NEWS: European Youth Press network is growing

European Youth Press network is growing: 18 full member organizations, 2 new board members elected

European Youth Press has now 18 full members after the 2009 General Assembly that took place in Vienna on the 4th and 5th of July. Third Sector from Belarus, the Youth Media Network Association from Bulgaria, YouthPress Italy, Malta Youth Press and Youth Press Portugal were voted as full members of EYP. Indigo Magazine and Journal Europa decided to keep their status as observer members.

Alfhild Boehringer was voted for the position of treasurer. Yannick Brusselmans from Belgium and Andrei Ionita from Romania were also voted to fill in the two vacant positions from the board of EYP. A whole new board will be elected at the General Assembly in 2010.

WEBSITE: www.youthpress.org

EVENTS: Cinekid launches First Annual Junior Cross Media Market

New initiative: Cinekid launches First Annual Junior Cross Media Market

Always on top of the latest trends, Cinekid once again takes the lead and launches into cooperation with IJsfontein for a global cross-media market on the 21st of October. The Junior Cross Media Market will bring together producers of promising multi-platform projects, commissioning editors and financers to stimulate international co-productions.

The event kicks off with key cross media industry experts, together with producers and financiers to discuss the possibilities and the future of the emerging cross or trans media world for children. These discussions will be followed by one-on-one meetings between producers of cross-media content with co-producers and financiers.

The Junior Cross Media Market is part of Cinekid's 2009 cross media focus and also includes a seminar and an expert meeting. Topics of discussion will be: What is happening right now in cross-media for kids and where is the medium going tomorrow? Which creative resources are needed to create market relevant kid's cross-media properties? What new financial structures will support pan-European cross-media productions? How can existing corporate broadcasting structures be re-tooled to support cross-media cooperation in terms of product development and distribution?

Cinekid is proud to partner with the Dutch company Ijsfontein for the Junior Cross Media Market: IJsfontein is a specialist in interactive communication and media productions for kids and youth. The Amsterdam based company is active in the international media world since her debut-game ‘Master Of The Elements' won a BAFTA Award in 1997. IJsfontein helps broadcasting companies, museums, (consumer) brands and non-governmental organisations in reaching young audiences effectively. Read more about IJsfontein's marketing and communication concepts, games, web-tools and interactive exhibits at IJsfontein.com.

From 14-23 October, the 23rd edition of Cinekid Film Festival will take place in Amsterdam. Cinekid is a film, television and new media festival for children and is regarded as the largest media festival of its kind in the world. According to Variety magazine: "Cinekid is increasingly becoming an industry watering hole where some of the major issues in the world of children's media are fleshed out." Kidscreen magazine comments: "Cinekid amps up content for industry pro's."

The complete Cinekid programme can be found from September 15 at www.cinekid.nl. This year's festival will be held at the Westergasfabriek and The Movies in Amsterdam.

TECHNOLOGY: Yemeni youth using technology (MIDDLE EAST)

Yemeni youth using technology

(Yemen Times Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) A small-scale survey including 27 male and female Yemeni youth from Sana'a revealed that many of them, although a majority were university graduates, did not know how to use modern-day technologies such as sending a fax, using a flash disk, or using Bluetooth.


The sample was chosen at random targeting men and women between 16 and 36 years old, through a questionnaire that was given to university stuYdents, people in public places, participants of a social event, members of a non governmental organization, and employees in several companies.

full article

ARTICLES / TRAINING: Training local journalists to cover women’s and children’s issues in Nepal

Training local journalists to cover women's and children's issues in Nepal

By John Brittain

KATHMANDU, Nepal, 27 July 2009 – Remote and unspoiled wildernesses abounds in this unquestionably beautiful country. But such beauty comes with a price: Some villages are at least a week's walk from the nearest road, making it very difficult to get timely reports on conditions and developments in these areas.

UNICEF Nepal has been working to solve the problem of how to receive news – especially news about women's and children's issues – from remote regions on a regular basis. Its solution is taking shape in the form of a new initiative that was launched in June, in partnership with the Nepal Press Institute (NPI).

The initiative established a new network of journalists to cover remote areas, as well as some that are not so remote. Over 50 journalists from every region – most of them women – have taken part in a training programme designed to generate more reporting on women's and children's issues around the country.

full article

ARTICLES / NEWSPAPERS: Encouraging kids to get media savvy by reading the paper (INDONESIA)

Encouraging kids to get media savvy by reading the paper

Mon, 07/27/2009 1:59 PM | City

Bella Hutagalung, 42, a mother of two, finds it easier to motivate her children by showing them examples of children's achievement stories published in the Berani newspaper.

"The section on achievements can inspire children. That's what I like about the newspaper. But there is only one newspaper for children and I don't think that is enough," she told The Jakarta Post recently.

She said she decided to subscribe to the newspaper because her children had asked for it and their school had recommended it.

Reta, another parent, said the newspaper was good in terms of providing news and knowledge, but said she felt that it lacked fiction stories.

"I think children would like it better if it provided more fiction stories," she said.

Teacher and journalist Witdarmono started the newspaper for elementary and junior high school students in April 2006, aiming to develop children's interest and understanding of the media and the news.

full article

ARTICLES / NEWS: Children seize the day by switching off the TV (INDONESIA)

Children seize the day by switching off the TV

The Jakarta Post , JAKARTA | Mon, 07/27/2009 12:06 PM | City

For many children, Sunday morning is monopolized by cartoons on TV.

Not this Sunday though, when more than a hundred kindergarten students preferred to skip their favorite programs in favor of outdoor activities in support of “No TV Day”, which was celebrated at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta.

“No TV Day” was also held with the mood of National Children’s Day, falling last Thursday, still in the air.

Watching a puppet show, participating in a drawing and coloring competition and working on puzzles were some of the activities held at Monas.

In one corner, several children, helped by their parents, took turns to roll an extra-large dice and move step-by-step on a giant snakes-and-ladders game board.

“Yeah! I made it,” a little girl shouted after making her first stop on the board’s final square. Nearby parents could not hide their smiles after seeing the girl’s beaming expression.

B. Guntarto, head of the Children’s Media Development Foundation (YPMA) and chairman of the coalition’s steering committee, said the campaign was triggered by media activists’ concern about the negative influence of inappropriate content in TV programs aimed at children.

full article

ARTICLES: Alfred’s story: Youth journalist reports on early marriage in Southern Sudan

Alfred's story: Youth journalist reports on early marriage in Southern Sudan

In the run-up to the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child – a landmark international agreement on the basic human rights of all children – UNICEF is featuring a series of stories about progress made and challenges that remain. Here is one of those stories.

JUBA, Southern Sudan, 24 July 2009 – As Alfred Malish, now 14, has grown up, he has noticed an alarming thing happening around him: His female classmates are leaving school early to get married.

AUDIO: Listen

Early marriage still happens with some regularity in Sudan, most often for girls, who are sometimes as young as 12 when they're married off. Marriage at such an early age can be an obstacle to further education; it can also result in complications should the girl become pregnant before her body is adequately developed.

full article

CALL FOR ENTRIES

ЮНИСЕФ Конкурс молодых видеожурналистов

В ответ на многочисленные просьбы, мы решили продлить до 30 августа 2009 года срок подачи заявок на участие в организуемом ЮНИСЕФ Конкурсе молодых видеожурналистов, посвященном годовщине Конвенции о правах ребенка (КПР).

Готовясь отметить 20-ую годовщину со дня принятия Конвенции – документа, закрепляющего за молодыми людьми их важнейшие права, - мы хотели бы узнать Ваше мнение по данной проблематике. Снимите видеоролик, иллюстрирующий Ваше толкование понятия «права ребенка», будь то в масштабах всего мира, Вашей страны, Вашей общины или лично Вас. Продолжительность видеоролика не должна превышать одной минуты. В состав жюри, оценивающего видеоролики, войдут профессиональные журналисты и молодые люди со всех концов света. Лучшие видеоролики будут транслироваться в ходе кампании, посвященной 20-ой годовщине КПР, и мероприятий в рамках Международного дня детского вещания 2010 года.

Более подробную информацию о Конвенции о правах ребенка и Конкурсе молодых видеожурналистов можно получить, нажав на нижеприведенную ссылку: http://www.unicef.org/voy/takeaction/takeaction_4439.html

Напоминаем, что последний день подачи заявок – 30 августа 2009 года.

TECHNOLOGY / SMS: UNICEF uses text messages to spread the word about polio in Zambia (AFRICA)

UNICEF uses text messages to spread the word about polio in Zambia

20 July 2009 – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will be sending text messages to millions of Zambian parents this week as part of a new initiative to harness modern technology in the fight to prevent polio.

UNICEF has joined forces with the Zambian Health Ministry and two mobile phone companies, ZAIN and MTN, to encourage parents to bring their children under the age of five to the nearest health-care centre for free polio vaccinations.

“It is about time that we used modern technology to ensure child health and this year is particularly important because of the polio prevention campaign,” said UNICEF Zambia Representative, Lotta Sylwander.

full article

EVENTS: Children to jump start Copenhagen conference

Children to jump start Copenhagen conference

Ahead of the UN conference on climate change in December, children and teenagers from 42 countries meet in the Danish capital to agree on recommendations for the world leaders.
Morten Andersen 10/07/2009 17:05

When the world’s leaders meet in Copenhagen this December, they will be met by fresh recommendations from a conference comprising participants aged 14 to 17 from 42 countries. Each country will send a five-person delegation.

“To children and youth everything is at stake in the international negotiations on climate change. As they will need to live with climate change and the consequences of decisions taken by adults today, they have a right to make themselves heard in the debate,” says Steen M. Andersen, Secretary General of UNICEF Denmark.

The Children’s Climate Forum Copenhagen 2009 will take place from November 28th till December 4th.

Source

EVENTS: Biggest-Ever Youth Gathering on Climate Change to Call for Real Action in Copenhagen

Biggest-Ever Youth Gathering on Climate Change to Call for Real Action in Copenhagen Daejeon (Republic of Korea)/Nairobi (Kenya), 20 July 2009 - Emerging leaders representing three billion people - the children and youth of the planet - will converge on the Republic of Korea to voice their demands for action on climate change at the Copenhagen meeting.

The Tunza International Children and Youth Conference, in Daejeon (Republic of Korea) on 17-23 August, will be the biggest youth gathering on climate change before the UN climate conference in December.

This will be a key opportunity for the more than 800 participants from over 100 countries to demand that their governments reach a scientifically-credible and far-reaching new climate agreement in Copenhagen.

full article

TUNZA conference website

info in French

OPPORTUNITIES / CALL FOR ENTRIES / ONEMINUTESJR / VIDEOS: Deadline extended to 30 August 2009

We want to see what you think about children’s rights!

It’s the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often are neglected in the human rights debate. The leaders wanted to make sure that the world recognized that children have human rights too. As a result, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was developed. It is the world’s most widely ratified human rights treaty. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.

Take a look at the CRC leaflet [pdf] and think about what it means to you. Then make a video showing what child rights mean to you, whether it be in the world at large, your country or your community. Maybe there is an example of how children’s rights are not being fulfilled. Or maybe you want to show a situation where children are getting the rights they deserve. Tell us what you think.

Videos will be reviewed by a global panel of media professionals and youth and displayed on the main UNICEF website. The winning video will be used in the CRC’s 20th anniversary celebration and made available for broadcast around the world for the 2010 The International Children’s Day of Broadcasting.

More info

CALL FOR ENTRIES / PHOTOGRAPHY: A call to youth photographers!

This April, Adobe Youth Voices (AYV), a global youth media initiative, and the non-profit What Kids Kids Can Do, Inc. announced the debut of our first-ever international photo competition.

When written in Chinese or Japanese, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters--one represents crisis or danger, and the other represents hope or opportunity. We have taken this as inspiration for our competition.

“Crisis and Hope” offers an opportunity for youth around the world to express themselves through photographs--and make their voices heard--on both what is challenging and what gives hope in today’s difficult world.

Winning photographs will be showcased online, in a traveling exhibit, and in a book. The contest is open to all young people--anywhere in the world--between the ages of 12 and 19.

The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2009. Winners--as many as 30--will be announced by August 31, 2009.

Source

ARTICLES: Online youth need critical thinking skills

Online youth need critical thinking skills

by Larry Magid

I both envy and worry about young people who are growing up in the age of the Internet.

I envy them for their lifelong access to a media that's diversified enough to bring them news, information, and opinion from an enormous number of sources.

There's something to be said for having access to thousands of media outlets. Unlike those of us who grew up in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, young people who smartly use the Internet to consume news today don't have to worry about everything being filtered by a small, elite, and typically white male cadre of journalists working for one of only three broadcast networks or one or two local newspapers. And it's no longer a one-way street. Today's news consumers can also be producers thanks to blogs, social-networking sites, YouTube, podcasting, and microblogs like Twitter.

full article

RGB - OneMinutesJr video from Kazakhstan

ONLINE SAFETY: New Ofcom campaign launched

Ofcom has today launched a campaign to help keep children safe online during the summer holidays.

The internet offers a range of opportunities for fun, learning and development at the click of a mouse, but it’s important that parents, carers and children have the right skills and information to help keep them safe online.

· Two-thirds of 5-7 year olds now use the internet at home, rising to over three-quarters of 8-11 year olds and over four-fifths of 12-15s.

· Of these, one fifth of 5-7 year olds use the internet without an adult present, as do almost half of 8-11 year olds and two-thirds of 12-15s.

· 12-15 year olds say they spend an average of nearly 14 hours a week online.

· Over a third of 12-15 year olds say they mostly access the internet in their bedroom. During this time they could encounter inappropriate or even potentially harmful content.

Find out what you can do to help children enjoy the internet safely this summer by watching or reading Ofcom’s guide to show parents and carers how to use parental controls and filters to manage their children’s access to digital TV and internet content. The guide also encourages parents and carers to talk to their children about what they do on the internet and how to use it safely.

The video and guide can be found here:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/guides/media/

SIGNIS World Congress 2009

NEWS / PROJECTS: Nunavut's budding filmmakers

Nunavut's budding filmmakers

Kassina Ryder - Northern News Services - Published Wednesday, July 15, 2009

RANKIN INLET - Youth from across the Kivalliq region gathered in Rankin Inlet's community learning centre the week of July 6 to participate in a media workshop designed to promote healthy living.

The Inuusivut Workshops have been travelling throughout Nunavut since January 2008, according to trainer Qajaaq Ellsworth.

"The Inuusivut project kind of focuses on helping young people to promote mental health, we use multimedia as a way to help young people express themselves," Ellsworth said. He said participants learn photography and filmmaking skills to create photo slideshows and short films, as well as learning editing software.

"We've trained over 100 young people in photography and film production," Ellsworth said.

full article

EVENTS: 8th World Young Reader Conference

Participants who sign up by 31 July for the 8th World Young Reader Conference (27-30 September in Prague) will have free access to a webinar on strategies of Total Youth Think scheduled for 7 August.

The session will be conducted by Marcelo Rech, General Director for Project Management of the RBS Group in Brazil, whose flagship newspaper, Zero Hora, credits its Total Youth Think techniques for a 78% penetration rate among young people aged 20 - 29 years, and a 71% penetration rate among thise aged 15 - 19.

For more info and to register for the conference CLICK HERE

This offer applies to participants who have both registered and paid for the conference by 31 July.

The Conference is supported by Norske Skog, the Noway-based global paper producer, and the Czech Publishers Association. We also warmly thank Metro Prague, Mladá Fronta DNES and Lidove Noviny newspapers, and Futuroom Multimedia education center.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Aralynn McMane, Director of Young Readership Developement at: aralynn.mcmane@wan-ifra.org

Stranger Exhibition in Gyumri, Armenia

More info

NEWS / TECHNOLOGY / INTERNET: UK Teen ‘Schools’ Investors On Youth Media Preferences

UK Teen 'Schools' Investors On Youth Media Preferences

Posted on: Tuesday, 14 July 2009, 14:57 CDT

Matthew Robson is an average 15-year-old from the UK, but a major US bank in London is looking to him for advice.

In a research note written during work experience with Morgan Stanley in London, Robson described the current state of media through the eyes of a teenager, and influential people are listening.

Edward Hill-Wood, who supervised Robson during his work experience, referred to the report as "one of the clearest and most thought provoking insights we have seen."

The report depicts the way Robson and his peers consume media – from social networking to video games. One standard they abide by is that they do not want to pay for the media they consume, he wrote.

full article

The Killers raise awareness about trafficking

NEWS / WORKSHOPS: UNICEF invites students for UNRC regional media workshops (PHILIPPINES)

UNICEF invites students for UNRC regional media workshops

by Jennifer Catan-Tilos

Dumaguete City (9 July) -- Young students in Dumaguete City who are engaged in media works are invited to participate in 3 Regional Youth Media Summits on Children's Rights, "CRC: 20 Na! Ano Na?" in Manila, Cebu and Davao between July and September 2009.

The Probe Media Foundation, Inc. (PMFI), in cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) called on young Filipino students, age 15 to 24, who belong to print, radio and video clubs/ organizations to join the workshops which provide opportunities for young and creative students to learn more and understand the UN Convention the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), its impact on the Filipino children and produce creative media outputs on these subjects.

The programme empowers young leaders and creates a network of aspiring media practitioners committed to child's rights issues under the Kabataan News Network (KNN).

Each workshop is a 3-day event with discussions, sharing and review of storytelling techniques. Hands-on sessions and actual production of articles, photo essays, radio reports, songs, artworks, video segments, and documentaries will be conducted.

full article

OPPORTUNITIES: MEDEA Award for Creativity and Innovation - European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 (EYCI)

The MEDEA Award for Creativity and Innovation, set up to coincide with the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 (EYCI), aims to specifically award creative and innovative use of media in education.

Who is it aimed at?

Anyone who considers their use of media in education and training to be creative and/or innovative! This includes innovative applications of media in the classroom where pupils and teachers are working together to use media in different ways to enhance learning or trainers and facilitators in lifelong learning centres who are using media creatively to help learners explore new opportunities. It also includes groups of students who are working together on projects using media to explore and understand the world in a more creative way.

Applications are invited from people using media in a variety of ways and could include for example a submission like the one which earned 5 learners and teacher Steven Ronsijn from the secondary school Sint‐Lievenscollege, Ghent in Belgium the MEDEA Special Award 2008 at the MEDEA Awards Ceremony 2008 for their outstanding entry entitled Anti-Anti. This multimedia pervasive game was created entirely by secondary school students to sensitise students in the context of the national day against unnecessary violence. Students had to search a fictitious murderer in their school through clues provided to them in mp3‐files and video clips.

How can you enter?

This Award is open to anyone participating in the MEDEA Awards 2009. In the submission form, you will be able to indicate that you consider your entry to be particularly creative or innovative and thus that you wish to compete also for this special award. A special group of judges from the MEDEA Judging Panel will be assessing these entries separately.

Your entry need to be sent before the closing date: 30 September 2009, 12:00 Midnight (postmark will be checked).

When will the winners be announced?

Those short-listed for this Award will be notified at the beginning of November and will be invited to take part in the Awards Ceremony taking place in the beginning of December 2009. At this ceremony the final winner will be announced.

What can you win?

Prizes will include the MEDEA Creativity and Innovation Award as well as equipment and software, details to be announced later.

Website

ARTICLES: Youth journalist reports on the problem of school fees in Southern Sudan (AFRICA)

Youth journalist reports on the problem of school fees in Southern Sudan

In the run-up to the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child – a landmark international agreement on the basic human rights of all children – UNICEF is featuring a series of stories about progress made and challenges that remain. Here is one of those stories.

JUBA, Southern Sudan, 13 July 2009 – Michael Lual is worried that this might be his last year of school. The 17-year-old is one of the top students at Juba Day School in Juba, Southern Sudan, but he is struggling to pay his school fees.

AUDIO: Listen now

Michael's father died during Sudan's civil war, and he now lives in Juba with his uncle so that he can attend a better school. His five siblings live in a village outside Juba with their mother.

Michael and his teachers say that although the Government of Southern Sudan announced a policy last year to reward the best students with free schooling, Michael and his classmates are still waiting for financial aid to continue their education.

full article

NEWS / WORKSHOPS / VIDEO: Making movies young - Youth media club screen products of a 10-day film training camp (BHUTAN)

Making movies young - Youth media club screen products of a 10-day film training camp

12 July, 2009 - The videos are shaky and images zoom in and out of focus from time to time but the message is clear.

Youth and Video Games, Buried in Garbage, Teenagers in Love, People and Television and Life of a Taxi Driver were some of the themes of the eight short films made by members of the youth media club that were screened on July 9, coinciding with the Children and Youth Festival in Thimphu.

It was the outcome of a 10-day film training camp, where club members learnt how to use the medium as a means to tell stories that concerned them. Participants, working in teams, came up with their own themes and used flip cameras and computers to gather and edit material. Most of the films ran for ten minutes or less.

According to the Bhutan centre for media and democracy (BCMD), the main objective of making these short films is to foster discussion and debate on issues concerning the community. BCMD believes it will garner discussions on issues related to preserving culture, promotion of democracy and understanding of media as more than just entertainment.

full article

Life line - OneMinutesJr video from Kazakhstan

AWARDS: "Cinema Against Racism" Award for Young Roma Filmmaker

"Cinema Against Racism" Award for Young Roma Filmmaker

On Sunday, July 12, 19-year-old Roma filmmaker Laura Halilovic will receive the "Cinema Against Racism" award at the XV International Anti-Racism Meeting in Livorno, Italy, which is supported by the Region of Tuscany together with several local governments and associations. Halilovic is being honored for her feature-length documentary film "Me, My Gipsy Family & Woody Allen," which in June won the UCCA Prize 2009 at the Bellaria Film Festival in Bellaria, Italy. The film also received special mention by the jury "for the ability to describe in a soft, at times ironic, but always direct way, her own story, the one of her family and through these the difficult conditions of Gipsies in Italy." The UCCA Prize is awarded to the top two documentaries at the Bellaria Film Festival, and the prize-winning films receive the opportunity to be screened in at least 20 Italian cities.

See a preview of "Me, My Gipsy Family & Woody Allen" at http://www.romadecade.org/index.php?content=423

After the film won the UCCA Prize, the regional office of the Ministry of Education in Piedmont also agreed to facilitate screenings of "Me, My Gipsy Family & Woody Allen" at more than 200 high schools. The film will be presented to teachers in October, and from 2010 the documentary will be available in the teachers' resource catalogue. Schools will also have the possibility to organize screenings followed by discussions between Halilovic and students.

"Me, My Gipsy Family & Woody Allen" was produced by Zenit Arti Audiovisive with support from the OSI Roma Decade Matching Fund, Italian broadcaster RAI 3, the Italian Ministry of Equal Opportunity, Piemonte Doc Film Fund and others.

For more information about the film see

http://www.romadecade.org/index.php?content=450.

BLOG: OneMinutesJr workshop in Astana

OneMinutesJr workshop in Astana - Day 1

Young people from all over Kazakhstan have gathered in the capital Astana this week to participate in a OneMinutesJr video workshop. They all were selected by UNICEF Kazakhstan to be part of an exciting project that will take place in the Central Asian country throughout the summer.

UNICEF is conducting a regional consultation with children and adolescents to find out more about the issues of the young generation, their dreams and their problems. A group of teenagers - the VJs - will follow the process with cameras while another group will work as facilitators. The results will be shown during a conference later in the year that will round up the consultation and give recommendations for the Kazakh government on how to address the young people's issues.

The OneMinutesJr workshop this week will train the VJs in video-making and will at the same time show the facilitators what is needed to organize the shooting of a proper film. The first step, as always, is developing good story ideas. On the first day of the training, this is the main priority and most of the participants already have interesting ideas after the first brainstorming session.

Full article and the rest of the blog from the workshop in Astana

EVENTS / CALL FOR ENTRIES: Cinemakids

Cinemakids is seeking films, videos, and computer animations created by
young people 18 years old and under for its annual screening program.

The deadline for submissions has been extended to 15 July 2009.

For the vast majority of the twentieth century, young people were
marginalized from filmmaking practices because of the expense, weight,
and technical knowledge related to the equipment used. Today film
cameras fit in the palm of your hand, personal computers come with
editing software, and more kids are making movies than at any other
point in history.

Cinemakids was introduced in 2000 to honor young filmmakers who create
visual art, as well as to motivate other youth to become culturally
active through media production. Now in its tenth year, Cinemakids is a
two-day weekend program that includes screenings of youth-made films, as
well as workshops for young people in basic film production techniques.

This year's screenings will be held at UT-Austin in CMB Studio 4D on
Saturday, September 19, and Sunday, September 20.

The screenings are free and open to the public; however, priority
seating will be given to students in our workshops and their families.

http://www.listenup.org/exchange.php?item=023cd0893b8f5256df2f4d01d6e772c5

EVENTS: Young people open Junior 8 Summit in Rome

Young people open Junior 8 Summit in Rome

By Thomas Nybo

ROME, Italy, 7 July 2009 – Bright young minds from around the world have gathered for the Junior 8 Summit, a week-long conference for young people to exchange and debate ideas about how to best improve global conditions for children.

On 9 July, a select group of delegates from the Junior 8, or 'J8', will personally present their recommendations to the world leaders at the Group of 8 Summit, which is also taking place in Italy.

full article and video

NEWS: DFID’s first youth jury shine at the prestigious One World Media Awards ceremony

DFID's first youth jury shine at the prestigious One World Media Awards ceremony

On Monday 22 June, amongst celebrities including environmental activist Trudy Styler and broadcaster Fergal Keane, four young people from all over the UK presented an award that they had judged for the One World Media Awards.

The awards celebrate excellence in media coverage of developing countries and development issues, and help persuade the media industry that these programmes can be both very high quality and attractive to UK audiences Most people in the UK get most of their knowledge about the developing world from TV, so it is important that UK audiences have access to a variety of programmes about the developing world.

This is the first time in the history of the awards that a group of young people have decided on an award. The category they judged was the Children's Rights Award, and they decided that Dispatches: Saving Africa's Witch Children would take the prize. Their participation was funded by DFID which wants more and better media coverage of development issues.

full article

RESEARCH: Nielsen: Kids spending more time online

Nielsen: Kids spending more time online

By BARBARA ORTUTAY – 22 hours ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Young kids are getting online at a faster rate than their parents and older siblings.

A new study from Nielsen Online found that nearly 16 million U.S. children ages 2 to 11 were online in May. They made up about 9.5 percent of Internet users.

The youngest of the set — 2, 3, and 4-year-olds — probably aren't yet updating their Twitter accounts with 140-character messages, or posting quiz results to Facebook. Rather, they are sitting in a parent's lap in front of a computer, being exposed to the Internet that way, said Peter Grunwald, president of Grunwald Associates LLC, which specializes in researching kids and technology.

full article

OPPORTUNITIES / TRAINING: My science programme

Are you a talented young journalist who wants to be part of building our future? Are you curious and enthusiastic about innovations and science? You want to know more about renewable energies, genetics, ICT or other interesting research fields? But it is not always easy to have direct access to the sources of information. Well, now you can learn more about these topics and what is more, you will be able to prepare your own scientific media works – in a way that everybody understands and enjoys it. How? Participate in the My Science Programme for Young Journalists and you will see.

90 young journalists will have the chance to spend one week in a European research laboratory, where they will meet the researchers, see interesting scientific experiences and understand what science is about. Be one of these young journalists! Forget about boring classrooms! Here you will have to be actively involved. And most importantly, you will learn how to communicate science and research in an interesting and fun way.

Participation in the My Science Programme is free of charge. You only need to send your application and you might be one of the selected 90 young journalists. Start to prepare your application now!
Deadline is 15th July 2009!

Full info here

Начался саммит "Юношеской восьмерки"

ARTICLES / RESEARCH: Researching the youth

Researching the youth

John Farquhar - 23 June 2009

John Farquhar shares some invaluable insight into the youth market based on the findings of the annual Monash/Sunday Times youth survey.

The Annual Monash/Sunday Times survey of youth behaviour highlighted once again what this sector thinks of the branded products they relate to and possibly buy - and those they may become involved with when they are adults and generate their own income. I noticed, though, that the preamble to the data did not explain the methodology, and that there was no mention of the sample size.

The habits of children change over time with knowledge and interaction with their social groups. During this learning curve product and brand involvement is influenced by peer group pressure, by their parents, by the media, by advertising and by their age. It is therefore inevitable that their brand and product association is fickle. To be seen as "cool" by their immediate social group becomes the driving force of what products and brands they buy.

Borrowed images also play a huge role in their persona. A classic example of this can be seen in the "hero" influence on the equipment they use in sport.

full article

NEWS / RESEARCH / EDUCATION: Poll Names PBS Kids Top Educational Brand (USA)

Poll Names PBS Kids Top Educational Brand

A national survey by GfK Roper has found PBS Kids is the top educational media brand for children.

The poll asked more than 1,000 randomly chosen adults in the United States to compare such top brands as Leapfrog, Nick, Playhouse Disney, Noggin, Discovery Kids, National Geographic Kids, YahooKids and others, finding the highest level of confidence in PBS.

Among the results, 73% agreed that PBS serves all children, regardless of their circumstances; 73% indicated that the network provides “a trusted and safe place for children to watch television”; and 70% say that PBS serves as a “safe haven for children.” Overall, Americans noted they are much more satisfied with programming for children ages 2-8 on PBS compared with offerings on commercial broadcast and cable television.

full article

OPINIONS: Twitter/Facebook: Time Well-Spent for Child/Youth Advocates?

Twitter/Facebook: Time Well-Spent for Child/Youth Advocates?

by Ray Schultz, Child Advocacy 360

This year’s Nonprofit Technology Conference drew standing-room only crowds to sessions on social media. But one question remained unanswered after hours of talk: Can Twitter and Facebook perform miracles for hardworking child advocates?

That’s dubious, based on the evidence.

Take the area of fundraising. “Very, very little money is raised through social networking sites,” says Mal Warwick, chairman of Mal Warwick Associates, an agency serving nonprofits.

His view is confirmed by research from the software vendor Blackbaud. Of the nonprofit groups with positive return on investment online, 63 percent use e-mail and 46 percent use social media. “Everything we’ve seen shows that e-mail has more proven value than social media,” says Allison Van Diest, senior product marketing manager for Blackbaud.

Nor are the social networks good for interaction with colleagues. Advocates typically use Facebook and Twitter “to communicate with a few of their friends, but not professionally,” Warwick says. And government employees, though part of many nonprofit constituencies, often lack “access to current technology or are limited by policy,” adds Nedra Kline-Weinreich, president of Weinreich Communications, an agency and consultancy.

Next is the issue of resources. Do your overworked staffers have the time to be tweeting people? And even if they do, can they write in the more personal tone required in social media?

full article

ARTICLES / WORKSHOPS: Marginalized youth learn about digital media in five-day summer camp

Marginalized youth learn about digital media in five-day summer camp

By Amy Fuller, THE CANADIAN PRESS

full article here

TORONTO - Clad in a leather jacket and yellow heels, her black and pink hair pulled back in a high ponytail, Lilian Yange leans into the microphone to introduce a multimedia story she's spent five days preparing.

Yange and her peers from high-risk neighbourhoods in suburban Scarborough stayed at Ryerson University's Pitman Hall dormitories while learning about the craft of journalism and creating their own reports in audio, film and written form.

The first-ever five-day summer camp was part of the Verse City journalism training project for youth, founded by director Vinita Srivastava in Toronto in 2004 with support from Young People's Press. It aims to keep marginalized youth out of gangs and help them care about their communities.

PRESS RELEASE: Youth Peace Camp: Young Leaders from conflict zones meet at the Europa Park

Youth Peace Camp: Young Leaders from conflict zones meet at the Europa Park

Strasbourg, 02.07.2009 - Forty-two young people from conflict and post-conflict regions, including Israel and the territories under Palestinian Authority, Georgia (including South Ossetia and Abkhazia) and the Kosovo Serb and Albanian communities, will attend a one-week training course at the "Europa Park" in Rust, Germany on 5-12 July. The programme gives participants an opportunity to deal with inter-community conflict and hatred through face-to-face interaction and a series of practical exercises, building mutual trust, strengthening common understanding and dissipating prejudice and stereotypes.

The Deputy Secretary General, Maud de Boer Buquicchio, will receive the young participants at the Council of Europe Headquarters Palais de l'Europe in Strasbourg on Wednesday, 8 July 2009.

The leisure park "Europa Park" will host this unique event for the sixth year in a row, giving young leaders and activists the chance to work in a different atmosphere from the one of war, devastation and conflict.

According to the main trainer and course leader, Michael Raphael, "The programme aims at creating a team-building experience, based on creative techniques promoting a constructive dialogue in the spirit of the core values promoted by the Council of Europe. The seminar gives an opportunity to youth leaders belonging to antagonistic communities to tell their stories in a safe environment, and to prepare inter-community networks and partnerships".

More information:
Giuseppe Zaffuto, Press office
Tel: + 33 3 90 21 56 04, mobile: + 33 6 86 32 10 24, giuseppe.zaffuto@coe.int

Udo Seiwert-Fauti, Media correspondent for German-speaking countries
Tel: + 49 78 08 91 11 36, mobile: + 49 171 496 22 73, udo@europeanmedia.eu

Caroline Becker, Europa Park Head of Public Relations
Tel: +49 07 822 77 14 110, caroline.becker@europapark.de

www.europapark.de

Press Release
Directorate of Communication
Ref: 534a09
Tel. +33 3 88 41 25 60
Fax +33 3 88 41 39 11
Internet: www.coe.int
e-mail: pressunit@coe.int

To receive our press releases by e-mail, contact: Council.of.Europe.Press@coe.int

A political organisation set up in 1949, the Council of Europe works to promote democracy and human rights continent-wide.

It also develops common responses to social, cultural and legal challenges in its 47 member states.

UNICEF CRC Video Contest - 20th Anniversary

We want to see what you think about children’s rights!

It’s the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often are neglected in the human rights debate. The leaders wanted to make sure that the world recognized that children have human rights too. As a result, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was developed. It is the world’s most widely ratified human rights treaty. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.

Deadline is 1 August 2009

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Calling all young filmmakers from the UK aged 6 - 16 years

Calling all young filmmakers from the UK aged 6 - 16 years

Only 4 weeks left to submit your films to our first ever Kids for Kids Film Festival for children and young people. We are seeking submissions of short films made by children and young people of up to 10 minutes in any of the following 3 categories:

* Live Action  * Animation * One Minute Films

Selected films for the competition section will be screened at our festival that will take place in the City of Durham on the weekend of 18th and 19th October, 2009.  Details of festival and accompanying workshops to follow.

The festival team have appointed a professional adult jury and a children's jury. The jury will award the following prizes:
Best Film in each age group and in each category, and one Grand Prize for Outstanding Achievement for a film made by children and young people from each age group. Awards and Prizes will be announced at the conclusion of the festival.

Deadline for entries is July 31st, 2009

For further information and to download a film submission form and guidelines please  click here

“Protecting Children and Young People from Sexual Violence with a Focus on the New Media: Perspectives for Europe”

More about the conference

EVENTS: NAMLE conference 2009

The NAMLE conference - a learning experience!
Early Bird Registration Ends July 10

The 2009 NAMLE Conference program includes three renowned keynote speakers you will not want to miss: Sonia Livingstone, from the London School of Economics, will discuss the creativity and chaos in using the internet as an educational tool. Henry Jenkins interviews Sonia Livingstone about her new book at http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=92586587977&h=7leHw&u=cjqXu&ref=nf Chris Sperry, from Project Look Sharp, will examine the essential place of media literacy in the mainstream curriculum. McCrae Parker, from Youth Radio, will explore how the intersection of news and information literacy, social media, and youth enthusiasm gives rise to vibrant civic participation online and in physical communities. Experienced Media Educators will also address diverse and engaging issues and practices in media literacy education. Sharing their innovative ideas and practical experience are experts such as: Bobbie Eisenstock, presenting "You Are What You Post: Media Literacy Strategies and Your Net Reputation" Rose Pacatte, with a presentation on "Bridging Faith and Culture through Media Literacy" Melinda Hemmelgarn, on "Feast or Famine: Media Literacy as Catalyst for Sustainability" Sox Sperry, talking about "Media Construction of Peace" Remember - this year's conference has plenty to offer before Saturday's opening reception. Among the mix of fee-based pre-conference sessions and regular sessions that day will be a presentation on a hot topic in media literacy education today: "Why Media Literacy Educators Must Teach about Copyright and Fair Use" This pre-conference session with Renee Hobbs will clear away any "copyright confusion" you have about the use of copyrighted materials for media literacy education. You'll gain the knowledge you need- plus practical, fun activities that will help you offer enlightened copyright education to both students and teachers. Find out about all the sessions and presenters, Motown Monday Night, the Leadership Dinner, book signings and more at www.NAMLE.net. Don't miss the Early Bird deadline! Register online at www.NAMLE.net. See you in Detroit! Sharon Sellers-Clark Conference Chair

NAMLE Conference, 3300 Washtenaw Avenue, Suite 220 Ann Arbor MI 48104
Phone: 734-677-0503 - Web site: www.namle.net