Dialogos 12/24 - Your voice, your ideas, you actions

Dialogos 12/24 is a Costa Rican radio programme for young people, by young people, presenting economic, social and political themes from a youth perspective. The weekly show is not only fun and entertaining; it’s also a vehicle to promote issues and raise awareness about problems that affect young people in Costa Rica – and give them the opportunity to provide solutions.

“Media has the power to mobilize through interests, trends, fashion, ways of thinking and acting. Although it’s not the only agent of change, it amplifies and gives visibility to what happens around us,” says Rigobero Porras Solano, the programme’s producer.

Transmitted every Thursday via the national network Radio U, Dialogos 12/24 is a joint initiative of UNICEF, the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, the Conrad Adenauer Foundation and the University of Costa Rica. The show has been on the air for the past two years and is part of the Dialogos sobre el Bienestar (Dialogues about Well-being) series that was launched in October 2005.

A changing mix of segments

The programme follows a magazine format with pre-recorded and live segments, as well as call-ins. Each week, Dialogos 12/24 welcomes an expert and a representative from the Youth Forum (sponsored by UNICEF) to discuss a timely issue or problem. The on-air team explains the issue and presents various proposals for resolving it, which are then discussed.

Dialogos 12/24 is divided into a mix of segments that rotate each week: '¿Para dónde la lleva?' (Where does it lead?) is an in-depth session with a panel of young experts on a given topic or theme; 'Calenturas' (Hot) explores sexuality with interviews and other information about reproductive health; 'Hechos concretos' (Concrete facts) profiles youth groups working as agents of change in their communities; 'El grito’ (The shout)' is an open space for young people to give their opinions and conducts surveys among schoolchildren; 'Mi historia la cuento yo' (I tell my story) is based on autobiographies that are written and told by young people; 'Música para pensar' (Music for thinking) presents songs with lyrics that invite self-reflection.

Network of participating schools

“Being part of the team of Dialogos 12/24 has allowed me not only to get know the realities of young people in my country but also to grow professionally and personally,” says Carolina Araya Solera, 22, presenter of ‘Calenturas’.

Among the subjects covered on Dialogos 12/24 are employment, migration, soccer, relationships, HIV/AIDS, indigenous culture, art, gender, globalization and education.

Dialogos 12/24 recognizes the rich socio-cultural diversity of Costa Rica and promotes a style of participatory radio open to the needs and expectations of adolescents and young adults. The show plays an integral role in the curriculum of participating schools, promoting active involvement by students. Its producers aim to strengthen this network of participants by adding 50 schools that have been identified by the Ministry of Education.

Keeping youth involved and inspired

“Costa Rican youth and [youth] around the world are increasingly in contact with the media,” notes Carolina. “All information they are exposed to affects their education and the way they think and act. That's why the media should be used as a proactive way of generating positive social change."

“Young people are an important part of society, so their education should be the right one – so that their actions are for the benefit of themselves and the society in which they live,” she adds.

In order to keep youth involved and inspired, members of the Dialogos 12/24 team are working hard to make their programme stronger. They envision becoming self-funded one day, for example. And they hope to transmit the show on more radio stations, expanding its reach in the years to come.

For more information visit:
www.radiou.ucr.ac.cr
www.flacso.or.cr/Dialogos-12-24.257.0.html

 

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Interview with Presenter of “Calenturas”

Name: Carolina Araya Sclera
Presenter of Dialogos 12/24 segment “Calenturas”
Age: 22

P. What means for you being an active member of Diálogos 12/24?
Being part of the team of Diálogos 12/24 has allowed me not only to get to know the realities of young people in my country but also to grow professionally and personally. I am proud of being part of a team committed to the goals of the program and to an education for the Costa Rican youth more relevant but also more complete.

P. Which is in your opinion about the role of the new media to achieve social change?
The youth from Costa Rica and from the entire world are increasingly in contact with the media. All information they are exposed to affects their education and the way they think and act. That's why the media should be used as a proactive way of generating positive social change. Young people are an important part of society, and their education should be the right one so that their actions are for the benefit of themselves and the society in which they live.

The media is not only a way of entertaining people; it’s also useful to inform and educate, and therefore to generate changes for society.

P. Why do you think is important for young people to create media?
We need spaces where young people can express themselves freely, without any kind of repression.  Young people must know the many existing life styles in order to discover the world where they live with an open and educated mind. The media is an excellent space for this, because it has a wide coverage and is trusted, and it can also create different means of expression, according to each audience.

P. Which kind of tools do you think are more useful?
The media doesn’t need many technologies to reach the audience. The best tool is the minds of the producer and the other people working in the media, since they must know their audiences and how to grab their attention. If the content is good and the resources attractive, this is enough to create a communication space relevant for the society.

P. To which media are more exposed young people today?
In the last years there were some changes in this direction. Electronic media has gained a bigger space in the life of many young people. But this doesn’t mean that traditional media such as radio and television are not important anymore. These two media have a big reach and trust (an element that Internet is still lacking) among these audiences. In itself, radio has a lot of impact, because of its low cost and its big reach in rural areas, where there is not access to computers or even to television sets.

P. What issues are you passionate about? Tell us your dreams.
While working for Diálogos 12-24, I have realized that Costa Rica has a great need in the area of education, specially sexual education (sexuality is the theme of my section, Calenturas). We don’t have in our country a formal plan for sexual education, and this has created many problems and a lot of confusion for our youth. Through our program, I would like to generate change among young people, because we need spaces like this that allow them to clarify their doubts, ask without shame and learn different things to improve their sexual lives and their life in general

Since my profession is Public Relations, I would like to be able to combine these two themes (“works”) in order to make a difference in the daily lives of young people.

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Links

ICDB Award Competition
UNICEF calls for entries to the 2008 International Children’s Day of Broadcasting Awards. The competition is open to all television and radio broadcasters who participated in the 2007 ICDB. Deadline has been extended to 1 June. For more information on the award and guidelines, visit www.unicef.org/icdb

Prix Jeunesse
The world’s largest children’s broadcasting festival takes place from 30 May to 4 June in Munich, Germany. It’s a great opportunity to watch and judge top children’s programming and to meet broadcasters and media experts from around the world. Visit www.prixjeunesse.de for more information and to register.

2008 OneminutesJr. Competition
The OneminutesJr. competition is still open for submissions. Youth around the world who have made a one-minute video can submit it to be eligible for an award in one of three categories: ‘Inside/Out’, ‘Self-Portrait’ or ‘Best of the World’. Deadline is 15 May. Visit http://www.theoneminutesjr.org/index.php?thisarticle=43 for more information.

StrangerFestival and Competition
StrangerFestival (3-5 July) is Europe’s platform for young video makers and fans. It involves a three-day gathering of workshops, dialogues and an awards competition. If you’re a European under age 25 and want to attend the festival or submit up to three minutes of video for the competition, visit www.strangerfestival.com. Deadline for videos is 15 May.

Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award for Television 2008
The ABU, CASBAA and UNICEF are now calling on Asia-Pacific broadcasters and producers for entries for the ABU-CASBAA-UNICEF Child Rights Award 2008. The Award is made each year to the best television programming on children’s rights produced in the Asia-Pacific region. Visit www.childrightsaward.org for more information and entry forms.

Youth Voice Video Competition
UNICEF UK Youth Voice and MySpace are sponsoring a film competition to make a film about young people's rights. The videos are posted on MySpace, and the MySpace users rate them. The short-listed videos are judged by UNICEF. The winner gets a digital camera, and the runner-up will get two free passes to the Showcomotion film festival in the UK! Deadline is 28 May. Visit www.unicef.org.uk/youthvoice/news_item.asp?id=151 for more information.  

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How good is media coverage of young people?

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