UNESCO and the Association of Media Workers develop Caribbean Network of Young Journalists
24-05-2007 (Kingston)
Radio studio in Guyana
© UNESCO
UNESCO is supporting a Caribbean Network of Young Journalists (CNYJ) project designed to develop capacity among Caribbean journalists between the ages of 21 and 30.
As part of the initiative, journalists will gather in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Grenada for three two-day workshops in May and June 2007 where the CNYJ will be further evaluated.
The CNYJ is being executed by the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM), in collaboration with the Caribbean News Agency (CANA), Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU), Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC), Mona School of Business – Media Research Unit and national and regional media houses.
The media industry in the Caribbean, over the past 20 years, has been dominated by veteran journalists most of whom were part of the development of media in the region. There is a growing trend towards young and dynamic journalists participating and playing lead roles in media organisations in the region. According to Alton Grizzle, the UNESCO Officer responsible for the project, “there is an evident need to harness this vitality, enthusiasm and zeal of these young journalists, infusing a greater thrust towards an increasing role of media in development and good governance in the region”.
Among the specific activities included in the CNYJ project is an evaluation of the professional needs and expectations of young journalists through a process of representative sampling in selected territories, the expansion of the ACM’s current online reach and enhancement of the quality of its online presence to focus on the specific needs and achievements of young journalists.
It is also intended to develop an online capacity to monitor and review the performance of members of the CNYJ as well as to test UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Media Training and Resource Kit.
The project includes a qualitative survey of professional expectations and needs among the target group in the wider Caribbean. It will develop and implement an electronic network of young journalists to facilitate information/knowledge sharing in the profession and organise in-country training workshops with special emphasis on the development of basic journalistic skills among young journalists.
The ACM plans, through the project, to optimise its existing network which includes Caribbean journalists, journalism trainers, media advocates, journalists’ organisations and media houses, to promote higher professional standards among young journalists and to generate greater awareness of the developmental impacts of media outputs.
The CNYJ is being executed by the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM), in collaboration with the Caribbean News Agency (CANA), Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU), Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC), Mona School of Business – Media Research Unit and national and regional media houses.
The media industry in the Caribbean, over the past 20 years, has been dominated by veteran journalists most of whom were part of the development of media in the region. There is a growing trend towards young and dynamic journalists participating and playing lead roles in media organisations in the region. According to Alton Grizzle, the UNESCO Officer responsible for the project, “there is an evident need to harness this vitality, enthusiasm and zeal of these young journalists, infusing a greater thrust towards an increasing role of media in development and good governance in the region”.
Among the specific activities included in the CNYJ project is an evaluation of the professional needs and expectations of young journalists through a process of representative sampling in selected territories, the expansion of the ACM’s current online reach and enhancement of the quality of its online presence to focus on the specific needs and achievements of young journalists.
It is also intended to develop an online capacity to monitor and review the performance of members of the CNYJ as well as to test UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Media Training and Resource Kit.
The project includes a qualitative survey of professional expectations and needs among the target group in the wider Caribbean. It will develop and implement an electronic network of young journalists to facilitate information/knowledge sharing in the profession and organise in-country training workshops with special emphasis on the development of basic journalistic skills among young journalists.
The ACM plans, through the project, to optimise its existing network which includes Caribbean journalists, journalism trainers, media advocates, journalists’ organisations and media houses, to promote higher professional standards among young journalists and to generate greater awareness of the developmental impacts of media outputs.
Related themes/countries
· Latin America/Caribbean
· Antigua and Barbuda
· Dominica
· Grenada
· Training of Media Professionals: News Archives 2007
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Contact information
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Contact
- Alton Grizzle, UNESCO Office in Kingston
- Isidro Fernandez-Aballi, UNESCO Office in Kingston
- Dale Enoch, President of ACM
- UNESCO Office in Kingston
Source
- UNESCO Office in Kingston
Field office