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UNICEF has recently launched a new multimedia newsletter for young people all over the world, to show how they can use the media to express their own ideas and learn about all the different issues that are affecting them. The Media Magic Digest, which was started on the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting back in December, contains articles and news stories about young people’s involvement with the media, as well as news and events that affect children across the globe. The idea is to inform young people about news and issues that matter to them, while also helping them to become more engaged with the media and the professionals working in the field. As Stephen Cassidy, Chief of the Internet, Broadcast and Image Section observes: “UNICEF has long recognised that the media can be a potent force for change. We want adults and children around the globe, to share ideas and be inspired by the work of others, and then be able to create their own imaginative approaches to all media disciplines.” The current newsletter features stories from all around the world about youth driven media projects, such as Caracol Radio in Colombia, and its day of youth broadcasting, and a magazine in Nepal where young people can express their views on national issues. Clips of stories can be downloaded and readers can also submit their own articles. Contact: www.unicef.org/voy/mediadigest First published in Positive Youth News Spring 2007 We have all heard Jamie Oliver ranting about the need for healthier school meals, but what is actually being done about it? In December 2006, the Big Lottery Fund provided a grant of £16.9 million to the Food for Life Partnership. Led by the Soil Association, the project aims to get pupils and their parents cooking, retrain school kitchen staff and offer farmers secure markets for local, seasonal and sustainably-produced food. The project will affect over 150,000 children and parents across nine English regions, which will each host 20 food flagship schools. In addition to these, at least 3,600 more schools will be given all the tools they need to meet the Food for Life gold standard. The project defines its gold standard targets for each school as follows below: 1) School lunches should aim to provide food that meets with the nutrition targets set by the Caroline Walker Trust and the School Meals Review Panel. 2) 75 per cent of all foods consumed should be made from unprocessed ingredients. 3) At least 50 per cent by weight of meal ingredients should be sourced from the region locally – inside a 50 mile radius or within reasonable proximity. 4) At least 30 per cent of the weight of the food served should be acquired from certified organic sources. 5) Better classroom education about food, cooking, nutrition and health, and pupils must visit a farm at least once during their time at school. Hundreds of schools have already begun working towards these targets, bucking the trend of the decreasing numbers in the dinner queue, while also educating about fresh, locally sourced and organic alternatives. One example is Millfields Community School, in Hackney, East London. After terminating a commercial catering contract, they switched to 95 per cent unprocessed, 50 per cent local and 40 per cent organic ingredients. As a consequence, those opting for school meals has risen by 40 per cent. Contact: Neko Griffin at The Soil Association Tel: 0117 314 5180 First published in Positive Youth News Spring 2007 New Year, New Ambassadors, New Ambitions A New Year sees a new group take up the mantle at the Climate Change College. Positive News asked the two UK Climateers how they felt about the task before them. “When I first heard about Climate Change College, it sounded like the perfect opportunity for me to go and do something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I felt there was a need to discuss climate change in a way that is comprehensible and enjoyable. “As Ambassador, I want to reach out and convince as many people as possible, that taking responsibility for climate change is something that will not wait any longer. I also want to inspire those people to start making the small differences that together will have a large impact.” Robert Bell “Having studied climate change over the last two years, I was aware of the threat that the issue poses and of the urgent need for action. I had come up with an idea of how to encourage students to reduce their energy usage and had been organising an energy-saving scheme, the Student Switch Off, at the University of East Anglia. “By becoming one of Ben & Jerry’s Climate Change College Ambassadors, I hope to take this scheme on to seven more Universities and spread awareness about how we can reduce our personal impact by using energy carefully. I am particularly looking forward to the journey to Greenland, where we will witness first-hand some of the effects that climate change has already had on the environment.” Neil Jennings As ever you can keep up to date with the latest news on the website. You can also read about Neil’s project on the Student Switch Off website. Contact: www.climatechangecollege.org and www.studentswitchoff.co.uk finalists at the Climate Change College selection weekend First published in Positive Youth News Spring 2007 If you are interested in film making, then check out chewtv.com – the UK’s first broadband television channel, run by and for young people. Although the website is designed to promote the work of ‘unknown’ film makers, the short pieces are anything but amateurish. Including animations, documentaries and many other different genres, ChewTV has something to interest everyone. Current popular choices with watchers include Untitled, a short film about loneliness and isolation, and 2/3 Water, a documentary about the highs and lows of surfing in Cornwall. Films can be submitted by anyone, young or old, guaranteeing variety and a constant source of new material. Over the next few months ChewTV will be facilitating the work of ten new youth ideas, helping groups or individuals to create and polish their own piece of film media, be it a video game, a horror film or a music video. The ideas used for this project were selected from competition entrants from across the UK and are sure to produce some interesting and very watchable results. There are many ways to get involved with the ChewTV community. You can rate or review the films, or submit your own work. For anyone who wants to be more actively involved, Chew is on the look out for young journalists, editors, marketers, budding designers or events team members, to help the channel grow and find more fans. Contact: Chew TV, Creative Partnerships, 21b Pydar Street, Truro,
Cornwall, TR1 2AY First published in Positive Youth News Spring 2007 This is one of many stories available from Positive News newspaper. For more stories like this please visit: www.positivenews.org.uk (In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.) |
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