The Drum Beat 243 - Media for Children and Adolescents
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THE SUMMIT - "Media from All, Media for All"
1. The World Summit of Media for Children & Adolescents will be held April 19-23 2004 in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. This meeting will bring together representatives from the private sector and governmental and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as media professionals, researchers, and educators from around the world to discuss and analyse television, radio, film, the internet and electronic games production for children and adolescents. "Media from All, Media for All" is the overall theme.
There are 4 subthemes, each of which will be the focus on one day of this conference:
Day 1: One World, Many Voices - how the media portrays inequality and the diverse cultures and identities of children and adolescents in a globalised world.
Day 2: Media: Market, Audience and Values - this examination of market interests and the impact of the audience on financing, production, licensing, marketing and distribution in public and private spaces will include research and statistical findings.
Day 3: Challenges to Quality, Alliances for Quality - what does "quality media for children and adolescents" mean to consumers, producers and media awards juries? The debate will explore the needs and possibilities of industry, public and private sector alliances, and whether such alliances can make quality media viable.
Day 4: Commitments to the Present and Future - defining commitments for financing, production and distribution of quality media for children and adolescents.
2. Summit Programme
The official programme includes details about Plenary Sessions, Parallel Sessions (5 sessions will approach the daily theme from a different angle), Prizes & Festivals/Special Sessions, and World Panorama Sessions (presentations by approximately 100 authors selected by the Brazilian steering committee from a total of 400 submissions). Note: this document is also available in Portuguese and Spanish.
Contact brasil@riosummit2004.com.br
CHILDREN AND MEDIA GROUPS ORGANISING THIS CONFERENCE
3. Midiativa - The Brasilian Center on Media for Children
- an NGO created by professionals involved with television, education and communication. Their mission is to stimulate reflection among professionals dealing with media for children and youth, and within society in general, and to set quality parameters for these media.
Visit the website, or contact midiativa@midiativa.tv
4. MultiRio - The Municipal Multimedia Company of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- a producer of television programmes, web sites and publications intended to guarantee the right of access to high-quality media for children, adolescents, their families and teachers.
Contact Regina de Assis rdeassis@pcrj.rj.gov.br
5. World Summit on Media for Children Foundation
- a non-profit public company incorporated in Victoria, Australia whose objectives are to encourage and promote the World Summit movement. The Foundation oversees the process by which specific countries and organisations are given the right to hold World Summits on Media for Children. Its objects are to encourage and promote the World Summit, select host organisations for future World Summits, and help those organisations raise funds for and prepare for the World Summit.
Contact info@actf.com.au
6. Agência de Notícias dos Direitos da Infância (ANDI) [News Agency for Children's Rights]
- an NGO created by Brasilian journalists in 1992 to support the media in its coverage of issues related to children and adolescents. ANDI offers suggestions for news guidelines, encouraging the media to denounce or praise social projects.
Visit the website, or contact Veet Vivarta vivarta@andi.org.br
7. Centro de Criação de Imagem Popular (CECIP) [Popular Image Creation Centre] - Brasil
- non-profit organisation that carries out education and communication activities promoting citizenship in the areas of human rights, education, health, environment and culture.
Contact cecip.ong@uol.com.br
ONLINE DIALOGUE
8. UNICEF is holding preparatory e-discussions for the World Summit. A 4-week dialogue that began March 15 and ends April 9 2004 is focusing on the 4 themes of the Rio Summit. Moderated by an adolescent Summit delegate and a UNICEF facilitator, separate discussions will be held in English, French, Spanish and Russian. To participate or view the archives of any of the above discussions, click here
EXPANDING PARTICIPATION
9. Rio Tecnomídia - Apr 17-25 2004 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
For the purpose of encouraging the local population of Rio of Janeiro to become involved with the media themes of the "4th World Summit of Media for Children and Adolescents", local museums, cultural spaces and media businesses will open their doors to the public on April 17-25 2004.
Contact Marcos Didonet brasil@riosummit2004.com.br
10. Adolescents Forum - Apr 20-22 2004 - Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
"What does the younger generation have to say about the influence and quality of world media? What is it that they watch, listen to and feel? What do they expect and desire from mass communication?" 150 teenagers from around the world will work to make a significant contribution to this event as delegates to the Adolescents Forum, a gathering where they can discuss and exchange ideas and experiences, thoughts and feelings with other attendees.
Contact brasil@riosummit2004.com.br
11. On Tues April 20, as one of the Prize/Festival Sessions of the Summit, there will be an introduction to some of the principals held by the Prix Jeunesse Foundation and Midiativa in increasing the visibility of high quality children's television programming and providing examples of this programming for teachers, media professionals and other Brasilians thinking about quality television production.
12. On Weds April 21, there will be a special session on a new project for kids in a Brasilian Ministry of Culture and TVE-Rede Brasil in Brasil. Independent filmmakers are taking part in Curta Criança (Short Kid) a pioneer initiative which underscores the importance of young people in Brasilian public television and film policy especially in terms of forming cultural identity. The productions are stories based on Brasilian folk tales and were chosen from entries in a national competition. Each short-length film will receive a budget up to approximately US$20,000 and will be aired on public telelvision.
13. One of MULTIRIO's Special Sessions will launch the International Reference Center on Media for Children and Adolescents, which will host a databank on research and a video/DVD library of products. At this session, 3 projects involving children, teachers and media will be presented: "Juro que Vi" (an animation project about Brazilian folklore myths); "Project 21st Century" (virtual professional development for teachers and media production in more than 1000 elementary public schools in Rio); and "Carta Animada pela Paz Project" (children at municipal public schools in Rio express their fears and hopes through animation they create alongside MULTIRIO's team).
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See: Son de Tambora #67 - Cuarta Cumbre Mundial de Medios para la Infancia y la Adolescencia
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CHILDREN AND MEDIA INITIATIVES - EXAMPLES
14. 19 examples of children and media initiatives from around the world:
Fundación para un Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano (FNPI) - Colombia
Australian Children's Television Foundation - Australia
Youth Radio, TV, and Newspaper Programme - Tajikistan
Youth Making News - East and South-east Asia
Young Media Partners (YMP) - Global
Butterflies Broadcasting Children - India
Children's PressLine - United States
Balkan Children's TV Magazine - The Balkans
Turn It Up! Youth Video Project - Minneapolis, MN, USA
Prix Jeunesse International Awards 2004
RELEVANT READINGS - CHILDREN AND MEDIA
15. 9 readings on strategic thinking related to children and media:
Young People, Media and Personal Relationships by David Buckingham & Sara Bragg
Why media ownership matters to children by Natasha Kirtchuk
What do Children and Adolescents have to do with Journalism? by Geraldinho Vieira
Children and media - a global concern by Mike Jempson
Children, Young People and Media Globalisation edited by Cecilia von Feilitzen & Ulla Carlsson
Can children's TV really educate and entertain? by Maggie Brown and Catherine Freeman
Children's ads must be debated, says Hodge by Maggie Brown
Big Media, Little Kids: Media Consolidation & Children's Television Programming
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