MAGIC NEWS ARCHIVE MAY 2004

RADIO / RESOURCES
Evaluation and monitoring Toolbox created for a UNICEF-supported youth radio project in Kyrgyzstan
community radio stations can monitor and evaluate their health and social development programming despite being small, with limited funds. That's the message of an evaluation and monitoring Toolbox created especially for a UNICEF-supported youth radio project in Kyrgyzstan.
MORE INFO

ARTICLES
Revealed: How food firms target children
Methods used by the food industry to target children, bypassing parents and deploying "viral marketing" and "underground communication" have been uncovered by the Guardian on the day MPs publish a damning account of the government's "woefully inadequate" response to obesity.
Documents obtained by the Guardian show that the industry is exploiting sophisticated techniques to market to children without their parents' knowledge.
FULL ARTICLE

OPPORTUNITIES / ARTS
International Poster Competition: Utopia Station II
Utopia: an ideal that has driven mankind since the beginning of time. What will the future bring? What will the world of the future look like? How will we live? These and other questions are the focus of an international series of exhibitions that opened in June 2003 at the much-anticipated Biennale Festival in Venice, Italy. Conceptualized and curated by Molly Nesbit, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Rikrit Tiravanija, the UTOPIA STATION project brings together the work of contemporary artists from different genres.
The International Child Art Foundation complements this concept with a project for children worldwide. Under the motto "Utopia - children envisage and paint their future" the question of "What is the future?" will be answered in in�triguing, funny, whimsical, thought-provoking and interesting ways. The future is, after all, what our children make of it. Whether through photos, drawings, texts or collages, each child will record in his own style, his personal vision of the future. The result: an absorbing selection of regional and culturally specific utopias.
A selection of the work created by the children will be exhibited alongside the utopias of contemporary and renowned artists at the Haus der Kunst (in Munich, Germany) from October 1, 2004 till January 9, 2005. Yoko Ono is expected, among others, at the private viewing. ICAF will invite the nominated children to take part at the opening of the exhibition in Munich, Germany.
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RADIO
Kids and War Images
At a time when newspapers and television are running pictures of prisoner abuse and sexual humiliation, what should children be allowed to see? At what age are they mature enough to handle harsh images of war? Is it OK to shield kids from the truth? Join NPR's Neal Conan and guests to discuss children and difficult images.
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NEWS
Children Harmed by Too Much TV, Exploitative Advertising, Report Says
By the time the average child in Australia and New Zealand leaves school, he or she will have spent more time watching television, playing computer games or surfing the Internet than sitting in the classroom.
FULL ARTICLE
FURTHER RESOURCES

NEWS
BBC launches WAP and online services for children
The BBC has launched its first online search and mobile phone services aimed specifically at children. Called CBBC Search, the facility will offer children the chance to search content not only on its CBBC website but also 'family friendly' BBC and external sites.
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RADIO
Masterpiece on BBC World - 'I love TV'
In Masterpiece, Ed Butler gets comfortable on the sofa yet again to find out more about some of our favourite television formats. In the third of our series of 'I Love TV', we wander into the realm of Children's television. What shows are our children watching and why are children's shows becoming increasingly popular with adults? Are American kids watching the same shows as children in Bali or Karachi or even in Adelaide, Australia?
LISTEN TO THE PROGRAMME (only from May 18-25, 2004)

NEWS
Bill would ban adverts to children
A children's food bill to ban junk food ads was presented to parliament on May 18 by Debra Shipley, Labour MP for Stourbridge. The private member's bill is supported by 114 national health and consumer groups, and by 12 MPs from each of the main parties. It requires the Food Standards Agency to draw up criteria for unhealthy and healthy food, and then prohibit the marketing of foods judged unhealthy to children. The food industry has lobbied hard against labelling foods as good or bad.
FULL ARTICLE from The Guardian

TRAINING
Egyptian Journalists Trained to Report on Child Labor Issues
nternews Arabic Network held a training session in Aswan, Cairo in March to increase Egyptian journalists' understanding of the harms of child labor and how journalists can help alleviate this problem in Egypt.
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EVENTS
Prix Jeunesse schedule online

The schedule for the Prix Jeunesse in Munich (June 13-19, 2004) is now online.

OPPORTUNITIES
Young reporters have a blast with the BBC
Young reporters looking to break into the BBC have just a few days to apply to the corporation's young reporter scheme, offering more than 30 teenagers the chance to work on regional BBC websites. The Blast initiative allows young people aged between 16 and 19 the chance to shadow BBC journalists and producers for an eight-week unpaid work experience placement this summer. Their work will be published on the BBC's regional 'where I live' news sites.
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NEWS
Nigerian News Editors Provide a Voice for Children
An Internews Nigeria "Local Voices" workshop held in April 2004 inspired six Nigerian news editors, from radio stations in Abuja, Lagos and Kano, to organize the Voice of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (VOVC) to address the needs of children, especially those who have lost parents to HIV/AIDS or are infected themselves. According to Warees Solanke of Ray Power in Lagos, 1.3 million Nigerian children are so affected.
FULL ARTICLE

NEWS
Young Reporters write for you! ...from the Second Intergovernmental Conference On Children in Europe & Central Asia

A small team of young reporters will attend the Second Intergovernmental Conference On Children in Europe & Central Asia in Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) from May 13-15, 2004.
The young reporters who come from Germany, Russia and Bosnia-Herzegovina will also participate in the Children and Young People's Preparatory Meeting (May 11 & 12, 2004). There they will discuss their experiences and views on key issues relating to children's rights and will prepare for the main conference with other young people from the region.
The young reporters are Masha Sorotkina (15) from Penza in Russia, Michael Gromek (16) from Lüneburg in Germany and Nino Dedalamazishvili (16) from Georgia (from right to left in the picture above).
Masha, Michael and Nino will write articles, take interviews and work on feature stories around children's rights and the topics of the Conference in Sarajevo and are happy to share these with mass media throughout the region.
The young reporters would very much appreciate your support of children's rights coverage in the mainstream media by making use of the articles they write in Sarajevo. These could be sent to you via email and digital photos can also be included if required. Of course, the articles are free of charge. Credits to the young writers are obligatory; languages are English, German, Russian and Georgian.
To get in touch with the Young Reporters in Sarajevo, please contact Chris Schuepp, Co-ordinator of the Young People's Media Network in Europe & Central Asia.
MORE ON THE CONFERENCE

PROJECTS / NEWS
Os Tos Mhong! ("Cool!") - Youth radio in Cambodia
There's a fresh exciting youth phone-in show coming to FM 102 in Cambodia this month. It's called "Os Tos Mhong," or "Cool!" and it's your chance to get on air and discuss the issues close to you.
Every Sunday morning from 8 till 9, your hosts Vannak and Soka will wake you up with a mix of regular features such as What's' On, a heart doctor to help with relationships, showcasing a new pop song and competitions. The show will encourage on-air debate, exploring issues such as youth culture, relationships, music, gender equality and sexual health. Os Tos Mhong will be a safe but lively space for young people to share ideas.
Later in the year, National Radio Kampuchea (Am) will launch its first live phone-in show. The weekly programme will target rural families, dealing with issues of family and Maternal and Child Health.
MORE INFO IN THE MAGIC BANK

OPPORTUNITIES / CONTESTS
World Bank / youthink! announce youth photo competition
"We envision a world free from poverty and disease. We can't make this vision a reality without you. We need you (14 - 20 years of age) to help shape our future. We want to see what you see, today, and for tomorrow. You are the present. Start by voicing your vision.
MORE INFO

RESEARCH / REPORTS
Children, Youth and Media Around the World - An Overview of Trends & Issues (2004) by InterMedia for UNICEF
This 16-page research paper, presented at the April 2004 4th World Summit on Media for Children and Adolescents in Rio de Janeiro, provides an overview of trends and issues concerning young people and the media. It is based on a review of existing print and electronic sources, interviews with child media experts from different regions worldwide, and analysis InterMedia's surveys.
FULL REPORT with pictures (pdf - 2.29 MB)
FULL REPORT text-only (pdf - 276 KB)

TRAINING / EVENTS
OneMinutesJr workshop on HIV/AIDS & drugs in Kyrgyzstan
UNICEF, the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) and the OneMinutes Foundation are now accepting applications from young people aged 12-20 for the OneMinutesJr workshop in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan which will take place from July 5-9, 2004.
Applicants must be residents of one of the following countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
If you are from one of these countries and between 12 and 20 years of age, please fill in the APPLICATION FORM and send it back via email to Chris Schuepp. Deadline for applications is May 31st, 2004.
The Bishkek OneMinutesJr workshop is going to be the first topical workshop of this kind. We have chosen "HIV/AIDS & drugs" as the main theme and hope that the young participants will use their creativity to express themselves on these - for the Central Asian and Caucasian region - highly interesting topics.
For more info, please email Chris Schuepp.

SPEECHES
UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy - Speech from the Rio Summit

Excerpt: "We as adults owe it to children to use the power of the mass media to help build a better world. It is our duty to promote and protect children’s right to speak their minds and to freely seek, receive, and impart information and ideas.
Moreover, the mass media is obliged not merely to entertain young minds, but to help stimulate, inform and educate. We owe them this not only as a matter of morality, but of law. For in ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 191 countries affirmed their obligation to recognize the central importance of the mass media in promoting child rights."
FULL SPEECH in pdf (208 KB)

TRAINING / EVENTS
Workshop in Lesotho to focus on media and children
The tiny mountain kingdom of Lesotho will host a two-week training workshop on reporting on children's issues. The full-time course, facilitated by the Mozambique-based NSJ Media Training Trust, will run from August 2 to 13 in Lesotho's capital, Maseru. Application deadline: June 21.
The course is designed specifically for senior English-speaking print journalists working anywhere in the 14-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC). The course seeks to equip participants with the ability to understand, analyze and report on children's rights and wider issues. It also will attempt to teach journalists how to communicate with children and write for younger readers.
Special sessions will explore ways to offer fresh takes on major stories. The issues range from child labor to child prostitution, HIV/AIDS orphans, child refugees, nutrition, safe motherhood, education for girls, water and sanitation, child soldiers, and the current plight of children in SADC.
For more information, contact Donna Mpengula, NSJ training coordinator or go to the NSJ website.

PROJECTS
New youth radio show on FM 102 in Cambodia
OS TOS MHONG! ("COOL!" in English) is the name of the exciting, new weekly call-in show for young people on Phnom Penh radio station "FM 102".
OS TOS MHONG! is broadcast live every Sunday from 0800 to 0900 on FM 102, starting Sunday 2 May 2004. It's a space where young people can voice their opinions and ask questions about the things that are important in their lives. OS TOS MHONG! provides advice and information to young people on personal, health and education issues that interest them. The show is presented by 24-year old Try Vannak and 22-year old Phorn Phasoka who share their own experiences as young people with their listeners.
OS TOS MHONG! has been created by the Women's Media Centre of Cambodia and is produced by their team of experienced radio staff. OS TOS MHONG!'s production team explains: "The idea behind the show is to get young people talking about the things that matter most to them, including love, relationships and, of course, sex." OS TOS MHONG! features an innovative mix of callers, information, advice, music and competitions. Each week, the show will focus on a particular topic. OS TOS MHONG! encourages young people all over Cambodia to make contact, not only by phone during Sunday mornings, but also by e-mail and letters.
For more info:
OS TOS MHONG! FM 102
PO BOX 497 / Phnom Penh / Cambodia
Mr. Kong Villa
Tel: +855-12-67-00-87

NEWS
Kami from Takalani Sesame Visits World Bank
"It was not easy for me to make friends in school at first," Kami told World Bank experts on her recent visit to the institution, where she conveyed her experience of starting school as a five-year old HIV-positive South African Muppet who lives on Takalani Sesame. Kami and Gary Knell, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop, visited the World Bank earlier this month to share with Bank staff how to harness the power of "edutainment" for reaching young children and enhancing early childhood development.
FULL ARTICLE

EVENTS
South Africa to host 5th Summit

Firdoze Bulbulia (left) and Regina de Assis (right) with Kami (Photo: Chris Schuepp)
Summit attendees joyously celebrated the choice of South Africa as sit to the 5th World Summit on Media for Children and Adolescents, in 2007. The announcement, made by WSF President Patricia Edgar, Firdoze Bulbulia invited Africans in the audience onto the stage. Bulbilia represents the South African organization, Icasa, and was an active proponent for the choice of his country as the next summit host.
“ As you can see, a small group of people can generate a powerful effect. We are pinpoints in a great movement. There are thousands of people involved in this movement around the world. This Summit propelled the movement forward,” exclaimed Patricia Edgar, recalling that South Africa has been an important part of the in the Summit movement for nine years.
“Viva Africa! Viva Africa”, Firdoze Bulbulia, cheered from the stage, calling on the audience to join her. “Africa, this is our victory! Africa you are arriving in the world” she cheered, promising an African flavor to the next summit. “Let’s all draw on the effort and success of this Summit in Brazil. We’ll see you in Africa in 2007!” she added.

From the ANDI website - in Portuguese:
A África do Sul será a sede da 5ª Cúpula Mundial de Mídia para Crianças e Adolescentes. O anúncio foi feito no encerramento da 4ª Cúpula, finalizando o maior evento internacional do gênero, que reuniu mais de dois mil especialistas em mídia e infância, entre profissionais, pesquisadores, educadores e adolescentes na Escola Naval do Rio de Janeiro, entre 19 e 23 de abril.
MORE IN PORTUGUESE

DOCUMENTS
Rio Charter
Read the Rio Charter, the final document of the 4th World Summit on Media for Children and Adolescents, on the Summit website.
English - Spanish - Portuguese

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