Amazing Kid

The Amazing Kids initiative aims to promote child journalists to work on the stories of the Amazing Kids. The initiative was designed in accordance to a strategic objective i.e. "By 2010, children and adult communities will have the capacity to document their own development.’’

In 2005, Amazing Kids was launched in partnership with Plan (India) and One World South Asia. Currently, it heavily relies on peer-to-peer learning and has led to the formalization of Youth Media Groups in the second year of its implementation.

During the first year of its implementation, the Amazing Kids project was introduced as pilot in three Project areas of Plan India – Bhubaneshwar (urban project of CYSD which has since been phased-out), Bajju in Rajasthan, Gairsain in Uttarakhand and in the Tsunami affected areas of Tamil Nadu. In the second year, it was extended to six more Project Units – Nizamabad in Andhra Pradesh; Koraput in Orissa; Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh; Udaipur and Lunkaransar in Rajasthan and in Delhi.

As part of the integrated media approach, children were offered a bouquet of five media skills --print, radio, comics, photography and digital stories. In some areas, emphasis on traditional media was also given. A case in point is the “Umang group” in the Program Unit (PU) of SBMA, Gairsain, Uttarakhand, who now organize their own trainings.

The project has also created platforms for children to magnify their voices – “Children’s Press Service and Grassroots Photo Service", being just two. In January 2007, children from Plan Pus came together to form the Young People’s Community Radio Network.

The following have been some of the achievements of the media tools training process:

1. All media tools rolled into one package so as to enable cross-comparison of the use of different media tools by children.

2. A unique five day methodology for delivering basic level exposure and training.-- It was introduced first in 2005 in two different formats -- exposure to media tools and then specialised trainings in some and the reverse in some others -- specialised trainings in various media tools first and then familiarisation with the integrated media approach.

3. Reliance on peer youth trainers to take the media tools training to other children in the area. The children have also formed themselves into a media group named UMANG.

4. Creating platforms for children to share their views across the country with themselves and with other stakeholders -- Children's Press Service is the foremost example, it has been implemented in CASP-Delhi and GNK. Other platforms like the Grassroots Photo Service and the Young People's Community Radio network have also been formed. Children from 10 PUs came together for a live broadcasting experience in Delhi in January 2007.

5. Creating training materials for children to use in their communities -- Manuals on photography, community radio, digital stories and comics have already been written up and will be made available to the children.

6. Inclusive approach -- In SBMA, Gairsain, disabled children have been trained in media skills.

7. Helping children in Plan communities network amongst each other -- Through the programme and the training, children from Umang group have visited to Urmul and GNK to share their knowledge and skills.

There have been other spin-off benefits like helping children boost their confidence levels and build their personalities. The stand-alone nature of the programme is giving way to integration with other programmes being implemented by Pu's. Since media skills add value to the work that the PUs do with children, there is immense scope of integrating such training in the normal progammes which PU's do. As Umang group organised Child right media campaign at 29 locations of a cluster, where they exhibited the produced material and make people listen to the radio spots.

The following have been some of the key programme highlights in Gairsain project area:

SBMA, Gairsain: After a series of trainings, the children trained under Amazing Kids formed themselves into a media group, Umang, and started training other children in the entire state of Uttarakhand. The children now bring out their own newspaper, Umang, are in the process of making regular radio programmes through the studio constructed in the programme unit and are skilled in comics and photography as well. Two children, Laxman Negi and Archana Bisht went to Geneva to participate in the Day of General Discussion (DoGD) last year in September and subsequently, they now have a project to form the children’s press service in Uttarakhand.

About Umang group:

The Umang group is the first youth media group to emerge out of the Amazing Kids process. During FY 2006-07, they have been busy conducting trainings for children all over the State of Uttarakand also children from Urmul, Lunkaransar’s operational area and GNK, Maharajganj. A youth media group by name Muskaan has come up in the Maharajganj area and they have started training other children in their communities. Working through youth media group has made it possible to reach as many children as possible in the communities so that they can express themselves through the media of their choice.

The children’s press Service has received a good response from the regional newspapers in India and close to 15 articles by children have been published in a period of four months. The articles written by children have received a good display with photographs in the features sections of newspapers like Nai Duniya, Hari Bhoomi and Dainik Lokmat and leading magazine of Uttrakhand (PRAVATJAN). The Umang group has started a monthly news paper named Umang and 7 issues have been published till date. The Umang news paper is providing platform to the trained children in media skills, who collect news and stories, make comics and photographs on local issues, which are published in this news paper. It has also contributed to the beginning of a change in attitudes of media-persons in seeing young people as potential contributors to their newspapers instead of being only soft story writers.

Training received and training delivered by Umang group, Gairsain

The first consultation was organised under Amazing Kids initiative in Gairsain PU during 20^th August to 23^rd August, 2005. 20 children and 10 youth facilitator were selected out of 120 children and youth.

Training received by Umang team

· Media skill training in Dehradun from 25^th September to 30^th September 05 In this training children and youth underwent an intensive training on 6 media skills: news, stories, radio, internet, comics and photography. After this training every month a meeting was organized with all child Journalists and youths to improve upon the skills they have learnt.

· A TOT on comics was organised during 23^rd to 27^th October 05 at Goa- 2 Participants from Gairsain PU participated in this training. As follow up of this training all child Journalist were invited and shared the experience of Goa training and practice session were organised.

· TOT on producing radio slots in Delhi was organised during 28^th November to 1^st December 05-4 participants from Gairsain joined this TOT. Children learnt Script writing of Radio program, collecting voices and interviews, performed as Radio Jockey and editing. Children produced two radio Programs girls education and HIV/ AIDS. As follow-up of this training child journalist selected for script writing, Radio Jockey and developed 4 Radio Programs on child Right issue. All child Journalist organised a child right campaign using various media productions at 29 locations of Saliyana cluster (Gairsain).

· TOT on comics and Photography during 13^th to 19^th January 2006 at Gairsain- To up grade Comics and Photography skills of the child Journalist, 12 children who performed best in comics and photography participated in this training. As follow up child journalists organized cluster level children consultation for sending messages for commonwealth games.

· Training on web uploading and downloading with the support from One World South Asia from 28^th April to 1^st May, 06. As follow up the members of the Umang group started uploading the website "Open Knowledge" of One World South Asia.

· Digital Stories workshop by One World south Asia from 8^th June to 11^th June 06.

· Video news clip workshop from 10^th June to 21^st June 06.

· Participation in community radio workshop organised by Plan India from 23^rd June to 25^th June 06.

· TOT on radio in TLM media center, Ghaziabad from 23^rd July to 27^th July 06.

· Writing/ Digital stories / Video Training at Gairsain – 4^th to 8^th September 06 for Umang team by Dristi Video, New Delhi.

· News and feature writing -advance training and follow up of digital stories from 4^th to 7^th October, 06. Umang group learnt how to design News paper and publication of monthly Umang News Paper initiated.

· News and contents collection and feature training by Grassroot media initiative, New Delhi from 18^th to 22^nd December, 06

· Live telecasting training organised by Plan India from February 1^st to 3^rd, 07 at Delhi.

· Orientation on radio studio management and editing was organised by One World South Asia from 23^rd May to 25^th May 07.

Training delivered by Umang team:

· 28 August 06 to 3^rd September 06 for 30 children of Gairsain PU Area on five media tools.

· 3^rd December to 7^th December 06- for 34 children and 14 Facilitator of various NGOs of Uttarakhand under ROC initiative of SBMA/Plan PU.

· 15^th January to 19^th January 2007- Training to children of Urmul Bajju and Urmul Setu Lunkaransar Rajasthan- 36 children from both PU got training of 5 media tools.

· 21 January 07 – Launched Children Media Press service at Dehradoon.

· 31^st March to 4^th April- Media curriculum development training with the support of IDRC, New Delhi in Dehradun. All five media tools were tested and final module were designed.

· 19^th April to 23^rd April 07- training to children of GNK PU- 24 children got training on 5 media skills and formed their group named Muskan.

· 8^th to 12^th May 07- training to differently able children of Gairsain area- 18 children participated in this training.

· Photography training for children and youth of Gairsain PU was organised from 11^th May to 15^th May 07 under the vocational education initiative of Gairsain PU, in which 16 children learnt the skills of photography.

· 12^th May to 17^th May 07- Training to children from Uttarkashi PU–30 children got training on 5 media tools.

· Training for village information centers at Dhargair village of Saliyana cluster under another pilot initiative of Plan India was organised between 19^th May to 22^nd May, 07, in which 10 children participated on content collection and news and story writing.