An Editor-In-Chief Behind The Bars
Denis is reserved but also willing to communicate. Without reading his record, it would be hard to believe he is only 18 years old. His head shaved, a bit hunched, with intelligent eyes and a straight look, he sits with a notebook and periodically jots down ideas, verses or maybe something totally different. Denis is the Editor-in-Chief of the first newspaper in the country for incarcerated people. The paper, “AerZona”, is published in the Lipcani Penitentiary for minors with UNICEF support. “There are many activities in the prison we can benefit from. I like sports, especially weight-training. When I have extra free time I go to the gym. But the newspaper is something totally different for me. It is something I could do when I am free,” says Denis. “When we started this newspaper, the boys here were not very willing to write. They did not see any point in working on a newspaper. However, now many people want to see their names on its pages. Some write poems or tell their life story, while others write dreams of their future life.” For many years, Denis had been a street child. He was sent to a correctional institution for theft. “There is no use talking about what he has been and where he is now. Obviously, no one changes overnight,” says Victor Rusu, Deputy Chief of the penitentiary and coordinator of the “AerZona” newspaper. “This newspaper and the position of Editor-in-Chief have given Denis back his self-confidence. ” At planning meetings, Denis is a wise chief. He listens to everyone; he praises the industrious ones and criticizes those who lack initiative. The tattoed fingers so necessary for the tough-guy street image are now put to productive use. The special language of his new trade, “how many thousand characters, what format, intro, conclusion, style”, is gradually replacing his street slang. Denis talks like a true editor. “People constantly make mistakes, but if you do not give them a second chance, they will make mistakes again. The three years I have spent here made me understand that you have to live and not merely exist. There is not much time left before my release but I am not afraid of freedom anymore. I already know what to do with my hands. I’ve learnt to write, use the computer; I know the basics of layout. It is something, isn’t it?” In five months, when he has finished serving his sentence, Denis will pass on his duties to another boy who may also find salvation in journalism. And if not salvation, then at least a chance not to be excluded from society when he is released. That was the philosophy of the project, financed by UNICEF and carried out by the Youth Media Centre NGO. Even if only a part of the approximately 100 minors in the correctional institution participate in publishing this newspaper, they are all its loyal readers. "In the beginning, we only in the penitentiary used to read it. But the residents started to send it home to their parents and friends. Now there is a real fight for each issue, and we have to make one hundred extra copies,” says Denis. He is very proud of this success. But the best is yet to come. By the end of 2006, a radio studio will be launched at the Lipcani Penitentiary No. 2, also with UNICEF support. The programs will be prepared by both inmates and representatives of the institution’s administration, after they receive training through seminars with professional journalists. "The Project is valuable because it is the first time incarcerated adolescents have the opportunity to participate in such programmes. They interact with their peers, young journalists from Youth Media Center in Chisinau, the capital. The young inmates can express their views and debate fundamental issues which affect them. Basic knowledge about life skills, self-esteem and conflict resolution, which they set with this project, give them the ability to cope with life behind bars. This learning also helps them a lot after their release," says Radu Danii, UNICEF Moldova Child Rights Officer. We do not know how many of his goals Denis will achieve when free again. One thing is certain, however: he will have the chance to put what he writes on paper into practice. Author: Tatiana Tibuleac
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