One World Youth Jury 2009
In 2009 One World Media, working with category sponsors Unicef, decided to increase the participation of young people in the Awards. They recruited four young people to sit on the first One World Youth Jury, who would be invited to choose the winner and runners up for the Children's Rights Award.
These four young people were not just asked to judge this category - they were also invited to London for two days, in which they visited major media institutions, and met with a range of leading journalists and filmmakers, all of whom were experienced in reporting on children's rights issues.
This gave them the opportunity to explore how the media reports on international development, and to develop their own ideas on what they should be looking for in the entries to the Children's Rights Award.
Their two days in London featured:
- a visit to ITN, to see the Channel 4 News at Noon going out live, and to meet the presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy
- a chance to put questions to two of last year's One World Media Awards winners - Jezza Neumann, director of China's Stolen Children, which won the 2008 Children's Rights Award; and Mike Thomson, BBC Correspondent, and the 2008 Broadcast Journalist of the year
- a workshop on children's rights, delivered by Connie Wessels of Unicef's Youth Team
The One World Youth Jury with the winners of the Children's Rights Award
The One World Youth Jury 2009 (L-R): Sonum Sumaria, Nicholas Padden, Sam Rogers and Ellen Jepson
- a tour of the Guardian and Observer building, with the Observer's Chief Reporter Tracy McVeigh
This was all followed by their jury selection meeting, in which they chose the winner and runners up in the Children's Rights Category for 2009.
The Youth Jury was also present at the Awards ceremony on 22nd June, in which they announced the winner of the Children's Rights Award: Dispatches: Saving Africa's Witch Children.
The four young people were originally selected through a national competition, in which young people living in the UK were asked to write about how media could contribute to children's rights around the world. They were then selected by a panel comprising staff from One World Media, Unicef and DEA.
If you're interested in being a young juror in future, keep checking this website - we'll be announcing further details in early 2010.
Nicholas Padden
One World Youth Juror
"The experience, from start to end, was excellent and stretched our perceptions - as well as preconceptions - of media and child rights. The true benefit of this opportunity lies not only in meeting inspirational people and learning new things but also in broadening one's horizons, outlook and potential path in life. Projects like this reinforce the idea that it is far better to be bold and get involved than to later have a 'what if?' moment."
Sonum Sumaria
One World Youth Juror
"The whole experience was fantastic, from watching the documentaries, undergoing the workshop, and attending the awards ceremony, where we met the documentary makers themselves. I would definitely recommend all 16-21 year olds who are interested in film and media to apply to become a youth juror - it's an amazing opportunity that can only benefit you!"