MKK 2009 gets off to a soulful start

Bush Radio’s Media Kidocracy Konference (MKK 2009) met for the 10^th time today at the St Agnes Primary School in Woodstock.

The station’s unique programme is a platform created to bring young people under one umbrella to discuss issues that affect them and uses media to address these.

Delivering his opening address at the conference, the station’s programme integrator Adrian Louw briefed the delegates and participants about the programme’s history.

“MKK initially started as Radio Kidocracy Konference about ten years ago enabling the youth to gather and discuss issues that affect them within the media landscape,” said Louw.

He highlighted that even though financial constraints were persistent in the work of the programme, emphasised that MKK will take its full course.

He challenged participants to engage in debate around issues that affect them, and to empower themselves with the resources and opportunities at their disposal.

Jennifer Hartnick a former teacher and currently Western Cape Provincial Parliament MP reiterated to the youth that they should make use of the available opportunities.

Western Cape Provincial Parliment's Chaiperson of Education, Sports and Culture, Jennifer Hartnick

“You should count yourselves lucky that today you have great opportunities such as these, we only dreamt of,” Hartnick said.

Giving a soulful address Hartnick, who also chairs the education, sport and cultural affairs committee, said with her experience as teacher, she likes working with children and it’s a point to tackle issues that affect young people in her work.

“During June we do have youth debates in parliament and we would like to have the MKK part of our youth programmes,” added Hartnick.

Veteran participant , Mfundo Dafeti, who has been with the programme for five consecutive years, said his experience has been great and wonderful throughout the years.

“Because of my enjoyment and wonderful work I did in this programme I will definitely be part of it again next year although 2009 is officially my final year,” said Dafeti.

Dave McNamara chief director at the Social Development department said MKK’s theme of “Away from Violence” was relevant, given the high rates of alcohol and substance abuse which is a major contributor to violence in the province.

Not only serious talk got the delegates moving; Cape Town song writer and composer, Chad Saaiman, kept the audience thrilled throughout his performance.

Chad Saaiman getting into the groove at MMK 2009

Some of the topics to be tackled at this year’s meeting include violence and drug abuse amongst others.

Young people tackle the media

Media Kidocracy Konference 2009 Bush Radio in association with the Children’s Radio Education Workshop (CREW) project is in the final stages of planning its 10th annual Media Kidocracy Konference (MKK).

The conference will take place from the 14th – 18th of December 2009 at St. Agnes Primary School in Woodstock.

A delegate at the first conference 10 years ago

Youth between the ages of 12 and 18 will get together to explore issues that are pertinent to themselves and their peers as well as use different forms of media to develop a media campaign that will create social awareness.

Topics will include: citizenship, child labour, substance abuse, language and culture, gender-based violence and pollution.

These will be explored through various media such as dance and/or drama, online and/or print, radio, T.V. and photography.

Through these media, they can critically appraise where they are now in life and how their current behaviour will help or hinder them achieve the future they want.

Background on MKK

As part of a growing need for youth participation in the decision-making process and policy formulation around children’s broadcasting, Bush Radio initiated a conference which would tackle these issues and also feed into this debate.

The Kidocracy (Kid-democracy) name was created for the event to denote a form of society characterized by social equality and acceptance of young people with representation for and by young people.

The Media Kidocracy Konference aims to establish critical awareness and understandings amongst young people by exposing youth to information and experiences that will enable them to identify issues they feel are relevant as well as explore the role of the media in creating an understanding of the social issue.

MKK also assists participants in devising strategies for addressing the social issues by using the media as a tool to help resolve and address these issues.

Corporates or individulas  interested in sponsorship opportunites around the event should contact Brenda Leonard.