Faces and sounds of Europe: developing ideas for media and youth participation
European Commission – Youth Programme, Contact Making Seminar,
Chieti/Italy 1st – 6th April 2005
In the contemporary society, the role and influence of Media have an importance
that nowadays become more and more important. Media influence the development
of our daily life: information, entertainment, life style models and so on.
In the last years, people discuss with more and more interest about the topic
of the control of media (Radio, TV, Newspaper) under both political and properties
point of views. The concentration of several media among few owners, very often
connected with economical and political powers, doesn’t give any insurance
about the objective information and quality of the “light” and cultural
entertainment. Furthermore, we don’t see any possibility for those citizens,
especially young people, who are interested or have the capacity and the creativity
to become active protagonists in the management, creation and promotion of media.
The ARCI Cultural Centre Officine Culturali is engaged, since several
years, in the realization of projects promoting an active use of media especially
by young people. We organised an international youth exchange entitled “Citizen
Kane: media and youth participation” (September 2003), a radio format on
the topic of the European knowledge for young people broadcasted by the local
radio channel “Radio Luce” (November and December 2003), a magazine
with articles and comics entitled “L’inkontinente” (3 numbers
already published), an Youth Initiative “Media and youth active participation”.
For these reasons it is interesting to establish new contacts with associations
and groups that work on creating, offering and promoting opportunities for young
people to use media in order to elaborate new quality projects under the framework
of the Youth Programme of the European Commission.
The main aim of the project is to establish a relationship of knowledge and partnership
among organizations coming from both European Union and pre-adhesion countries
in order to grow at international level the activities that normally are developed
in a local dimension.
Specific objectives are:
- To realize a plan of future projects (Bank of projects) under the framework of the Youth Programme (International Youth Exchanges, European Voluntary Service, Youth Initiatives, etc.) on the thematic of this Seminar in order to involve young people interested and/or engaged with media to foster their active citizenship and to offer the possibilities given by the Youth Programme;
- To know and share ideas, activities and educational methodologies among different European realities on the topic of the alternative use of media and of the opportunities to use media to encourage youth active participation in order to grow the competences of the participants (and, consequently of their NGO) on both the work realised by each partner till now and on what the partners, together, will realise in common for the future.