Children with and without disabilities from Calarasi produced films about their lives
Calarasi, September 21, 2012 - From 17 to 21 September 2012, a group of 22 children from the villages of Calarasi rayon learned how to express their thoughts and opinions through film. The majority of children are with special needs – they have physical disabilities, speech disorders or cerebral palsy. Children are beneficiaries of the Support Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities "Dorinta" from Calarasi. Some of them study in the local primary school, others have no access to education because schools are not equipped with ramps or they have no transportation. During the workshop children learned how to talk about these issues, but also about their successes and achievements through 1 minute videos. "This year we chose the topic of inclusion of children with disabilities because we want children to enjoy the same rights as all children. The group of participants in the workshop is mixed consisting of children with and without disabilities, so that they can interact and learn from each other. Only in this way can we achieve inclusion. We want all children to feel as free to express what they think and produce interesting films ", said Alexandra Yuster, UNICEF Representative in Moldova.
One Minute Junior Workshop in Moldova reached this year's 4th edition and is dedicated to inclusion of children with disabilities. Previously these workshops were held in a boarding school in Straseni (2009) and penitenciary for minors in Lipcani (2010). The films produced by children were appreciated in Moldova and abroad. The film "Amen", produced by one of the detainees in Lipcani was nominated in the Top 5 movies at the international competition OneMinute Junior. The 2012 One Minute Junior workshop is part of a wider campaign to promote inclusive education in Moldova run by the Ministry of Education, with the support of donors and international organizations, including UNICEF. Currently in Moldova live nearly 15, 000 children with disabilities. *** " One Minute Junior” Video Workshop became famous among children in countries of Europe, the Balkans and the CIS due to the fact that it promotes children's voices by bringing attention to decision-makers. Under this initiative, children produce their own 1 minute duration videos on topics of their concern. Through these films, the participants talk about issues that affect them, about the things they want to change in their family, school and community. Children learn to write scripts, shoot and edit their own productions which are subsequently shown to adult people from the country as well as international audience in order to make their lives better.
Irina Lipcanu, UNICEF Media Officer, ilipcanu@unicef.org, 269 235
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