Video/Audio

ICDB 2009

© UNICEF/HQ06-2536/Giacomo Pirozzi

A girl speaks during a live radio broadcast in the Solomon Islands.

The date for the International Children's Day of Broadcasting was 1 March 2009 with the theme of "Unite for Children - Tune in to Kids."  Traditionally the 2nd Sunday in December, UNICEF moved the event to the 1st Sunday in March to allow for more participation.

Young people are often overlooked when it comes to mainstream media. Our airwaves don’t tend to make room for youth perspectives, perhaps because young voices are not perceived as important, or because media work by children and adolescents may not be as professional as that of well trained adults. It can be challenging to find strong youth characters on television or radio and even harder to find smart, educational content that is geared towards a young audience. 

There is so much about this world that young people need to learn – from politics and history to culture and ethics. And it’s important to tell these stories in a way that sparks young people’s interests and invites them to join in the conversation.

The International Children’s Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) was created to do just that. It is a day, celebrated globally, when broadcasters air programming by, for and about young people. 

On 1 March 2009, we invited television and radio broadcasters around the world to Unite for Children: Tune in to Kids! What do children and young people care about most? What are their values, fears and dreams? Many children around the world share the same ideals, even if their lives are vastly different. Tune in to Kids! gave us a platform to hear their opinions, see their perspectives and listen to their stories.

Broadcasters created special programming for the day or packaged existing programming as a marathon ICDB event. They invited youth into the studio to host programmes and talk shows or had young reporters interview local politicians.    UNICEF provided logos, graphics, spots and short programming to help shape and brand ICDB specials. UNICEF also helped connect broadcasters with local youth media organizations that are looking for an outlet for their television and radio productions. 

The success of ICDB hinges not only on the support of broadcasters, but also the participation of children. When young people’s voices are heard, the benefits are exponential.

© UNICEF/NYHQ2009-2020/Markisz

Caren Atieno Otieno, from Citizen TV in Kenya, and Andréa Mesquita Gramacho and Madeleine Lacsko, from Rádio Justiça in Brazil, winners of the 2009 ICDB Awards.

The 2009 ICDB Awards went to Citizen TV (Kenya, " Angel's Cafe) and Rádio Justiça  (Brazil, “Sintonize as Crianças na Rádio Justiça”).   Citizen TV was one of 6 nominees and regional ICDB prize winners, including ATN Bangla (Bangladesh, “Voice of Children”), Cambodia National Television (CNT) (“Youth Today”), Surinaamse Televisie Journaal (STVS) (Suriname, “10 minuten Jeugd Journal,” created and produced by The Backlot), Télévision Togolaise (TVT) (Togo, “A Nous la Planete) and Studio ‘Razom’ (Ukraine, “Big Secrets”). Rádio Justiça was also one of six regional prize winners and nominees, including  EUCHIRA (Germany, “Kids from Germany Meet Kids from the Balkans”), Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (Ghana, “UNIIQ Curious Minds / Gems of our Time”), All India Radio (“Kids Tune in to Us”), TRAXXfm, Radio Televisyen Malaysia (“Tune in to Kids”) and Maputaland Community Radio Station (South Africa, “Zisize Children’s Radio Project”).

To read coverage of the 2009 ICDB Awards ceremony, click here.