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YMCI will embark on the following projects as funds and resources become available:
1) Centre for Media Literacy:The bedrock of all YMCI projects is the establishment of youth media centres where children and youth will undertake media education with media production. Children and youth first need to understand how media is constructed before they can begin to produce their own work. These centres will not only provide a conducive atmosphere for after school media education, but also provide a level playing field for all young people.
We want to make sure that those children and youth who do not have access to computers, Internet service, etc at home do not feel left out in our increasingly digital world. YMCI will facilitate the development of Youth Media Clubs, first in Lagos State and later in others states of the federation. Members of these clubs will form the nucleus of the media literacy centres.
2) Media in the Classroom: YMCI hopes to partner with the Nigerian Union of Teachers to assess the effects of integrating media literacy into the educational system at both the federal and state levels. If given the proper training and materials teachers can play an important role in stopping children and youth from becoming unwitting victims of the media. The analysis and exploration of key media literacy concepts can be applied to school curricula or specific content areas. Content areas include:
- Diversity/Tolerance
- democracy/developmen
t
- HIV/AIDS
- Sexuality/Gender Education
- Economic crime/Drug Prevention
- Environment
- Violence/pop culture
YMCI will train participating teachers in basic media literacy concepts and technology. We will also help them develop lesson plans to introduce media education into some of their core subjects.
3) Family Media Forum:The Family Media Forum will engage students and parents in discussion and activities around media literacy and issues that are of concern to families. Since home is where children and youth spend most of their time using media, parents need all the help they can get in developing their children’s media literacy skills. Families can make media plans and take time using media together and discussing media content with children.
4) Young Voters Initiative: Many young people are disillusioned with the way the country is going, and rightly so. Their disillusionment has given rise to apathy. Very few young people are interested in voting during elections or participating in the political process. Apart from employing children and youth as thugs during elections and election campaigns, politicians and political parties have very little use for young people.
Young people are grossly underrepresented, not only in the media but also in politics. They are passionate about many issues but the political climate in Nigeria rarely affords them the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. The Young Voters Initiative will incorporate media education in helping young people understand the positive role they can play in politics.
We need a greater connection between our leaders and those who will take over from them. Through the Young Voters Initiative we hope to create a new generation of politically conscious youth who would ensure that national debates are not clouded by religious and ethnic sentiments.
5) Youth Media Awards: It is important to recognise the role media professionals and media organisations can play in the realisation of the global effort to ensure children’s rights are protected. The purpose of the Youth Media Awards is to encourage the media to include children’s issues and perspectives in their stories and programming. The Youth Media Awards will be an annual competition for media houses on the best coverage of children and youth issues in the following five categories: Print, Radio, Photography, TV and Internet.
6) Book of the Month Club: The purpose of BOMC is to encourage children and youth to read beyond the classroom. The BOMC will support children’s ability to read for fun and to become lifelong learners. It will give children and youth opportunities to read, discuss and share ideas with their peers and engage in games and activities based on the book of the month. Every month a panel of distinguished authors will recommend a book for the reading pleasure of young people across the country.
7) Publications/Productions: YMCI will produce a national youth magazine (Our Voice). Written by young people, for young people, this will be a monthly publication that aims to address many of the issues that are of concern to young people today. Our Voice will comprise the voices of children and youths from around Nigeria, voices that do not find space in the mainstream media. This initiative will also tie into a yearly publication that will assess the state of the Nigerian child through the perspectives and experiences of children and youth. After the necessary training, children and youth will also be able to produce their own radio and TV programmes and create documentaries and digital short films on issues that affect them.
8) Youth Media Partnership: As part of its Youth Media Partnership, YMCI will work with media professionals to promote and protect children's rights. Using workshops and seminars, YMCI will create opportunities for children and youth to interact with media professionals to ensure that the media have access to reliable information on children's issues. These workshops and seminars will acquaint journalists with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and stress the importance of respecting the rights of children and youth in reporting issues concerning them. They will also promote the inclusion of the divergent voices of children and youth on critical local and national issues.
9) Youth Media Heroes & Heroines: There are very few role models in the country for our young people to learn from. The Youth Media Heroes & Heroines project encourages young people to recognise inspiring people they see in their communities and bring those figures to life by telling their stories using traditional media. Every year YMCI will give out three cash awards each to female and male senior secondary school students for the best stories about heroes and heroines that have inspired them. It is hoped that the money will contribute to their tertiary education.
10) Talking Point: What are the issues affecting young people and who is listening? When addressing issues affecting children and youth we must consider what is best for them. But how do we know what is best for children and youth? That question can only be answered by finding out how children and youth feel and what they are thinking.
This generation of Nigerian youth needs to be heard, and clearly too. To this end, each month, YMCI will facilitate forums for thousands of young people across the country to discuss issues ranging from education, youth violence and crime to globalization and terrorism and how these issues impact their lives. In less formal settings, in classrooms and community centres around the country, children and youth would be able to talk about their hopes, aspirations and concerns.
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