Children do not belong in war. Ever. It violates their rights and undermines their future prospects. The Conn@ct.Now programme I am working for supports children in Burundi, Colombia, Sudan and Uganda to enjoy their right to education, protection and psycho-social well-being. The Conn@ct.Now programme uses innovative Information & Communication Technologies (ICTs) and media to do this. How are we starting? We are beginning by asking you to give your suggestions for building upon our programme in South Sudan. For us this is a learning experience, as we want to see if and how we can use the power of the crowd – you – in our project.
What are we going to do?
In South Sudan Conn@ct.Now successfully uses ICT and Media as a bridge to connect the generations. Working together, children make their own videos which tell their stories and perspectives on their own actions and those of their parents. It has proven to be much easier for children to discuss the issues that are important to them with their parents or caretakers via videos than face-to-face. By working as a group and undertaking joint actions children also gain strength from each other.
The South Sudan program is now looking to build upon this work … with YOUR help. We are looking for new and creative ways to encourage children and parents to talk to each other and solve problems together. We want you to share your thoughts with us and welcome any ideas about how you think ICT and Media can help to encourage the necessary dialogue between generations and help children work together.
Do you know other projects which use ICT and Media successfully? Let us know! Also your ideas which don’t involve ICT and Media technologies are welcome.
How can you let us know?
We have developed a Conn@ct.Now Facebook page , just for this purpose:
So log on to Facebook, search for Conn@ct.Now and ‘Like’ us.
Over the next few weeks, we will be asking you to:
* Share your thoughts about ICT and Media:
* Provide inspiration;
* Review and create solutions; and
* Recommend us to your friends who are interested in ICT and Media in development programmes.
We are really looking forward to hearing your suggestions, so please join us! Also, please share this with your network!
Thanks for your help!
Matthijs