The voices of young people need to be heard on a regular basis in the media

Through media literacy of young people, towards better civic activism in the digital age

UNICEF Montenegro
young reporters
UNICEF Montenegro / Duško Miljanić / 2021
31 August 2021

PODGORICA, 31 AUGUST 2021 - Most parents and children in Montenegro believe that the Montenegrin media does not have enough interesting and useful content adapted to different ages of children and young people. In addition, most of them want media content that includes children and young people of different ages, and one in two children in Montenegro wants to participate in the production of such media programmes.

Based on the survey data from the media literacy campaign ‘Let’s Choose What We Watch’ dating from 2018, UNICEF, for the third year in a row, is supporting greater participation by Montenegrin young people in the media in order to discuss more and better issues of children’s rights, as well as to support better civic activism in the digital age through their media literacy.

UNICEF Montenegro Representative Juan Santander with young reporters
UNICEF Montenegro / Duško Miljanić / 2021
UNICEF Montenegro representative, Juan Santander, talking with young reporters about what they learned during a five-day media literacy training organized by UNICEF with the support of Jan-Willem Bult, an expert in international media and youth, and director of Children in the Centre foundation, in Podgorica, in August 2021.

Strengthening civic participation starts with youth. UNICEF young reporters are a good example of how young people can acquire the knowledge and skills to use media to have their voices heard in the society. We need to let them speak up not only in children’s programs, but also in the news for adults, as they offer their own and very valuable perspectives to our every day issues. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with young reporters and Montenegrin media to improve the quality of the public debate on child rights and to better identify the changes needed to improve the lives of all boys and girls in Montenegro.

Juan Santander, UNICEF Montenegro Representative

He met with UNICEF young reporters during a five-day media literacy training organized by UNICEF with the support of Jan-Willem Bult, an expert in international media and youth, and director of Children in the Centre foundation in the Netherlands.

Well, young people are in media, but they are in media that is separated from, the general media that people access to get information, so how can people get access to information about youth? Only by having youth represented in those media and therefore it's important to integrate them, to help them to find their place in media, and that makes societies grow.

Jan-Willem Bult, director of Children in the Centre foundation
Jan-Willem Bult, an expert in international media and youth, and director of the Centre for Children, Youth and the Media
UNICEF Montenegro / Duško Miljanić / 2021
Jan-Willem Bult, an expert in international media and youth, and director of Children in the Centre foundation in the Netherlands, explaining how it is necessary to include young people in the media, in order for people to get information about them, in Podgorica, in August 2021.

Bult, is also the Editor-in-Chief of the international TV news for young people Wadada News for Kids, which is produced and broadcast in over 20 countries around the world, including in Montenegro for the last two years.

A young reporter Elizabeta Ramadanovic
UNICEF Montenegro / Duško Miljanić / 2021
Elizabeta Ramadanovic, a UNICEF young reporter, saying that she believes that young reporters will contribute to more media for young people thanks to the knowledge gained at the workshops, in Podgorica, in August 2021.

At the workshops, I gained knowledge that will help me create content for young people. I didn’t notice that there was a lot of content in the media for young people. I sincerely believe that there should be as much of it as possible, and we are going to do our best to contribute to that.

Elizabeta Ramadanovic, UNICEF young reporter

Her colleague Aleksa Mrakovic also points out that he has acquired new knowledge and skills regarding the production of media content for young people, but also regarding better participation in the public debate on issues concerning children and young people.

Aleksa Mraković, young reporter
UNICEF Montenegro / Duško Miljanić / 2021
Aleksa Mrakovic, a young reporter, speaking how he acquired new knowledge and skills regarding the production of media content for young people, but also regarding better participation in the public debate on issues concerning children and young people, in Podgorica, in August 2021.

Auditions for the third generation of UNICEF young reporters are nearing completion, and in the coming period they plan to address the key youth issues they recognize, such as: education, poverty, violence, the challenges of growing up in the digital age and during the coronavirus pandemic, etc. As before, they will use both “old” and “new” media to make their messages better heard in Montenegro.