Parents were concerned at a plot in Coronation Street in which a serial killer drives into a canal in his car containing his estranged wife and her children. A significant minority of parents, particularly those with younger children, believed the underwater shots showing the family struggling to escape should not have been shown until later in the evening.
An extended gay kiss in Casualty also drew complaints. Parents felt the scenes "could influence their children when they were at a vulnerable age" and nearly all believed it was unacceptable pre-watershed viewing. They also criticised scenes from Brookside on Channel 4 shown at 8pm, in which two teenage girls were taken hostage by an armed member of a drugs gang, with the threat of sexual violence.
The report's author, Gillian Ramsay, said: "Soap operas were the main cause of concern across all of the groups in the study. Participants were very conscious of the 'battle for ratings' and thought that the portrayal of sex and violence in soap operas was becoming more explicit and more hard-hitting all the time. There was recognition that the serial nature of the genre made them particularly 'addictive' to their children, which increased their exposure to them." Many parents were concerned that watching scenes of drug-taking, drinking, fighting and gang membership might inspire imitation by their children.
The ITC said a successful soap opera needed to incorporate important social issues without corrupting parents. It said a recent storyline in Coronation Street depicting the rape of a young woman was sensitive, although the programme could have helped victims more by broadcasting a helpline after the credits.
October 1, 2003
MediaPost's Just An Online Minute
Tuesday, Sep 30, 2003
Just an Online Minute... Europe's Kids
by Masha Geller
Not to put a Whitney Huston song in your head for the rest of the day, but this one is about children. More specifically, data on European children and their use of the Internet, which those of you with international clients might find useful.
According to the latest stats from Nielsen/ NetRatings, the number of children online in Europe has grown by three million in the last 12 months, totaling 13.1 million kids online; four million under 12 years old, and nine million 12-17 year olds.
European Market Analyst Tom Ewing said the fact that families are using the Internet more is likely linked with the growth of broadband access – “perhaps when they're not paying for access by the minute, parents are likely to let children use and explore the Web more."
The overall European growth rate for children was 27%, NetRatings says. Younger children - the under-12s - are joining the online community faster than older children in most European countries. Not surprisingly, Britain has more children online than any other European country and has seen the most dramatic growth in the under-18 online population this year, with a 58% jump in numbers.
In sites with a higher than average audience of the under 18-year-olds, several sites have emerged which draw high proportions of their audiences from this demographic. For instance, the under-18s contribution to file-sharing giant Kazaa is disproportionate to their level in the online population as a whole. Mobile phone sites and online kids' communities like NeoPets also make attractive targets for advertisers wanting to reach children.
MediaPost Communications
http://www.mediapost.com
Tuesday, Sep 30, 2003
Just an Online Minute... Europe's Kids
by Masha Geller
Not to put a Whitney Huston song in your head for the rest of the day, but this one is about children. More specifically, data on European children and their use of the Internet, which those of you with international clients might find useful.
According to the latest stats from Nielsen/ NetRatings, the number of children online in Europe has grown by three million in the last 12 months, totaling 13.1 million kids online; four million under 12 years old, and nine million 12-17 year olds.
European Market Analyst Tom Ewing said the fact that families are using the Internet more is likely linked with the growth of broadband access – “perhaps when they're not paying for access by the minute, parents are likely to let children use and explore the Web more."
The overall European growth rate for children was 27%, NetRatings says. Younger children - the under-12s - are joining the online community faster than older children in most European countries. Not surprisingly, Britain has more children online than any other European country and has seen the most dramatic growth in the under-18 online population this year, with a 58% jump in numbers.
In sites with a higher than average audience of the under 18-year-olds, several sites have emerged which draw high proportions of their audiences from this demographic. For instance, the under-18s contribution to file-sharing giant Kazaa is disproportionate to their level in the online population as a whole. Mobile phone sites and online kids' communities like NeoPets also make attractive targets for advertisers wanting to reach children.
MediaPost Communications
http://www.mediapost.com
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