As Human Rights Day dawned on South Africa, over 40 youth delegates descended on Bush Radio to register to be part of the annual Media Kidocracy Konfrence hosted by the station from the 10th to the 12th December 2015.
Delegates have been drawn from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Italy, Northern Ireland, Austria, Germany and South Africa.
The theme for this expands and consolidates last years theme of democracy by: Celebrating Democracy, learning from the past and looking to the future.
As part of a growing need for youth participation in the decision-making process and policy formulation around children’s broadcasting, in 2000 Bush Radio initiated a conference. The Kidocracy (Kid-democracy) name was created for the event – to denote a form of society characterised 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 understanding among young people by exposing youth to information and experiences that will enable them to identify issues they feel are relevant, as well as explore their role in media and social issues. MKK also assists participants in devising strategies for addressing social issues by using the media as a tool to help resolve and address these issues.
A Bush Radio 89.5FM project, the Media Kiodcracy (kid+democracy) conference is taking place from the 22nd – 27th September in Grabouw. MKK is a youth media conference for participants aged 12 – 18 years and provides them with skills and knowledge to produce various forms of media. This year, MKK will produce radio, television, photography, online, drama and art. Two newspapers will also be produced, one before, and one during the conference.
The theme for this year’s conference is “The Role of Media in Democracy”.
The Managing Director of Bush Radio, Brenda Leonard said that “MKK is taking place in a historic year for media in South Africa. Bush Radio is celebrating 20 years since its first illegal broadcast, and 18 years of legal broadcasting. The National Community Radio Forum (NCRF) is also celebrating 20 years of its existence.“
Bush Radio initiated the then Radio Kidocracy Konference, which changed to the Media Kidocracy Konference in 2006. Initially it started as a conference where children could talk about issues and policies in broadcasting affecting them directly, to make their voices heard. With the changing landscape of media in South Africa, we decided to include other forms of media in 2006, and with this, the Media Kidocracy Konference (MKK) was born.
Delegates are expected from community radio stations across South Africa, youth groups and schools, and will include over 90 youth participants.
Today, MKK as an opportunity for youth to reflect their views on the issues on the table, discuss how the media portrays these issues, and then produce the type of media that talks directly to the youth. The skills and information they gain over the five days is part of, not only strengthening their knowledge and skill set, but also strengthening democracy in South Africa.
Partners for this year’s conference are: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), Media Development and Diversity Agency and Whalecoast Monitor
Background on MKK
As part of a growing need for youth participation in the decision-making process and policy formulation around children’s broadcasting, in 2000 Bush Radio initiated a conference. The Kidocracy (Kid-democracy) name was created for the event – to denote a form of society characterised 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 understanding among young people by exposing youth to information and experiences that will enable them to identify issues they feel are relevant, as well as explore their role in media and social issues. MKK also assists participants in devising strategies for addressing social issues by using the media as a tool to help resolve and address these issues.
After intense planning and a busy week the 12th Annual Media Kidocracy Konfrence (MKK2012) came to an end on Friday, the 14th of December 2012.
About 80 youth delegates (aged 12 – 21) drawn from all over the country, SADC and as far away as Northern Ireland attended MKK.
Below are the “products” which showcase how the young people interpreted the various themes outlined for this year. For a large percentage of the delegates this was the first time they had been directly involved in the production of media. A strong element of all the MKK conferences have been linking a practical implementation of ideas generated in the various intensive panel discussions and workshop groups.
This year’s theme was Youth Participation in Democracy, with sub-themes being:
Youth Rights and Civic Participation – Human Rights
A big thank you to all the participants and facilitators of the Media Kidocracy Konference 2010 (17 – 18 December 2010) who helped make the conference a huge success.
A special word of thanks to the following individuals who gave their time and resources to participate and facilitate the discussions with the participants:
Bush Radio, Africa’s oldest community radio station project will once again host the annual Media Kidocracy Konfrence (MKK) now in its 11th year from the 17th to the 18th December 2010 at its premises in Salt River, Cape Town.
This year the Bush Radio’s children and youth project CREW (Children’s Radio Education Workshop), which takes on the role of host and planning committee for the conference, is presenting a programme called Youth Engagement.
The delegates, aged between 12 and 18 years of age, will explore issues that are pertinent to themselves and their peers under the theme, and have broken the conference into three parallel areas: Business, Music and Media.
Business
This session aims to inspire youth as well as teach them ways of capitalising on their talents and how to be responsible in business.
Music:
Exploring how the youth express themselves in a positive way through music and to help with discovering our rich musical heritage. These sessions will look at independent and signed artists, their experiences and challenges.
Media
Not just the glitz and glam. The sessions will reflect on how all media influences youth, how children and young people are represented in the media and how they wish to be represented. The impact of new media and ideas on how to use it will also be shared.
Former Bush Radio MD, Zane Ibrahim at an early MKK conference
“Whereas previous MKK sessions have concentrated on media and media production, we have noted with interest that this years’ MKK planning committee have included a section on business,” Bush Radio Managing Director Brenda Leonard.
“We feel it shows the impact of the economic crisis on the lives of the youth. They motivated strongly for this section to be included. It is our job of facilitators of young people’s development that we hear their call.”
Background on MKK
As part of a growing need for youth participation in the decision-making process and policy formulation around children’s broadcasting, in 2000 Bush Radio initiated a conference. The Kidocracy (Kid-democracy) name was created for the event – to denote a form of society characterised 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 understanding among young people by exposing youth to information and experiences that will enable them to identify issues they feel are relevant, as well as explore their role in media and social issues. MKK also assists participants in devising strategies for addressing social issues by using the media as a tool to help resolve and address these issues.
Recently we were asked by the organisers of the 10th AMARC Global Conference (World Association of Community Radio broadcasters) to submit a station promo which we thought summed up what the station stood for.
If you would like to here what we submitted click on the picture below.
On the final day the young delegates (12 – 18 years old) presented their productions in a four hour closing ceremony which included video, online, graffiti and radio presentations.
The closing ceremony also included performances by young Capetonian talent such as Shaz & B, Apple and Cinnamon and Grand Alliance.
The photographers have captured the contrast between the beauty of our natural landscape and the filth that soils it.
The television group challenged us to re-examine our so-called natural ways of being as men and women with respect to violence within the home.
The graffiti group showed through their piece that although we may differ linguistically and/or culturally, we can live in harmony.
The online and radio groups have spread the word that violence is not and never will be an option, be it violence inflicted by others through forced child labour or self-inflicted violence in the form of substance abuse.
Together these products send a resounding message that states that their vision for tomorrow is one in which they wish not to live in fear and is filled with hope.
We would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their assistance through advice and contributions in making this conference a success:
St Agnes Primary School and in particular the principal Mr. Alfonso Louw and caretaker Mr. Marsh.
Brenda Leonard and Belinda Sepkit from Bush Radio’s admin department who made the lunches
All the production facilitators and content facilitators.
The guest speakers who joined us on the first day of the conference, especially Ms Jennifer Hartnick from the Provincial Parliament whose kind and gentle words set a good tone for the conference.
We would also like to thank our delegates who joined us from as far a-field as Northern Ireland (Public Achievement) and Canada (Canada World Youth).
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.
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.
For the past two days, online and mobile social media community site Zoopy.com (Update: Zoopy no longer does user generated content and we’ve switch to a YouTube Channel) has featured two videos featuring Shiraaz Ismail . Shiraaz hosts the breakfast show on Bush Radio with Victor J. CLICK ON PICS TO WATCH THE VIDEOS.
We are not sure why, but we think the cute and funny factor may help. On a serious note Shiraaz wanted to highlight that many young people need to learn the national anthem.
Bush Radio uses zoopy.comYouTube.com to promote the work of artists as well as some of the video productions it is involved in, like the work of the CREW , during the annual Media Kidocracy Konfrence. It is also a way in which the interns at the station get to experience the intergration of media.
As Human Rights Day dawned on South Africa, over 40 youth delegates descended on Bush Radio to register to be part of the annual Media Kidocracy Konfrence hosted by the station from the 10th to the 12th December 2015.
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