18 YOUNG PEOPLE UNDERGO TRAINING OF VIDEO PRODUCTION

PARTICIPANTS WITH FACILITATORS

                                         

The UNICEF Country Representative is challenging children to develop creative ways of expressing their views on issues that affect them. She says children present an opportunity to help contribute to development issues that concern them.
Ms. Olunsami Iyabode made this known at a graduation ceremony for 18 young people who had received training on making video to highlight children’s issue in the country.
The five day workshop involved members of Curious Minds and Ananse Reach Concept – both young people’s rights advocacy groups. The participants were drawn from the Northern, Central and Greater Accra Regions.
The workshop which was organised by the Oneminutes Foundation, European Cultural Foundation and UNICEF Ghana, was part of plans to get videos from young people for the 2011 edition of oneminutesjr video competition.
According to the Training Coordinator, Natasha Ikoli, such workshops were organized annually all over the globe to give youngsters between 12-20 years from diverse background, a chance to create their own one minute videos.

The training facilitators who were from the US, Demark and South Korea took participants through filming and editing sessions. Participants later produced their own one minute videos depicting various issues concerning children in Ghana. They played the role of Actors and Actresses, Cameramen and Directors producing stories on themes such as early marriage, child labour etc.
The videos were screened at a grand ceremony at the British Council in Accra as part of the 15th Anniversary celebration of Curious Minds. Present at the ceremony were representatives of MDAs, UN Systems in Ghana and Civil Society Organisations as well as school children.
Sharing their experiences at the graduation ceremony, participants recounted the challenges they faced in the selection of topics, location for shooting and editing their videos - describing the entire workshop as “exciting and eye opening”.
A participant, Rejoice Tawiah whose video was on single parenting urged parents to play a collective role in raising the child quoting Article 18 of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as the basis for her call.
Another participant, Pascal, was glad to have been part of the training adding "It has offered me the platform to bring out what i have within".

The videos will take part in this year's oneminutesjr video Africa and Global level competitions.

        (Visit: www.theoneminutesjr.org to watch videos)